Richard Pankurst was born on 3 December 1927 in Woodford, London, England, UK. He was married to Rita Pankhurst. He died on 16 February 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Ethiopian Studies in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List.
