Richard Francis Roger Yarde-Buller, 4th Baron Churston VRD (12 February 1910 – 9 April 1991) was a

British peer The peerages in the United Kingdom are a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various noble ranks, and forming a constituent part of the British honours system. The term ''peerage'' can be used both collec ...

and a naval officer.

Early life

Yarde-Buller was born on 12 February 1910. He was the eldest son of

John Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston John Reginald Lopes Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston, MVO, OBE (9 November 1873 – 19 April 1930) was a British peer and soldier. He is the grandfather of Karim Aga Khan, leader of the Nizari Ismailis, an Islamic sect. Early life Yarde-Bulle ...

and the former actress

Denise Orme Jessie Smither, Duchess of Leinster (25 August 1885 – 20 October 1960),Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd (2003), p. 2300 known by her stage name Denise Orme, was a ...

. After his parents divorced in 1928, his mother married, and later divorced Theodore William Wessel, the former Danish chargé d'affaires in Chile, before marrying the 7th Duke of Leinster in 1946. His siblings were Hon.

Joan Yarde-Buller {{Infobox noble, type , name = Joan Yarde-Buller , title = Viscountess CamrosePrincess Tajuddawlah Aga Khan The Hon. Mrs. Guinness , image = Joan Yarde-Buller.jpg , caption = , alt ...

(who married Loel Guinness,

Prince Aly Khan Prince Ali Salman Aga Khan (13 June 1911 – 12 May 1960), known as Aly Khan, was a Pakistani diplomat of Iranian and Italian descent. He was the son of the Aga Khan III, and the father of Aga Khan IV. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, ...

, and 2nd Viscount Camrose); Hon. John Reginald Henry; Denise Grosvenor, Baroness Ebury (wife of the 5th Baron Ebury);

Lydia Russell, Duchess of Bedford John Ian Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford (24 May 1917 – 25 October 2002), styled Lord Howland until 1940, and styled Marquess of Tavistock from 1940 until 1953, was a writer and a British peer. As a businessman, the Duke and J. Chipperf ...

(wife of

John Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford John Ian Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford (24 May 1917 – 25 October 2002), styled Lord Howland until 1940, and styled Marquess of Tavistock from 1940 until 1953, was a writer and a British peer. As a businessman, the Duke and J. Chipperf ...

) and

Primrose Cadogan, Countess Cadogan William Gerald Charles Cadogan, 7th Earl Cadogan, MC, DL (13 February 1914 – 4 July 1997) was a British peer and professional soldier. Early life Born on 13 February 1914, he was the eldest son of Gerald Cadogan, 6th Earl Cadogan and his wi ...

(wife of the 7th Earl Cadogan). He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

Career

In 1926, his father's country seat,

Lupton House Lupton is an historic manor in the parish of Brixham, Devon. The surviving manor house known as Lupton House, is a Palladian Country house built by Charles II Hayne (1747–1821),Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, ''The Buildings of Eng ...

Churston Ferrers Churston Ferrers is an area and former civil parish, in the borough of Torbay, Devon, England, situated between the south coast towns of Paignton and Brixham. Today it is administered by local government as the Churston-with-Galmpton ward of th ...

, suffered a major fire which damaged the house and resulted in the removal of the third floor. Much of the fine paneling and decorative plasterwork were lost. After he succeeded to his titles, he inherited Lupton, owning the house until 1960 (when it was sold to Rowland Smith), during most of which time it was let as he did not live there. In 1943, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

both the house and estate were requisitioned by the military. The estate played a major role in the support and training of the U.S. Infantry in their preparations for

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

and the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

landings.Powling, Margaret
"Lupton House and Its Secret Garden”, ''Savista Magazine''
, February 1914. Upon his father's death on 19 April 1930, he succeeded as the 4th

Baron Churston Baron Churston, of Churston Ferrers and Lupton in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1858 for the former Conservative Member of Parliament, Sir John Yarde, 3rd Baronet. He had earlier repr ...

and Lupton and the 6th Baronet Buller. He gained the rank of

Lieutenant-Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in the

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

and fought in

. He was awarded the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers' Decoration in 1949.

Personal life

On 5 January 1933, Lord Churston was married to Elizabeth Mary du Pré, the second daughter of Lt.-Col.

William Baring du Pré Colonel William Baring du Pré, (5 April 1875 – 23 August 1946) was a British Conservative Party politician. He was a descendant of James Du Pré and likewise lived at Wilton Park, Beaconsfield from 1896 to 1911; the family subsequently moved ...

Wilton Park Wilton Park is an executive agency of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office providing a global forum for strategic discussion. Based since 1951 at Wiston House in Sussex, it organises over 70 dialogues a year in the UK and oversea ...

and, his first wife, the former Youri Wynyard Wright (only daughter of Capt. Henry Townley Wright of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

). Before they divorced in 1943, they were the parents of: *

John Francis Yarde-Buller, 5th Baron Churston Baron Churston, of Churston Ferrers and Lupton in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1858 for the former Conservative Member of Parliament, Sir John Yarde, 3rd Baronet. He had earlier rep ...

(b. 1934), who married Alexandra Joanna Contomichalos, daughter of Anthony Contomichalos, in 1973.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 790. * Hon. Nicole Yarde-Buller (b. 1936), who married, firstly, Richard Wilfred Beavoir Berens, son of Herbert Cecil Berens of

Bentworth Hall Bentworth Hall is a English country houses, country house in the civil parish, parish of Bentworth in Hampshire, England. It is about south of Bentworth village centre and northwest of Alton, Hampshire, Alton, the nearest town. Before the 1830 ...

, in 1958. They divorced in 1962 and she married, secondly, Michael Russell, son of Edward Dennis Russell, in 1963. After their divorce, Lady Churston married Maj. Peter Laycock on 10 December 1943 before her death on 23 September 1951. On 31 March 1949, Lord Churston remarried to Sandra ( Needham) Griffiths Dunfee, who had acted under the stage name

Sandra Storme Sandra Storme ( Eileen Violet Needham) (22 December 1914 – 1 December 1979) was an English dancer and actress, known for the films '' Murder in Soho'' (1939) and '' Q Planes'' (1939). Biography She was born Eileen Violet Needham in London o ...

. She was the daughter of Percy Needham and former wife of Arthur Griffiths and

Jack Dunfee Jack Lawson Dunfee (26 October 1901 – 13 September 1975) was a British motor racing driver, theatrical impresario, and later farmer who was one of the "Bentley Boys" at Brooklands before the Second World War. Motor racing Dunfee was one of four ...

. They remained married until her death on 1 December 1979. In 1981, Lord Churston married for the third time to Olga Alice Muriel (

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by signs ...

) Blair, the former wife of Bryce Evans Blair. Olga was the illegitimate daughter of

Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild, (8 February 1868 – 27 August 1937) was a British banker, politician, zoologist and soldier, who was a member of the Rothschild family. As a Zionist leader, he was presen ...

by his mistress, Marie Barbara Fredenson (a daughter of Maximilian Fredenson). Lord Churston died on 9 April 1991. Lady Churston died in 1992.Peter W. Hammond, editor, ''The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda'' (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), page 177.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yarde-Buller, Richard 4th Baron Churston 1910 births 1991 deaths Churston, Richard Yarde-Buller, 4th Baron Churston, Richard Yarde-Buller, 4th Baron Churston, Richard Yarde-Buller, 4th Baron Eldest sons of British hereditary barons

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...