Colin Figures

Figures was born in Birmingham, the son of Frederick Figures, an insurance executive, and his wife Muriel.[1] He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham[2] and served in The Worcestershire Regiment from 1945 until 1948,[2] during which time he studied Russian via the Inter-Service Language Course at Cambridge, and served in Romania and Hungary.[2] He read French and Russian at Pembroke College, Cambridge after being demobilised in 1948.[2] While there, he also founded the Woodpeckers, a combined Oxford and Cambridge touring rugby team.[1] He joined the SIS when he graduated in 1951.[2]

After a period in London, he served in Germany, served in Amman during the Suez Crisis, in Warsaw, and in Vienna during the Prague Spring, before returning to London.[2] He moved from Eastern bloc espionage in 1973 to supervise SIS activities in Northern Ireland.[2] He became deputy head of SIS in 1979 and its ninth Chief in 1981.[2] The following year, SIS was involved in the Falklands War, seeking to prevent Argentina obtaining stocks of Exocet missiles to be carried by their Super Etendard attack aircraft.[3] He received an OBE in 1969 and CMG in 1978, and advanced to KCMG in 1983.[2]

He retired from SIS in 1985, and became Intelligence Co-ordinator at the Cabinet Office.[2] He finally retired in 1989.[2]

He married Pamela Ann Timmis in 1956.[1] He suffered from Parkinson's disease in later life, and died in Esher.[1] He was survived by his wife, and their son and two daughters.[1]