John Kiszely.
JOHN KISZELY
GENERAL HASTINGS ‘PUG’ ISMAY: WRITER, STATESMAN, DIPLOMAT (2024)
General Hastings ‘Pug’ Ismay was born in India. After Sandhurst he joined the Indian Army. During the First World War he served with the Camel Corps in British Somaliland. After the First War he became a staff officer and military secretary to the Viceroy of India.
He played a key role as Churchill’s chief of staff from 1940 until the end of the Second World War. He became extremely close to Churchill, who valued his judgement and relied on him to act as his intermediary smoothing the often tense relations with and between the heads of the three armed services.
After the Second World War Ismay retired from the Army and became Lord Mountbatten’s Chief of Staff overseeing Indian independence. He served as the chairman of the council for the 1951 Festival of Britain and in 1952 became the first Secretary General of NATO.
Antony Beevor wrote of the book: 'This is a major achievement and a truly important book. Kiszely has rightly returned Ismay to the front rank of key figures in the Second World War. His perception of character and of the dynamics and pitfalls of power is unsurpassed.'
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John Kiszely is a British army officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General before retiring and developing a career as an author. He served in Northern Ireland, Germany, Cyprus, and the Falkland Islands. He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery during the Falklands War. He was commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards, and in 2005 became director general of the Defence Academy.
