Spectrum designation:

Colonel White

Rank and attributions:

Commander-in-chief of Spectrum, commander of Cloudbase Spectrum HQ

Real name :

Charles Gray

Place of birth :

London, England, United Kingdom

Date of birth:

14 July 2017

Height:

6 Ft. 1 Ins.

Weight:

172 lbs

Eyes:

Blue

Hair:

White/grey

Puppet specifications:

Facial characteristic and voice of Colonel White were based on actor Donald Gray, who provided the voice.

Personal history

Born in London, England, and growing up under Britain's Military Regime, Charles Gray studied at King’s College, Canterbury, Kent, a private school, until the age of 17, and then moved to a branch of the Norwich Military College of Vermont based at the University of East Anglia in Norfolk.  In 2038, at the age of 21, he gained first class honours in degrees for computer control, navigation and technology.  When he left university, he put his hard-won qualifications to use by enlisting with the British Navy, and served on submarines and destroyers, in various hot spots of the time – such as South East Asia in 2040, the Iceland dispute in 2042, and the Panama-Isthmus rebellion of 2042-43.  

In a remarkably short time, Charles Gray rose through the ranks to become Captain in 2046, at the age of 29.  The same year, in December, the British civil war erupted.  At the time he was the captain of an un-named British Navy Destroyer in the Atlantic, and Charles Gray presumably went against his superiors’ orders and sided with the rebels, heading back to Britain to join them and help overthrow the military dictatorship which then ruled Britain.  The rebellion was over in a matter of weeks, and Britain finally joined the World Government in February of 2047. 

Charles was offered full command of a World Navy Destroyer by the World Government, and his continuingly successful career eventually culminated in his being made Admiral of the Fleet, at the very young age of 30.

Often in the headlines, Charles Gray became a public hero for his daring escapades.   His coolness in tricky situations and extraordinary leadership qualities had gained him the respect of top military staff all around the world. For that reason his friends and military peers were taken by surprise when, at the age of only thirty years old, he announced his retirement from military service.

In fact, this was a carefully prepared cover-story because Gray had been selected to serve in the Universal Secret Service (the USS), as a field agent.  It was around this time (2048) that he married. 

After two years of active service as a field agent, during which he completed his various missions with success, Charles Gray was promoted, in 2049, to reorganise the British section of the USS.  This is where he demonstrated the full extent of his innate talents for leadership.  In 2050, he was officially promoted to head of the British section of the USS, receiving command of the London section of the World Intelligence Network.  This division, which was in disarray due to infiltration by enemy agents, was the disgrace of the entire USS.  Gray ruthlessly cleansed the London HQ of all enemy agents and infiltrators within a year of his appointment, a seemingly impossible task.  Through his ruthlessness in command, determination and tactics, Gray successfully transformed the USS London section into a high standard, efficient and smooth-running office.  It was also about that time that Charles became a widower (date unspecified).

Because of his dedication, his ability to obtain results and his astounding leadership qualities, in 2065 Gray was offered the post of Supreme Commander of the USS, but he rejected this in favour of accepting the offer made to him by the Spectrum Selection committee.  This was the position of supreme Commander-in-Chief of the new Spectrum security organization, and of its Cloudbase Headquarters, as well as the rank and colour-codename of Colonel White. 

Personal history’s inconsistencies…

As with many – if not all the characters from the series, there are various inconsistencies regarding Charles Gray/Colonel White’s biography.

For example, the 1967 annual says White joined the World Navy – with no mention of the British Navy. It is also where the mention of the Norwich University, a military college in Vermont appears. But, as some of the previously published details of Charles Gray’s biography didn’t coincide with what was later written in ‘Century 21’ magazine as an ‘historical background’ for the Gerry Anderson series –most notably with the now infamous ‘Military Regime of Britain which lasted from 2028 to 2047 – Colonel White’s biography was rewritten and he became a hero of that period.  That later information is now regarded as ‘canon’.

It would also seem unlikely that Charles Gray became a captain at 29 and then retired as Admiral of the Fleet at 30. He’d have had to have been promoted 5 times in one year (using British Naval ranks).  But as those were ‘difficult times’ – especially for Britain –  it just might be conceivable that the Military Dictatorship which Britain was under, was in dire need of ‘heroic figures’ to use for championing their probably unpopular regime.  Young and feisty officers, such at Gray, would likely have a  meteroric career, if their exploits often became headlines.   That Gray would later turn against the Military Government seems  like an interesting twist of fate. 

