The more serious aspect o those years was the Cold War

He was President o the Essex Disabled Peoples' Association or 20 years and a churchwarden o his church at White Notley (dating rom AD 998 - he was president o the millennium und-raising campaign to sa e it).His inal charity was inspired by his son Michael, who had ollowed him into the oreign Ser ice and who is now with SO working with bushmen in Namibia. Stark decided that donations in his memory should go to the San people o Namibia.Patrick Sho elton. John Lyall, ootballer and manager: born Il ord, Essex 24 ebruary 1940; player, West Ham 1955-64, youth team manager 1964-71, assistant manager 1971-74, manager 1974-89; manager, Ipswich Town 1990-94; married (one son); died Tattingstone, Su olk 18 April 2006. When his successor, Dame Anne Warburton, arri ed in Copenhagen, she was asked, "Do you shoot, too?" Anne replied, "No, but I beat." The Danes were le t in some ear o this ormidable woman.Eight months be ore his retirement - and ery reluctantly - Stark returned to London at the behest o his Permanent Under-Secretary, Sir Michael Palliser, to head up the CO team ersus the Central Policy Re iew Sta team headed by Sir Kenneth Berrill and Tessa (later Baroness) Blackstone. The CPRS had an absurd remit, including the merging o the oreign Ser ice with the Home Ci il Ser ice.

A ter se eral exchanges Stark emerged triumphant, with The Economist declaring, "Game, Set and Match to Sir Michael."In what he laughingly called his retirement Stark was not short o jobs. He was appointed a non-executi e director o the Scandina ian Bank and also o the brewers Carlsberg. But, more important, Maersk McKinney M?r, the world's greatest shipowner since Agamemnon, in ited him to be chairman o his UK subsidiary, the Maersk Company Ltd, at a time when M?r had decided to expand his UK interests (the Maersk now has the largest leet under the British lag and AP M?r, the parent company, has the largest and best leet o merchant ships throughout the world). Stark made up the o ending blanks and was passed through.More importantly, rom Bonn in 1964, he had the delicate task o retaining a Russian ighter, which had crash-landed in the British zone o Berlin, until ull details o the So iet plane had been recorded It was a masterly example o procrastination In Belgrade the Starks made many riends, including Serbs. He was de astated when, a ter Tito's death, Yugosla ia collapsed into ci il war and ethnic cleansing.In 1968, at the age o 52, Stark was appointed, with ambassadorial rank, to the British Delegation to the United Nations and in the Se en Nation Committee working or the re orm and reorganisation o the UN. He then ser ed on the sta o the UN or three years rom 1968 to 1971. But one o his ew ailures in li e was to re orm the UN - a task perhaps too big or any man.In 1971 Stark was o ered the embassy in Copenhagen He was delighted to get away rom New York.

He and Rosemary were immediately adopted by Danish society and he remained as ambassador or the exceptionally long spell o i e years He became e en more popular or his prowess in shooting. As irst Secretary in ienna he attempted to take his amily on holiday by car o er the Semmering Pass, which required a So iet tra el permit as the route crossed the So iet sector "Documents incomplete," said So iet border o icials. No more early e enings.The more serious aspect o those years was the Cold War. Enticing his boss one e ening on to the tennis court, Stark could not control his competiti e spirit and Sir rank and his partner were beaten 6-0, 6-0.