William Ernest Quantrill (born 4 May 1939) is a former British diplomat who served as Ambassador to Cameroon from 1991 to 1995.[1]
Early life
Quantrill was educated at Colston's School and Durham University, graduating with a first-class BA in French.[1] He was Secretary of Hatfield College JCR in 1959, and also represented the college at rugby.[2]
Quantrill joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1962.[1] He was appointed to HM Diplomatic Service in December 1965.[3]
Career
From 1964 to 1980 he served in several overseas posts in Belgium, Cuba, the Philippines, and Nigeria.[4] From 1980 to 1981 he was Head of Training Department and from 1984 to 1988 was Counsellor and Head of Chancery at the British Embassy in Venezuela.[4] He subsequently served as Deputy Governor of Gibraltar until 1990.[5] Quantrill's tenure in Gibraltar coincided with a breakdown in relations between the Gibraltar and Spanish governments after a Gibraltarian court ordered the apprehension of four Spanish customs officials accused of illegal entry and illegal possession of arms.[6] He held a crisis meeting in London with Nicholas Gordon-Lennox, the British Ambassador to Spain, on 29 July 1989.[6]
Quantrill became Ambassador to Cameroon in 1991, also serving as non-resident representative to the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad.
References
- ^ a b c "Quantrill, William Ernest". Who's Who. Vol. 2020 (December 2019 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 27 June 2022. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Moyes, Arthur (2007). Be The Best You Can Be: A History of Sport at Hatfield College, Durham University. Hatfield Trust. p. 120.
- ^ "The London Gazette, 11th January 1966". The London Gazette. p. 330. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ a b "British Diplomats Directory: Part 2 of 4". Issuu.
- ^ "Letter: Towards a deal on Gibraltar". The Independent. 9 July 1997. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ a b Gold, Peter (2005). "A European Hong Kong?". Gibraltar: British or Spanish?. Psychology Press. p. 120.