As the ship’s doctor on the RRS Discovery II, the oceanographic research vessel named after Scott’s 1901 expedition ship, George Giri was largely occupied with the health of its research scientists and crew. Yet his fluency in Russian and the ship’s proximity in the late 1950s to the Russian naval base at Arkhangelsk meant that much of his time was spent listening in on Soviet radio communications.
George joined the Royal Navy during the Second World War while pursuing his studies in tropical diseases, and served full-time from the late 1940s. He retired as a surgeon captain and in 1970 was appointed OBE.
What set George apart was his international heritage. He spoke four languages: German, learnt from a governess, Russian, Spanish and English. His