Conrad O'Brien-ffrench

Conrad Fulke Thomond O'Brien-ffrench was born in London, England, the second son of Henry Albert De Vreque O'Brien-ffrench, 1st Marquis de Castelthomond, and his wife Winifred née Thursby, heiress and daughter of Major James Legh Thursby, of Ormerod House Lancashire. He and his elder brother Rollo (Rollo Adrien Vladimir Thursby Marie Altieri O'Brien-ffrench) spent their early childhood in Italy at Villa Torlonia, Frascati in the Alban Hills, east of Rome, and then at Piazza dell'Indipendenza in Florence, where they received private tutoring in English, French and Italian. Returning to England, Conrad joined Rollo at the Wick, a preparatory school at Hove in Sussex. After Rollo left the Wick, Conrad completed his preparatory schooling at St. Aubyns School in Rottingdean, and then attended Bradley Court Agricultural College in the Forest of Dean, where he developed his lifelong interest in horsemanship, fox hunting and other country pursuits, and became a junior member of the Ledbury Hunt. During these years his other siblings, Yvonne (Yvonne Castelthomond O'Brien-ffrench) and Alexis (Alexis Evelyn Henry O'Brien-ffrench), were born. ==Royal North-West Mounted Police==

When he was 16, Conrad's life took an abrupt turn when Rollo died in an accident playing football. Conrad left school at this time to study farming in the Evesham Valley, and while there he met a Justice of the Peace from Buffalo Lake Ranch in Saskatchewan, who told him of life on the wild frontier and of the Royal North-West Mounted Police. In April 1910, at age 17, he sailed on the Empress of Britain for Quebec and continued west to join the Royal North-West Mounted Police in Saskatchewan. After basic training O'Brien-ffrench was posted to Cypress Hills, a remote and untamed area. He was later posted to Willow Creek and then Battle Creek, but mid-1912 received word that his mother was dying from cancer. He purchased his release and returned to Esher in Surrey to be by her side. She died the following summer. During this time O'Brien-ffrench and friends took weekend trips to the Brooklands race track, where he was introduced to motor racing. Subsequently he purchased a 1909 Mercedes Simplex and developed a taste for fast cars. ==Military service==

Battle of Mons Following his mother's death, O'Brien-ffrench travelled to his ancestral homeland in Ireland and joined The Tipperary Militia, a special reserve unit of the Royal Irish Regiment. On the first day of battle he was severely wounded, captured and taken prisoner. After numerous failed escape attempts, O'Brien-ffrench was transferred to what was considered an escape-proof camp at Augustabad. One communication included information about a prototype German Bomber that he obtained from a captured British pilot. Attempts were made to extract O'Brien-ffrench and the pilot to London, but these failed and O'Brien-ffrench remained in Augustabad. MI6 Following World War I, O'Brien-ffrench was summoned to Whitehall in December 1918 to meet then Colonel Stewart Menzies, who recruited him into MI6. At the time, Menzies reported to Captain Mansfield Smith-Cumming, the first head of the British Secret Service, who was called "C", a designation that remains to the present day. He was posted to the British Legation in Stockholm as assistant military attaché under the command of Major Dymoke Scale. While a POW, O'Brien-ffrench had learned fluent Russian, and was now tasked with gathering information from Russian refugees fleeing the aftermath of the 1917 revolution. This event, the first face-to-face meeting between Russian Communist leadership and the outside world, led to the Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement of March 1921. Subsequently, the postwar depression and easing Soviet–British relations caused cutbacks to the Secret Service, and O'Brien-ffrench resigned from the service and returned to England. India Upon his return, O'Brien-ffrench was assigned as an aide-de-camp to one of the British Governors for the upcoming Royal tour of India. During this time the Indian National Congress of Gandhi and Nehru was in full swing, and the royal tour was dogged by passive demonstrations and riots. The heavy handed response of the British to this resistance played a part in the end of the British Raj. In February 1922, Nehru witnessed a meeting requested by the Viceroy of India, Lord Reading (Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading), with the Prince to discuss the possible arrest of Gandhi. On 4 February 1922, upon learning that the sub-inspector of Chauri Chaura police station assaulted Congress volunteers at Mundera Bazar, an angry mob gathered at the station, demanding explanation from the official. Gandhi did not support the violent actions, and consequently suspended the non-cooperation movement at its peak. The initial discussion that O'Brien-ffrench witnessed was now a reality: Gandhi had been arrested, tried and jailed, but the results were not as the British intended. O'Brien-ffrench experienced firsthand the transformative influence of one man as he peacefully expressed true character, and soon the control of the British Raj gave way to India's leadership. == Mountaineering ==

During O'Brien-ffrench's stay in India, he was introduced to mountaineering and the Himalayas. One of his more dangerous climbs was near Srinagar in the Vale of Kashmir. While climbing the Skoro La Pass, a mountain downpour created dangerous conditions, transforming the rocky cliff his party was ascending into an icy waterfall. A landslide, freezing conditions and dwindling light forced the team to rapidly forge an alternative route. O'Brien-ffrench led the team to safety, and ultimately to the summit. O'Brien-ffrench explored the Himalayas, Austrian Alps and other ranges, meeting Sir Francis Younghusband, Frank Smythe, Sir John Hunt and Sir Edmund Hillary. When living in Banff, he often rock-climbed and ski'd in the Lake and Fairhome ranges. Expeditions == Art ==

