Intelligence officer.
Born on 17 October 1917, the only child of Alice Mary Delphine McKenney (1893-1961) and Herbert Edward William “Bert” Phair (1882-1987), great-niece of Robert Phair and great-grand niece of Henry McKenney, John Christian Schultz, and Agnes Campbell Farquharson Schultz, and grand-niece to Elizabeth “Eliza” Louise McKenney Mair and Charles Mair.
During the Second World War she worked for British Intelligence at New York City under William Stephenson. Although she received a personal commendation from Stephenson, she was sworn to secrecy about the nature of her service, which likely entailed the collation and dispersal of coded Japanese messages. In 1988, she married Arthur Douglas McLennan (1919-2003).
She died on 26 September 2014.
Obituary [Herbert Edward William Phair], Winnipeg Free Press, 12 May 1987, page 46.
The True 'Intrepid': Sir William Stephenson and the Unknown Agents by Bill Macdonald, 1998, Timberholme Books.
Obituary [Arthur Douglas McLennan], Winnipeg Free Press, 15 June 2003.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 29 September 2014.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
We thank Susan Bracken and Janis Wigginton for providing information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 26 February 2024
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