Arthur Kellas

{{Short description|British diplomat (1915–2007)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Use British English|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Arthur Kellas | office = British High Commissioner to Tanzania | term_start = 1972 | term_end = 1974 | predecessor = Sir Horace Phillips | successor = Sir Mervyn Brown | office1 = British Ambassador to People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) | predecessor1 = ''Post established'' | successor1 = Granville Ramage | term_start1 = 1970 | term_end1 = 1972 | office2 = British Ambassador to Nepal | term_start2 = 1966 | term_end2 = 1970 | predecessor2 = Sir Antony Duff | successor2 = Terence O'Brien | birth_date = 6 May 1915 | death_date = 6 March 2007 (aged 91) | children = 3 | alma_mater = University of Aberdeen | occupation = Diplomat | honorific_suffix = CMG | birth_place = Scotland }}

'''Arthur Roy Handasyde Kellas ''' (6 May 1915 – 6 March 2007) was a British diplomat who served as ambassador to Nepal from 1966 to 1970, ambassador to People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) from 1970 to 1972 and high commissioner to Tanzania from 1972 to 1974.

== Early life and education ==

Kellas was born in Scotland on 6 May 1915, the second son of Henry Kallas and Mary Kellas (née Brown) of Aberdeen. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School, University of Aberdeen and Balliol College, Oxford.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/whoswho2006annua2006unse |title=Who's who 2006 : an annual biographical dictionary |date=2006 |publisher=London : A. & C. Black |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7136-7164-3 |pages=1226}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=[Great Britain] Foreign Office |url=http://archive.org/details/foreign-office-list-1963 |title=The Foreign Office List and Diplomatic and Consular Year Book 1963. 135th Publication [Great Britain] |date=1963 |pages=270}}</ref>

== Career ==

Kellas entered the diplomatic service in 1939.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34711 |date=17 October 1939 |page=6960 }}</ref> After the outbreak of World War II that year, he was commissioned into the Border Regiment, and later served with the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment. He was mentioned twice in despatches.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

In 1944, Kellas was posted to Tehran as third secretary and in the following year was promoted to second secretary.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37198 |date=27 July 1945 |page=3882 }}</ref> In 1948, he was sent as first secretary to Helsingfors. From 1951 to 1952, he served as first secretary (press) at Cairo, and during his posting was declared ''persona non grata'' on the grounds that his activities were against the interests of the Egyptian regime, a charge denied by the British government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cairo (Mr Arthur Kellas) - Hansard - UK Parliament |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1953-04-02/debates/812bfee6-3513-4ee7-acce-c9a187ddcd7f/Cairo(MrArthurKellas) |access-date=2026-03-23 |website=hansard.parliament.uk |language=en}}</ref> Then from 1954 to 1958, he served as first secretary at Baghdad. After promotion to counsellor, he was sent to Tehran and remained in the post until 1963 when he spent a year at Imperial Defence College.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

From 1964 to 1965, he was counsellor and consul-general at Tel Aviv. He then served as ambassador to Nepal from 1966 to 1970;<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=43915 |date=4 March 1966 |page=2423 }}</ref> ambassador to People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) from 1970 to 1972,<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 February 1972 |title=PHS. The Times Diary |work=The Times |pages=12}}</ref> and high commissioner to Tanzania from 1972 to 1974.<ref name=":0" />

== Personal life and death ==

From 1975 to 1979, Kellas served as president of the Britain-Nepal Society.<ref name=":0" />

He married Katharine Bridget, daughter of John Le Rougetel, in 1952, and they had two sons and a daughter.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=29 August 1952 |title=Marriages |work=The Times |pages=6}}</ref>

Kellas died on 6 March 2007, aged 91.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 March 2007 |title=Deaths |work=The Times |pages=74}}</ref>

== Honours ==

Kellas was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1964 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=43200 |date=1 January 1964 |page=43200 |supp=y }}</ref>

== Publications ==

* ''Down to Earth'' (war memoir of parachute subaltern), 1990. * ''Ready Steady Go'' (pre-war reminiscences), 1999.

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{s-bef |before=Sir Antony Duff}} {{s-ttl |title =British Ambassador to Nepal |years=1966–1970}} {{s-aft |after = Terence O'Brien }}

{{s-new|office}} {{s-ttl |title =British Ambassador to People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen)|years=1970–1972}} {{s-aft |after = Granville Ramage}}

{{s-bef |before=Sir Horace Phillips}} {{s-ttl |title =British High Commissioner to Tanzania |years=1972–1974}} {{s-aft |after = Sir Mervyn Brown}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kellas, Arthur Roy Handasyde}} Category:1915 births Category:2007 deaths Category:People educated at Aberdeen Grammar School Category:Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Category:20th-century British diplomats Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Yemen Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Nepal Category:High commissioners of the United Kingdom to Tanzania