BIHT Zoom Lecture: Tuesday 10 March 2026 18.30-20.00 GMT
Valerie Haye, of the British in India Historical Trust, has sent the following details of a zoom lecture being given on Tuesday 10 March by Alan Dillon:
Curzon’s Chosen Men – Political Officers on the Periphery of Empire
Alan Dillon
Tuesday 10 March 2026 18.30-20.00 GMT (ZOOM)
In the early 20th century, political resident John Gordon Lorimer ICS and political agent Captain William Shakespear of the Indian Foreign Department played prominent roles on behalf of the British and Indian Governments. As ‘warrior scholars’, both used their diplomatic, linguistic, intelligence and exploration skills in the Arabian Peninsula and Persia to enhance Britain’s understanding of the periphery of Empire, bequeathing geopolitical legacies that continue to resonate long after their careers were tragically cut short.
Alan Dillon is a serving diplomat who spent twelve years in the Royal Marines before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2000. He has served in Afghanistan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Oman, interspersed by spells in Whitehall, mostly covering the Gulf and South Asia regions. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the author of Captain Shakespear: Desert Exploration, Arabian Intrigue and the Rise of Ibn Sa’ud (2019) and Lorimer: His Gazetteer and Britain’s Pursuit of Knowledge (2024).
Lectures are broadcast via Zoom and are available UK-wide and to an international audience. Lectures are recorded and uploaded to YouTube for two weeks. Links are emailed to all ticket-holders.
Tickets for this lecture cost £5. Click here to book tickets (online, by post, or by bank transfer).
Valerie Haye, British in India Historical Trust
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