Cole was born at
Newmarket,
Suffolk, the son of
Brigadier D. H. Cole,
CBE,
LittD, and Charlotte Cole (
née Wedgwood). Cole was educated at
Cheltenham College and
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he was an
exhibitioner and took
first-class honours in History. His university studies were interrupted after one year by the
Second World War, in which he served with the
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, with the service number of 164913, from 1940 to 1945 in India, Iran, Madagascar, and Italy. He was awarded the
Military Cross in 1944, for his actions during the crossing of the
Garigliano river. Joining the
Dominions Office in 1947, Cole was seconded to the
Foreign Office for service with the UK Delegation to the
United Nations in New York from 1948 to 1951. He was First Secretary at the British High Commission in New Delhi from 1953 to 1956, private secretary to the
Earl of Home, (
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and
Lord President of the Council) from 1957 to 1960, and head of the Personnel Department at the
Commonwealth Relations Office from 1961 to 1963. He was British Deputy High Commissioner to Ghana from 1963 to 1964,
British High Commissioner to Malawi from 1964 to 1967, Minister (Political) at the British High Commission in New Delhi from 1957 to 1960, Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1970 to 1973, and
British Ambassador to Thailand from 1973 to 1978, when he retired from
HM Diplomatic Service. Cole was appointed
CMG in 1965 and promoted
KCMG in 1975. == Family ==