Frederick McCarthy Forsyth was all of those and more. He lived many lives to the full and brought pleasure, truth, knowledge and wisdom to millions.
A 'Man of Kent', born August 25th 1938, Freddie was educated at a Tonbridge Prep school and then won a Scholarship to Tonbridge. He loved languages and became fluent in French, German, Spanish, and Russian. Called up for his National Service he joined the RAF and flew fighter jets. His language skills and love of words destined him for a reporter's life and in 1961 he joined Reuters.
He was posted to Paris and covered the Algerian conflict and OAS plot to kill de Gaulle. In 1965 he joined the BBC and was sent to cover the Biafran war. Before leaving, he was told that the Nigerian government would soon crush the rebellion. He claimed it took two days to work out that that was wrong. Wilson's government firmly supported the Lagos government and denied reports of mass killings. Freddie reported the truth and when he was denied an extension of his BBC contract, returned to Biafra as a freelance reporter. He became friends with the Biafran leader Emeka Ojukwu.
During his time working for Reuters he had acted as a courier for MI6 during his frequent trips behind the Iron Curtain. MI6 did not share the government's line on Nigeria and asked Freddie to report the truth to them. It was a relationship that continued and, he claimed, they checked his books for accuracy and 'allowability.
Returning to London at the end of the Biafran war he wrote 'The Biafra Story' a book that exposed the truth of the war. In January 2020 he wrote an Article in the Guardian in which he castigated Wilson's government. "A million children starved to death. I'm haunted by the images I saw there – and by the complicity of the Wilson government............ Yet, the sheer nastiness of the British establishment during those three years remain a source of deep shame that we should never forget".
Unemployed and broke he decided that his salvation was to write a novel. He wrote 'Day of the Jackal' and after fourteen rejections it was published in 1971 and became a worldwide bestseller. Mixing fact and fiction, real people with fictional ones, he created a new genre of thrillers that have captivated readers and film goers ever since.
Freddie was a patriot and believer in truth. He had witnessed first hand the duplicity of government and did not trust them. He famously exposed Heath for a liar when he produced proof that he'd sanctioned sending Britain gold reserves to Germany. He was a lifelong opponent of the EEC and EU, an opposition based on his firsthand experiences living and working in France and Germany. He was a patron of 'Better Off Out' the campaign group and true friend of the Bruges Group.
He was concerned that scientific debate regarding global warming was non existent. He wanted the facts and for them to be debated. For this he was attacked as a 'climate denier'.
Freddie died on June 9th. He was a patriot who believed in his country and in truth. He leaves an extraordinary written legacy. More than that he leaves a legacy of fearless support for truth. He will be much missed.
