TOM MITFORD AND HIS FAMILY
From William Cross, FSA Scot
All The Mitfords In 1925
The Mitford Family
The father was David Freeman-Mitford, later Lord Redesdale, whose family could trace its origins back to the eleventh century Norman settlement of England. In 1904 he married Sydney Bowles who was the granddaughter of Thomas Bowles who established the two well-known London society magazines, “Vanity Fair” and “The Lady” in the late 1890’s. They had seven children, six girls and a boy, all of whom achieved public distinction or disgrace in varying degrees. In the above picture, taken in 1925, are, back row Nancy and Tom (Thomas), middle, Diana and Pamela, and front, Unity, Jessica and Deborah.
Tom Mitford, (1909-1945) the only son
and heir of David and Sydney Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Lord and Lady Redesdale,
brother of the famous six girls,
Nancy, Pam,
Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah.
Tom died in the second world war
in Burma
from wounds sustained fighting the Japanese. He did not outlived his parents or any of his six sisters.
Who was Tom Mitford? He is described in the family Church
at Swinbrook as " a perfect
son and brother" But was he? What was the true relationship between him
and his parents, sisters and his male
and female contemporaries?
A NEW BOOK ON TOM BY WILLIAM CROSS WILL BE PUBLISHED ON 30 MARCH 2025, THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF TOM'S DEATH IN BURMA
TOM MITFORD : A FEARFUL OLD TWISTER
Tom always
wanted to be a concert pianist but his ambitions were crushed. In his youth he masqueraded as ‘Bruno Hat’ in
the 1920s art fraud, in the 1930s he
drove his mad sister Unity around Germany attending Nazi Rallies saluting Adolf Hitler and befriending
fascists. As a barrister Tom defended the infamous murderess Alma Rattenbury,
and a man who claimed to be the true King of England. As a lover Tom Mitford
was cunning, conniving and mischievous indulging in affairs with both sexes.
The writer William Cross, FSA Scot ( Will) has always had a soft spot for Tom, a man helplessly straddled with the six sisters.
Will has written at length on Tom Mitford, with articles for the Mitford Annual, he also given illustrated talks on Tom's life and times to U3A, Probus, WI and history groups.
Will comments : " Tom
Mitford’s story is often swept
aside by the headline antics and
indulgences of his notorious siblings and their odd ball parents. Yet Tom’s story is as fascinating and
compelling as all of them put together."
Tom Mitford And His Siblings
Nancy (1904-1973) ( 2nd from right in pic) & Pamela (1907-1994) ( end on right) came before Tom.
His four younger sisters were Diana, (1910-2003) ( middle of pic) Unity ( Bobo)(1914-1948), ( end on left of pic) Jessica ( Decca ) 1917-1995) ( right of Diana in pic) and Deborah ( Debo) ( 1920-2014) ( to Tom's right in pic).
Tom Mitford was the only offspring not
to give his parents anxieties and
nightmares. Nancy agitated them when she published books
eroding the family’s privacy ever after, and subjecting herself
to Peter Rodd, a never do well egotist
for a husband after a homosexual
fiancé, Hamish Erskine, ( who had
once had an affair with Tom). Diana alarmed ‘ Murv’ and ‘Farve’ when she sunk
her first marriage destroying Cimmie
Curzon and marrying a fascist ogre. Pamela
when her engagement to Oliver Watney was halted on health grounds and a
mismatch marriage to Derek Jackson
finally failed. Pamela, the coy country girl whom Sidney left
her animals to be care for as the only daughter trusted with livestock,
albeit later Debo became proficient
in chicken feeding at Chatsworth. Poor,
dim Pamela should have skipped the ugly compromise of marital normality and
settled down earlier with the woman she loved.
Bobo was a worry to her parents when
she acclaimed she adored Adolf Hitler and made a mess of shooting herself. Decca
startled her folks when she
eloped with her cousin Esmond, injuring
her father she later dubbed
“ the old sub human” . Decca was
defiant, revelled in telling
a pack and lies and chase
me-chase- me games , delivering a cruel stand off , getting pregnant, becoming
a communist and an American. The
exception was Debo, who
married Andrew Cavendish,
the second son of a Duke but someone
“ addicted to alcohol for all of his adult life” . When Andrew unexpectedly inherited the title.
Debo shone more brightly than every one
of her Duchess predecessors. But of the
entire tribe Tom was perfect,
by comparison with all the
rest. He watched over all of them, but it suited him!
TOM WAS THE SMARTEST OF THE WHOLE BUNCH
THE BOOK ON TOM IS 300 PAGES LONG, 80,000 WORDS, WITH NUMEROUS PHOTOGRAPHS
VERY LIMITED NUMBERS WILL BE PRINTED
CONTACT THE AUTHOR WILLIAM CROSS ABOUT THE BOOK OR TALKS ETC ON TOM MITFORD
williecross@aol.com
Tom Mitford ( left) in Germany 1937 at a Nazi Rally Hon. Thomas Freeman-Mitford (1909-1945) Son, Brother, Barrister, Soldier, Musician, And Lover
TOM MITFORD : A FEARFUL OLD TWISTER
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