Sir Terry Waite, author of Tales of Tommy Twitchnose and Travels with a Primate, has been appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the King’s Birthday Honours List.
In 1987, Sir Terry travelled to Beirut as an envoy for the Church of England to try to secure the release of four hostages, but was kidnapped and held captive for five years. After his release in November 1991, he founded Hostage International, a charity that supports the families of people taken hostage. Sir Terry is also currently the president of Emmaus, a federation of UK-based charities working together to end homelessness.
The KCMG honour recognises service in a foreign country or in relation to foreign and commonwealth affairs, such as the work of diplomats overseas.
Speaking of his appointment, Sir Terry, said: "It really is a big surprise. I had no idea that this was coming up. And, of course, whenever this sort of award is given I recognise that there are a lot of people to whom one shares that award with, particularly with Hostage International and Emmaus."
'This is Terry as he really is — wise and funny. A good book from a big man. If only he could be the Primate.' John Sergeant
‘A travelogue that is refreshingly irreverent and deeply human.’ James Naughtie
From darkest Africa to the darker and infinitely wetter birthplace of John Knox, from the remote expanse of the Alaska Highway to part of the Antipodes that even Bill Bryson could not reach, Terry Waite takes us on a guided world tour in the company of Dr Robert Runcie.
Even an archbishop has little control over wars and missed connections, floods and food poisoning. But this Primate sailed majestically through the most troubled of waters, as his companions (including Chaplain Richard Chartres) baled energetically in his wake.
Hilarious and affectionate, Travels with a Primate offers an unashamedly nostalgic return to the 1980s. It is a delightful tribute to enduring friendship.
Following in the great tradition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Wind in the Willows, Terry Waite's Tales of Tommy Twitchnose introduces a new children's character thatboth children and adults will treasure for years to come.
Meet Tommy Twitchnose, who lives with his wife and two children in a cosy little house under the floorboards in a converted barnhouse. Tommy and his family have a happy life, foraging for scraps of food and doing up their home with bits and pieces dropped by the humans who live above them.
But then, one day, their peaceful life is rudely interrupted. A large family of town mice suddenly appears on their doorstep, led by a daring and determined mouse called Danny, who announces that they're moving in...
The adventures that follow will charm, amuse and amaze all who read them - children and grown-ups alike!
"This is a thoughtful and sensitive book from a man who endured the fear and loneliness of captivity. Now, years later, Terry Waite explores solitude in its many forms." - Stella Rimington DBE, former Director General of MI5
Some people long to find it, others long to escape it. But, whether we welcome or dread it, solitude is something we all experience in different forms at different points in our lives.
After enduring nearly five years of solitary confinement, in cruel and terrifying conditions, Terry Waite discovered that he was drawn to find out more about the power of solitude in the lives of other people. The result is this haunting book, in which he recalls his encounters with people who have experienced some very different ways of being solitary: among them the peaceful solitude of remote and beautiful places; the unsought and often unnoticed solitude of lonely people living in the midst of busy cities; the deceptive solitude of those living in the twilight world of espionage; the enforced solitude of the convict and the prisoner of war; and, finally, the inescapable solitude of those who are drawing near to death.
Through all these encounters, and through the memories and reflections they trigger in the author’s mind, we see how solitude shapes the human soul – and how it can be a force for good in our own lives, if we can only learn to use it well.
At the height of the Lebanese civil war in the 1980s over 100 foreign civilians were taken hostage by Islamic Jihad. As the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy, Terry Waite conducted several successful missions to negotiate the release of numerous hostages. But in January 1987, while on one of his many visits to Beirut, he was captured himself. Imprisoned for nearly five years, four of them in solitary confinement, he was chained, beaten, frequently blindfolded, and subjected to a mock execution.
In this moving sequence of poems and reflections Terry Waite recalls the highs and lows of his life, both during that ordeal and throughout the happier years of humanitarian work that have followed. They give us a glimpse into the depths of faith, hope and love that sustained him through that intense time of suffering. They also take us into memories of his later life, reminding us of the joy to be found in meaningful work, and in the humanity we share with those around us.
Out of the Silence not only offers a rare insight into one man’s experience in the throes of a bitter conflict of the past; it also bears witness to the enduring power of forgiveness, truth and reconciliation in the face of adverse forces still at work in the world today.
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