Patrick Beesly

Patrick Beesly (27 June 1913 – 16 August 1986) was a British author and intelligence officer during World War II.

Just before World War II, he joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in June 1939, became a Sub-Lieutenant (Special Branch), and was appointed to the Naval Intelligence Division (NID 2), in the section concentrating on France, Spain, and the Benelux countries.

Subsequently, he became assistant to Lieutenant Commander (later Vice Admiral) Sir Norman Denning in the Operations Intelligence Centre (July 1940).

His first assignment was with the activities of armed merchant raiders but from 1941 until the end of the war with Germany he worked on submarine tracking as deputy to Commander Rodger Winn.

[citation needed] He then made a career in private industry with Henry Hope & Sons Ltd, becoming its managing director in 1967 before retiring in 1974.