The poverty, the cold winters, the extensive bomb damage, and the tightening grip of the Communists made post-war Budapest a somewhat sad city.

Michael Halsted found that, in Hungary, he had more freedom of movement as a British Council member than the diplomats, who often had to obtain official clearance for journeys outside the capital. Yet the secret police viewed Halsted and his colleagues as potential spies; and so when making local contacts, even though British Council members were forbidden to discuss politics or religion, there was an uncomfortable feeling that new friends were being endangered by association.

Yet the value of his work was clear:

Dr Bassola, the brave pro-Western Secretary of Education, visiting our production of Julius Caesar in Budapest, 1947

"I believe that my job, whch was to make visits, to handle British specialist visitors, and to run cultural activities, gave our Hungarian contacts a feeling of not being forgotten, and gave some hope for the future. We were a window to the West. We certainly helped a large number of teachers of English to improve their knowledge of English, and their teaching efficiency. Our most effective and economical English language schemes all over the world were the teaching of teachers to teach teachers to teach. All nations soon realised that higher studies, and thereby national progress, needed English."

Highlights of the posting included meeting Zoltan Kodaly and Stephen Spender.

Despatched to teach English at Sárospatak College in the north-east near the Russian frontier, Halsted learned more of Hungary and her people. Wry humour, gaiety, resilience and hard work helped them to cope with the lack of running water, electric light and proper sustenance. One thing that wasn't lacking was wine and barack (apricot brandy)...

"Given the opportunity of a glass of wine and a song, Hungarians will respond, even when under the shadow of arrest and oblivion."

Tony Mann (British Council) and Cecil Bellamy (Bradfield College) planning programmes