A good deal has been written about the organisation and structure of the British diplomatic establishment since 1945. This paper seeks to use detailed quantitative and qualitative data to help develop an understanding of the background and career trajectories of the most senior figures in the Diplomatic Service in 1975. By tracing their careers it is possible to identify more precisely than before the changing educational and social background of these individuals when compared with previous generations of diplomats. The paper also examines certain core features of the culture of the diplomatic establishment during the post-war decades, analysing how it both shaped and was shaped by particular structures and practices. The paper argues that, despite the existence of a peripatetic career structure that dispersed members of the diplomatic establishment around the globe, there were still numerous opportunities for the kinds of personal contact necessary to maintain an integrated culture