George Harcourt Vanden-Bampde-Johnstone, 3rd Baron Derwent

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

(22 October 1899 – 13 January 1949), was a British author, diplomat and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician.

Early life

Derwent—always known to his family and friends as "Peter"Gravesiana: The Journal of the Robert Graves Society, vol. 4, no. 3, Eric J. Webb, p. 462, "An Indecent Proposal"—was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 22 October 1899. He was the son of Hon. Edward Henry Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, and Hon. Evelyn Mary Agar-Ellis. His father was a younger son of

Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baron Derwent Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baron Derwent (3 January 1829 – 1 March 1916), known as Sir Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 3rd Baronet, from 1869 to 1881, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician. He served for ten years as a Membe ...

and Charlotte Mills (the daughter of

Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet (23 January 1792 – 4 October 1872) was a British banker and member of the Council of India. Born at Popes, Hatfield, he was the third son of William Mills, a director of the Honourable East India Company, and th ...

). His maternal grandparents were

Leopold Agar-Ellis, 5th Viscount Clifden Leopold George Frederick Agar-Ellis, 5th Viscount Clifden (13 May 1829 – 10 September 1899), known as Leopold Agar-Ellis until 1895, was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Early life Born in London, Clifden was the second son o ...

and the former Hon. Harriet Stonor (a daughter of

Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys (1797–1881) was a British peer, previously a member of Parliament. He was the son of another Thomas Stonor and Katherine Blundell, daughter of the art collector Henry Blundell. Career In 1817, he went to study ...

). In 1929, upon the death of his uncle, Francis, he inherited the Derwent barony. Derwent was educated at

Sandroyd School Sandroyd School is an independent co-educational preparatory school for day and boarding pupils aged 2 to 13 in the south of Wiltshire, England. The school's main building is Rushmore House, a 19th-century country house which is surrounded by the ...

then

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey Londo ...

and Merton College, Oxford where he won the Newdigate Prize in 1920. He succeeded as the third Baron Derwent on the death of his uncle in 1929.

Career

On leaving Merton, he joined the diplomatic service and served as an honorary attaché from 1929 at Warsaw, Brussels and Madrid. At the start of the Second World War, he was in Berne before he returned to the United Kingdom in 1942 to serve in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

until 1944. Derwent was a

party politician, president of the Yorkshire Liberal Federation, and co-treasurer of the British

Liberal International Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism aroun ...

Council, member of the council of the

Georgian Group The Georgian Group is a British charity, and the national authority on Georgian architecture built between 1700 and 1837 in England and Wales. As one of the National Amenity Societies, The Georgian Group is a statutory consultee on alterat ...

, of which he was a founder, and a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

Author and poet

As an author and poet Derwent wrote under his own name but also the pen name ''George Vanden''. Two volumes of poetry were published in 1931 (''Fifty Poems'') and 1943 (''Before Zero Hour'').

Personal life

On 21 December 1929, Derwent married Countess Sabine Czaykowska Iliesco, the daughter of General D. Iliesco,

Chief of the Romanian General Staff The Chief of General Staff ( ro, Șeful Statului Major General) is the highest professional military authority in the Romanian Armed Forces. He is appointed by the President of Romania, at the National Defense Minister's proposal (with the appro ...

.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. Volume 1, page 1109. "Asked by the British Who's Who to list his recreations, he put down, 'Fishing, golf, and thinking the twentieth century is just wonderful.'" Lady Derwent died at

Berne Bern () or Berne; in other Swiss languages, gsw, Bärn ; frp, Bèrna ; it, Berna ; rm, Berna is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city" (in german: Bundesstadt, link=no, french: ville fédérale ...

on 18 May 1941. In November 1948, his engagement to Mlle. Carmen Gandarillas, daughter of José A. Gandarillas, the secretary to the Chilean Embassy in London was announced. However, Lord Derwent died before the marriage took place. Upon his death in Paris on 13 January 1949, aged 49, on his way back from a health visit to Switzerland, he was succeeded by his younger brother Patrick as they had no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Derwent, George Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 3rd Baron 1899 births 1949 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom People educated at Sandroyd School People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Writers from London Diplomatic peers British diplomats Liberal Party (UK) hereditary peers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II English male poets 20th-century English poets 20th-century English male writers