I attended Whincroft School for Girls in East Sussex. There we were at school with Miranda, the youngest of the double agent Kim Philby’s daughters, in the same class as I was in; and Josephine, the older daughter, who gave me the love of acting in a higher class than I was in. I only met Kim Philby when he came to pick them up. That was in the days before his defection to Russia in 1963. And sadly didn’t meet his close friend Graham Greene, who worked with him. The school has now closed down. It was run by a charming lady and it is sad it is no longer with us. I am still in touch with some of the pupils.
It was an interesting time to be around as there was the scandal about the coming of the traitors and then Blunt joined the fray! I was too young to realise what was happening. Kim Philby was working with Graham Greene, together they were able to be “the third man”! And now, years after the death of both Philby and Greene, rumours are surfacing that Philby was actually a “triple agent” continuing to work for MI6 after his public defection to Russia. Unlikely? Who knows? But his daughter Josephine was an inspiration and I shall never forget her.
The Writer and the Traitor by Robert Verkaik (Headline £22) has just been published
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