MYSTERIOUS MR RICKETT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22712, 26 October 1935, Page 21

MYSTERIOUS MR RICKETT

MAN WHO STARTLED EUROPE Mr F. W. Rickett, who secured the £10,000,000 oil concession in Abyssinia, has long been regarded as a “ mystery man ” in London. “ He has for years been associated with the oil industry, but chiefly as a concessionaire. His successes have been amazing,” said a friend to a Sunday Express representative. “He has four private secretaries. One is always on duty, no matter at what time. - “A man of slightly over 40 years of age, he has astonishing vitality. I have known him to be at the city office at 9 o’clock in the morning, charter a. private aeroplane and lunch on the Continent, and return to London to keep a business appointment in the early evening. “He never seems to need rest. It is his boast that ho could carry on quite comfortably with four hours’ sleep out of the 24. ‘ Too much time is wasted in sleeping,’ he has declared on more than one occasion. "I have heard that he has been in the city as a negotiator and a seeker out of concessions for about 20 years. “He has been associated with many international - financial duels during the last 10 years, but he has always avoided publicity. Among his friends are some of the most famous men in the world of finance. "He has certainly spent a long time in the Near East developing consessions for different concerns. “ But so secretive is he about his affairs that there are few who know exactly the extent of his interests. “He obtains concessions in the oil industry on behalf of others for commission. “ I might almost describe him as a successful dreamer. “He is one of those men who can see ahead of time, and plan accordingly. He will not trust others to carry out his schemes. “The fact that he was associated with the American concern for which he has secured the Abyssinian concessions was not known in the city. " Indeed, no one seems to know any: thing concerning the syndicate, but it may be taken for granted that since F. W. R. is associated with it it has a powerful backing. " Within a few years Rickett has amassed a fortune which rune into six figures. Yet'his name does not appear in any official list of directors of companies. “ He is a keen sportsman, and is Master of the Craven Hunt. “ He lives in a magnificent country mansion near Newbury. Berks. He is the owner of Amroth Castle, Pembrokeshire, formerly the home of Lord Kylsant.”