Returning to England and to civilian life, O'Brien-ffrench explored a career in the arts. Years earlier, a hunt secretary had commissioned him to paint a series of hunting scenes that were subsequently published in a book. O'Brien-ffrench worked out of his studio in the Parc Monsouri district and gained an increasing reputation for his portraits. Exhibitions and collections O'Brien-ffrench had exhibitions in galleries and museums in Europe, Jamaica, Canada and the United States, including the following: • The Claridge Gallery, "Conrad ffrench", London, England, 16–30 October 1930 • Loveland Museum and Gallery, "Artistry in Living – The Life of Conrad O'Brien-ffrench", Loveland, Colorado, U.S. 1 August – 19 September 1987. • Monivea Artisan Garden Gallery, Exhibit of Paintings by Conrad O'Brien-ffrench, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada. ongoing exhibit Teaching O'Brien-ffrench taught art at the Banff School of Fine Arts, Banff, Alberta, from 1948; from 1955 he was president of Rim Rock School of Fine Art, Loveland, Colorado; and, from 1975, vice president of Water Wheel Gallery, Estes Park, Colorado. ==Marriage and family==

On 16 June 1931 O'Brien-ffrench married Maud Astrid, the youngest daughter of Colonel Bo Tarras-Wahlberg, of Stockholm, A.D.C. to King Gustav V of Sweden. They were married in Paris, honeymooned in London and Austria, and then settled in Kitzbühel, Austria, where O'Brien-ffrench continued his work with the British Secret Service. The marriage produced a daughter, Christina Laetitia, and was dissolved in 1934. O'Brien-ffrench remarried on 1 May 1945, in London, England, to Rosalie Isabelle Baker, daughter of Ralph George Baker. They moved to Canada (see Fairholme Ranch) and had two sons, Rollo and John. ==Return to Secret Service==

, Austria, where he served as Agent Z3 with the British Secret Service. It was here, on the Kitzbühel ski slopes, in local bars and homes of friends, that O'Brien-ffrench and author Ian Fleming spent time together. O'Brien-ffrench had become a friend of Stewart Menzies, who later (in 1939) was named head of the British Secret Service. He persuaded O'Brien-ffrench to rejoin the Secret Service (now as Agent Z3), and provided him with the cover of businessman. He based himself in Kitzbühel and proceeded to establish a spy network stretching from Austria deep into Southern Germany. While in Kitzbühel, Conrad met Peter Fleming and Ian Fleming, and they often crossed paths at homes of common friends, at bars, on the ski slopes or at the warm-water lake, the Schwarzsee. O'Brien-ffrench's style, athletic endeavours, personal adventures and experience in espionage may have provided Ian Fleming with some of his inspirations for James Bond. '' in the Heldenplatz, Vienna, 15 March 1938. and Hitler in Vienna, March 1938 O'Brien-ffrench provided intelligence on Nazi occultism and the build up of German forces in preparation for World War II. It includes the name of French, Marquis de Castelchomond (sic), O'Brien with the notation "brit. Agent, Kapitän." The 112th entry continues with "vermutl. England, RSHA IV E4 Stapoleit München." The RSHA coding system reveals the last of the entry, with "IV E4" meaning "Counter-Intelligence in Scandinavia." During the war O'Brien-ffrench also served as Imperial censor in Trinidad. ==Fairholme Ranch==

Conrad married Rosalie Isabelle Baker, daughter of Ralph George Baker, on 1 May 1945, in London, England. After World War II Conrad and his wife moved to British Columbia, and purchased waterfront property on Maple Bay, Vancouver Island. Soon they moved again to "Fairholme Ranch," a property located five miles east of Banff, Alberta and within Banff National Park's boundaries. Conrad designed and helped to build a large 14-room lodge and a cottage at Fairholme, where he and Rosie raised their sons, Rollo and John. Conrad settled down to a new life of raising horses and teaching at The Banff School of Fine Arts. Founded in 1933 by Alberta University as a school of theatrical arts, The Banff School of Fine Arts expanded its curriculum and in 1948 Conrad joined the faculty to teach visual arts. In 1958, HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon took up residence at Fairholme Ranch during her Canadian visit of that year. It provided splendid views of Princess Margaret Mountain named in honour of her visit. "On 28 July the Princess drove from the ranch house where she was staying, a few miles outside of Banff, to visit the Banff School of Fine Arts, where she saw students from many parts of the Commonwealth at work." The historic lodge was later carefully disassembled, moved and rebuilt just outside Stony Plain (near Edmonton, Alberta). ==Later years==

Conrad lived in West Vancouver and eventually retired to his chalet in Loveland, Colorado. He taught and exhibited art, living out his years painting and lecturing art, philosophy and theology. ==Biography==

Delicate Mission, Autobiography of a Secret Agent is in many collections, including: • The Imperial War Museum • The British Library • Library and Archives of Canada • White Museum of the Canadian Rockies • The Alpine Club Library ==Interviews==