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Parting Shots

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Matthew Parris marks the passing of the valedictory despatch from British ambassadors

Matthew Parris marks the passing of the valedictory despatch, the traditional final telegram home in which British ambassadors could let their hair down and settle a few scores

Parting Shots: Series 2

Parting Shots: Series 2: Episode 3: The sun sets on Empire

Episode 3

Episode 3: The sun sets on Empire

Series 2

The sun sets on Empire

BBC Radio 4 - Parting Shots, Series 2, The sun sets on Empire

Valedictory despatches from the last outposts of the British Empire. With Matthew Parris.

Matthew Parris reveals the final despatches from British diplomats behind in the last outposts of Empire, which capture the dying days of British rule.

Despatches from diplomats in the last outposts of Empire capture the dying days of British rule. With Matthew Parris.

The valedictory despatch - an open letter to the Foreign Secretary which for decades British diplomats would send before leaving an overseas post - was often a platform for bittersweet reflection about the past.

During the period of decolonisation, many Ambassadors and High Commissioners expressed misgivings about the manner in which Britain was shedding its imperial role. In this programme, diplomats from the old school argue the case for the Empire as a force for good, and bemoan the unseemly haste with which Britain hauled down the flag in colonies across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Producer: Andrew Bryson.

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Matthew Parris marks the passing of the valedictory despatch of the British ambassador

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