Mansfeldt Findlay


Sir Mansfeldt de Cardonnel Findlay was a British diplomat who had the difficult task of envoy to Norway during World War I.

Career

Findlay was educated at Harrow School and joined the Diplomatic Service as an Attaché in 1885. He served at Stockholm, Constantinople, Vienna, Buenos Aires and Belgrade.
He was Minister Resident at Dresden and Coburg 1907–09, and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Sofia 1909–11 and at Christiania 1911–23, including the important period of World War I.
R. H. Bruce Lockhart described Findlay as "one of the tallest Englishmen in the world and certainly the tallest man in diplomacy. He was a good organiser and, aided by Charles Brudenell-Bruce, ran his huge Legation with great efficiency."
In October 1914 Sir Roger Casement, an Irish nationalist, travelled to Germany via Norway with a companion named Adler Christensen. Accounts of what happened in Christiania differ. Casement's version was that Christensen was taken to the British legation and that Findlay offered him a reward if Casement was "knocked on the head". However, his version is contradicted by documents released years later by the British security services. British records suggest that Christensen approached the British Legation voluntarily with a plan to betray Casement, was given a small amount of money, and was offered a large amount for information that would lead to Casement's capture.

Honours

Mansfeldt Findlay was appointed CMG in 1904, CB in 1908, knighted KCMG in 1916 and given the additional knighthood of GBE in 1924 on his retirement. The King of Norway awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of St Olaf.