“Wynne lived on Majorca from the 1970s where he opened a rose growing business....”

“Wynne lived on Majorca from the 1970s where he opened a rose growing business....” | Reuters

Jason MoorePalma26/10/2021 10:09
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And Mallorca does it again! This weekend the film, The Courier, will be showing in local cinemas. It is based on the life of Greville Maynard Wynne an MI6 agent, who lived on Mallorca. He was recruited by the British security service because of his frequent travel to Eastern Europe. He became known for acting as a courier to transport top-secret information to London.

Wynne was arrested by the KGB in October 1962. Struggling with deteriorating health, he was released in 1964 after the British arranged an exchange of Soviet spy Konon Molody. Wynne moved to Mallorca in the late 1970s. He was a colourful figures and was well known in the expat bars in El Terreno and Plaza Gomila.

He owned a rose exporting company near Bunyola. Some expats on the island still remember him. They all say that he was a “great character.” I recall a Bulletin colleague recounting the story of how he telephoned Wynne shortly after the death of Kim Philby, the infamous Soviet double agent.

Wynne told him in no uncertain terms that if he misquoted him he would take legal action! We didn´t call him again! For many years I used to live very close to where Wynne had his rose business. At the time (I was in my teens) and I couldn´t understand why a famous British spy had decided to grow roses!

The Courier stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne and I suspect that it will be showing in English at the Rivoli cinema. Watch this space for more details.