As for the World Government – perhaps they sought to handsomely reward the man who had helped put down the Military Regime; as such, it might have seemed like a sensible move to offer him the rank of Admiral – especially if they recognised his expertise for the job.  In the event, he did not remain long in that post.  Granted, this might seem like a far-fetched explanation… but so far, there is nothing  better to offer.

Personality profile

His dedication to his work and his sincerity have earned Charles Gray the respect of his military peers around the world – a respect that ‘Colonel White’ also receives from his fellow officers and  the crew of Cloudbase, as well as Spectrum’s ground bases and its related global organisations.  Known for his often hot temper (as seen in “Avalanche” and “White as Snow”), this respect might tend to waver at times, however it is never completely lost.

He frequently demonstrates that he knows the officers under his command very well and will use their individual characters to achieve success in their missions – such as when he engineers Captain Scarlet’s dismissal for gambling in “Special Assignment”, knowing full well that Captain Blue will track his partner down to discover why Scarlet acted as he did.   

Off duty the Colonel is still engrossed to a great degree in his work, finding little time to completely relax and forget his responsibilities, even for a while.  When he does find a few minutes to himself he likes to participate in role-playing ‘war-games’ along with Captain Scarlet. He is also a ruthless chess player, and other spare moments are taken up by gardening, and reading crime fiction.  He’s even started to write his own “whodunit”.

The infamous ‘rose tree’ that the Colonel tends on Cloudbase Promenade Deck in his dead wife’s memory, and that he forbids anyone to touch,  was never part of the official background – but was created by Chris Bishop for her story ‘A Question of Trust’.  References to that rose tree crept into later stories, and other authors have mentioned it.

Colonel White and Spectrum...

Supreme commander of Spectrum, and of its hovering headquarters, Cloudbase, it would seem, according to various sources, including Century 21 magazines and annuals, that Colonel White, along with Captain Black,  was deeply involved with the creation of the security organisation - which is stated to be the brainchild of Nikita Bandranaik, the first World President.  According to those sources, the idea of Cloudbase would come from the former admiral - actually originating from earlier plans of a submarine, then a floating island, or even a carrier. It is also said that White was also responsible for the rear-facing seats which the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicles are equipped with.  

While it can be suggested that White had a say in the selection of the agents that would work the most closely with him, it is a documented fact that he did, with Lieutenant Green, closely supervise the training of the five girl pilots who would form the Angel Squadron (as reported in the comic strip 'The Angels').  Colonel White certainly demonstrated a flair for the melodramatic when he chose not to present himself directly to the Angels, but instead left Lieutenant Green to make the first contact with them - through a voice speaker, the pilots never actually seeing their 'mysterious boss'.  There is no doubt that, if that voice was Lieutenant Green's, it was Colonel White's instructions that were conveyed to the Angels.

As Spectrum high commander, Colonel White seldom participates in the action, most of the time staying on Cloudbase to supervise the operations from the Control Room.  However, he can, and will, put himself on the line when necessary, as demonstrated in "White as Snow" and "Spectrum Strikes Back", and various other events reported in strips published in Century 21 magazines.  

Considering his background as a Universal Secret Service ground agent, we must believe that Colonel White is not adverse to take action himself, if there is a need for it, and that he is quite capable of handling any dangerous situation in which he could find himself.

Mike Noble

Ron Embleton was first to draw  Colonel White for the Captain Scarlet comic strip, and also included the character in a wonderful poster, along with Captain Scarlet himself, Captain Blue, Lieutenant Green and Rhapsody Angel.  Mike Noble, probably the artist mostly renowned for the Captain Scarlet strip offered a rendition of Colonel White that made him almost as much an action man as the officers under his command.  Other artists  followed in Mike Noble's footsteps for the comic strip (such at Keith Watson, Don Harley, Frank Bellamy, John Cooper, Mike White, etc.), and all of them, consequently, had to draw the Spectrum commander.

Ron Embleton

In the 80s, artist Lynn Simpson drew a series of Spectrum portraits, featuring Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue, Captain Ochre, Captain Black and Colonel White.  Years later, she drew another portrait of the Spectrum commander, for one of the short-lived 'Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons' comics, which were published between 1993 and 1994.

The Colonel White puppet appeared in 31 of the 32 episodes of the Captain Scarlet series (the only exception being "The Inquisition").  The puppet was later used in an episode of the “Joe 90” series to personify the father of Sam Loover, and for a couple of shady characters (with darker hair) in "Secret Service".

'To catch a spy' 

(Secret Service)

'See you down there'

(Joe 90)