Major Sir Edward Beddington-Behrens (2 February 1897 – 28 November 1968) was a British soldier, businessman and patron of the arts, and a leading advocate of European co-operation.
Early life
Beddington-Behrens was born in Paris in 1897, where his father, Walter Behrens, was President of the British Chamber of Commerce. He was educated at
Charterhouse School, and the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
Career
In 1915, Beddington-Behrens was commissioned into the
Royal Field Artillery, winning the Military Cross in 1917, with bar added in 1918. His twin brother 2nd Lt. Walter Louis Behrens, Royal Field Artillery, was killed in action in 1917.
After the war, he studied at
Christ Church, Oxford and took a PhD in economics at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, before becoming one of the British representatives at the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
. In 1932, he published ''A Practical Monetary Policy for the Ottawa Conference''.
When World War II broke out, Beddington-Behrens was called up from the Territorial Army, and served in Belgium prior to Dunkirk, and later as a staff officer at
Coleshill House
Coleshill House was a country house in England, near the village of Coleshill, Oxfordshire, Coleshill, in the Vale of White Horse. Historically, the house was in Berkshire but since boundary changes in 1974 its site is in Oxfordshire.
The buil ...
.
He pursued a successful career in business, with interests in engineering, shipping and textiles. He was Chairman of the Ocean Trust Ltd, Gray's Carpets and Textiles and Jeremiah Ambler and Sons.
In the 1953 Coronation honours, Beddington-Behrens was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, in recognition of his work on European co-operation. He served as Chairman of the British Committee of the
European League for Economic Cooperation, later becoming President of the
European Movement
The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it.
History
The origins of th ...
, for which he was knighted in 1957. In 1966, he published ''Is There Any Choice? Britain Must Join Europe''.
Patron of the arts
Beddington-Behrens' mother, Evelyn Beddington, was from a family of art patrons, including her sister Violet Salaman Beddington Schiff and brother-in-law, the author
Sydney Schiff.
Edward continued this tradition, supporting
Stanley Spencer and his wife
Patricia Preece. In the 1930s, Spencer and Beddington-Behrens spent time in Switzerland, in
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...
and
Zermatt
Zermatt () is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is classified as a town by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) ...
. He was also a patron of
Oscar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980) was an Austrian artist, poet, playwright, and teacher best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes, as well as his theories on vision that influenced the Viennese Exp ...
, housing him and his wife Olda in Park Lane in 1943. Among his notable acquisitions were a 1965 cast of the 1913 sculpture ‘’The Dancer’’ by
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (né Gaudier; 4 October 1891 – 5 June 1915) was a French artist and sculptor who developed a rough-hewn, primitive style of direct carving.
Biography
Henri Gaudier was born in Saint-Jean-de-Braye near Orléans. In 1910, ...
and ''The Crab'' by
Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980) was an Austrian artist, poet, playwright, and teacher best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes, as well as his theories on vision that influenced the Viennese Expres ...
both now in the Tate collection. He was a friend and neighbour of
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the drama critic for the '' Saturd ...
, who drew his portrait in 1948, and in London socialised with
Charlie Chaplin.
Marriages and children
Beddington-Behrens was married three times.
# In 1931, he married Barbara Jessie Burton, daughter of Sir
Montague Burton. They had a daughter. The marriage ended in divorce.
# On 9 August 1944, he married Princess Irina Obolensky in the private chapel of the Russian House, Kensington. Irina was born at
Luga on 14 September 1917, the daughter of Prince Sergei Alexandrovich Obolensky and Liubov Alexandrovna Narychkine. They had a son, Dr. Serge Obolensky Beddington-Behrens, and a daughter. They divorced in 1957.
#In June 1958, he married Mrs Irene Adela Kane (1906–1989) in Switzerland.
He died at his London home,
Chesham Place
Chesham Place is a street in Belgravia, London UK, running between Belgrave Square and Pont Street. It is home to several embassies and has had many distinguished residents.
It was first laid out in 1831, and includes a number of listed buildin ...
, Belgravia, in November 1968, and is buried in the churchyard of St James,
Abinger Common, near his country home, Abinger Manor.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beddington-Behrens, Edward
1897 births
1968 deaths
People educated at Charterhouse School
British philanthropists
Knights Bachelor
19th-century British Jews
20th-century British businesspeople
British Army personnel of World War I
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
English art collectors
Royal Field Artillery officers