Charles Letts

Lionel Edgar Charles Letts (15 August 1918 – 23 October 2013) was an English entrepreneur notable for a 75-year career in Southeast Asia during which he took a role on the boards of more than 90 listed companies, survived torture, multiple escape attempts and a death sentence as a Japanese Prisoner of War and acted as a spy on behalf of the British Secret Intelligence Service.[1][2]

Charles Letts
Born(1918-08-16)16 August 1918
Send, Surrey, England
Died23 October 2013(2013-10-23) (aged 95)
Singapore
OccupationEntrepreneur
Spouse(s)Cecilia ("Sissi") Monro
Cecilia Choo
ChildrenBillie Letts

Personal life

Letts was born in the English village of Send two months before the end of World War I, the son of Frederick James Letts, a hairdresser, and Eva Catherine Watts. While a Staff Captain in the Army he married Cecilia Monro on 29 December 1945 in Bangkok, Thailand.[3]

Military career

Letts fought with the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War and with the Free Thai Movement during World War II [4]

Business career

Letts played a significant role in the sale of British owned assets in Southeast Asia during the period after World War II, in the process making deep connections with numerous individuals whose families would go on to accumulate huge wealth as the British Empire rolled back in the Far East.[5]

Diplomatic Roles

In later life Letts acted as Honorary Consul in Singapore for Brazil and Portugal.[6]

Decorations

During his lifetime Letts was awarded the British Empire Medal, became a Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of the Southern Cross and was made a Knight of the Norwegian Order of Merit.

Donation To T. T. Durai

Letts also helped save disgraced former Chief Executive Officer of the National Kidney Foundation Singapore, T. T. Durai, from bankruptcy, with a gift of $1 million.[7]

References
  1. K. C. Vijayan (3 November 2013). "The man who saved Durai from bankruptcy". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  2. Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad and Batu Kawan Berhad (3 November 2013). "Our Deepest Sympathies and Heartfelt Condolences". The Star (Malaysia). Malaysian Chinese Association. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  3. "The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; General Register Office: Miscellaneous Foreign Returns; Class: RG 32; Piece: 31". Ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  4. Studwell, Joe (September 2008). Asian Godfathers: Money and Power in Hong Kong and South East Asia. Grove Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0802143914.
  5. "Charles Letts". The Times. The Times. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  6. "Charles Letts - obituary". The Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  7. K. C. Vijayan (3 November 2013). "The man who saved Durai from bankruptcy". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 6 June 2017.


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