Anna Wolkoff (1902-73)In 1913, the St Petersburg-born Wolkoff moved to England, where her father worked at the Russian Embassy. Besides being close to the Tsar and Tsarina, her parents had strong ties...

Max Knight (1900-68)A former paint salesman, Whitehall clerk andprep school sports master, Knight was a superficially avuncular man with an eccentric range of interests. These encompassed natural history, keeping exoticanimals, playing jazz...

Tyler Kent (1911-88)Born in Manchuria, where his father ran the U.S. Consulate, Kent’s exceptional gifts as a linguist were encouraged by an itinerant childhood. Following a prep school and Ivy League education, which nourished...