The Cinderella Service

"Platt described himself as ‘a pioneer in British consular history’, which is true but should not be taken to imply that he was one among others: at the time he wrote (1971), he was the only pioneer of the subject. Sadly, with the exception of some writing on the specialised services, his book remains an isolated scholarly contribution despite growing recognition in recent years of the importance of consular work. Platt’s book is a work of great authority, which tells with some panache the story of the belated reform of the British consular service, and the ultimately successful struggle of the middle-class consuls – the poor bloody infantry of British representation abroad – to be fully integrated into the diplomatic service in the 20th century. Probably its support for British commercial enterprise abroad, assistance to the Royal Navy in foreign ports, and – until the early 20th century – exercise of extraterritorial judicial and police powers to preserve order in British communities in the Middle and Far East and so solidify the British presence in those regions. However, the political role of the consular service should never be forgotten. Consular officers were scattered far and wide in the hey-day of the empire and were expected to report on all developments in their districts. In the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries they were also required to encourage provincial governors to afford protection to the Armenians (‘political consuls’), and in the areas bordering Russia soldiers were appointed consuls (‘military consuls’) in order to spy out the land and keep an eye open for troop movements."