Growing up, Robin Maudsley believed that ‘Max’ was simply his eccentric uncle. It was only after his death that Robin began to realise just how unusual, intriguing and puzzling his relative’s life had been.
Who is he?
Max was born in 1921 and throughout Robin’s life their contact had always been somewhat sporadic and mysterious, although he never failed to send Robin postcards from his exotic travels. On Max’s final visit to Robin, he showed Robin and his sons his walking stick, which concealed a hidden blade. Moments later he revealed that he was also wearing a shoulder holster. When Robin asked why, Max simply smiled and replied, ‘Diplomatic immunity, old boy’. He then asked to be dropped off at Moor Park to meet an associate that evening, Robin was slightly confused to say the least!
Physically, he was impossible to forget. Max stood around 6 feet 10 inches tall and possessed a dramatic, theatrical personality; always referring to his mother as ‘Madam’. Max often asked the family for money but rarely explained why he needed it. He would appear, disappear again and offer only fragments about what he was doing or where he had been.
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The beginning
Everything changed in April 2012.
Robin received a phone call informing him that his relative ‘William’ had passed away. Confused, Robin asked who William was and requested the full name. The caller replied: William Maxwell Nasmyth Wilcocks.
Robin was stunned. He had never known that Max’s first name was William, however, this surprise was the first of many.
Secrets are revealed
As authorities began examining Max’s documents, Robin found out that Max was actually his cousin and inside the flat, lawyers discovered $9,500 in cash. This was alongside multiple passports, numerous official-looking documents granting him various titles and receipts for the purchase of precious metals. Moreover, Max appeared to have been far wealthier than he had ever admitted. Altogether, the estate he left behind totalled around £100,000.
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Some of Max’s documents even seemed to be issued by the Holy Roman Empire. These stated that Max held various titles including ‘Grand Duke William Featherstonhaugh-Nasmyth da Lombardia’ and ‘Baron D’Honfleur’. These immediately raised more questions. The Holy Roman Empire had ceased to exist in 1806, suggesting the titles may have been self-styled or created for effect. As Robin also noted, Max used ‘Featherstonhaugh’ on many of these certificates, his wife’s maiden name, even though they predated the marriage which was in 1982.
A man of many talents?
His background was equally unusual. Over the course of five years Max attended five different educational institutions, including Universities in Paris and Heidelberg. He appeared to obtain qualifications from all of them, despite reportedly attending only a single lesson at one of the universities.
Among the documents found after his death were letterheads from a company called Big Game Limited, some dating back as far as 1959 and listing Maxwell William Nasmyth Wilcocks as ‘Director’. The company advertised services including big-game hunting and photographic safaris. A range of animals appeared on its paperwork, including ostrich chicks, tiger cubs and jackals. It remains unclear why Max had these documents, although Robin believes the business itself may have been legitimate and located in Rwanda.
Max also described himself as a ‘white hunter’ in some of his passports, a term historically used to describe professional European big-game hunters who organised and guided safaris for wealthy clients in Africa.
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Investigators also discovered a letter from the British Industrial Bank Limited, dated April 1966, referring to a credit facility of £9.5 million for heavy plant and machinery in Germany. How Max could have obtained access to such a vast sum, and why it would have been granted, remains uncertain. According to a friend of Max known only as ‘M’, he may have been involved in German post-war reconstruction work.
A travelling man
Perhaps the most intriguing clues came from the passports themselves. Records show that Max held several passports between 1961 and 1963, and again between 1971 and 1976. Yet during the intervening years there appears to be no passport issued in his name at all, this seemed odd for a man who travelled so frequently. One possible explanation is that he may have used a special diplomatic passport issued only for particular assignments and returned afterwards.
The passports that were discovered also contained a variety of unusual visas and entry stamps. One in particular stood out: a distinctive purple stamp that appears similar to those used during the reign of King Hussein of Jordan.
For Robin Maudsley, the investigation into his mysterious relative eventually became the subject of a book ‘Was my cousin a triple agent?’. As he pieced together the fragments of Max’s life, a portrait began to emerge of a man who may have lived many different lives: academic, hunter, businessman, aristocrat, or perhaps something even more secretive.
If you have any information about Max or would like to learn more, you can visit Robin’s dedicated Facebook page here or purchase Robin’s book.
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