SACRED LEGACY ARCHIVES™

Greville Wynne

1919-03-19 – 1990-02-28

Life & Legacy

Greville Maynard Wynne (19 March 1919 – 28 February 1990) was a British engineer and businessman recruited by MI6 because of his frequent travel to Eastern Europe. He acted as a courier to transport top-secret information to London from the Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky.
Wynne and Penkovsky were both arrested by the KGB in November 1962, when some of the information their endeavours produced was of assistance to the West during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They were convicted of espionage. Penkovsky was executed the following year and Wynne was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. He was detained at Lubyanka prison. Struggling with deteriorating health, he was released in 1964 in exchange for the Soviet spy Konon Molody.

Occupation & Career

spy, electrical engineer, businessperson

Education

University of Nottingham

Legacy Highlights

Employer

MI5 · Secret Intelligence Service

Education & Institutions

University of Nottingham

Sources & Provenance

  1. Wikidata population candidate Q4111556 — wikidata View source

Are you related to Greville Wynne?

Family members can contribute records, photographs and stories or request stewardship of this legacy.

Claim this legacy or contribute family history

View Family Tree