Signature de Richard Rees - Archives nationales (France)

Sir Richard Lodowick Edward Montagu Rees, 2nd Baronet (4 April 1900 – 24 July 1970) was a British diplomat, writer and painter. Rees was the son of Sir John Rees, 1st Baronet and his wife Mary Catherine Dormer. His sister was the pilot

Rosemary Rees Rosemary Rees Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (23 September 1901 – 8 March 1994) was a British aviator who worked for the Air Transport Auxiliary. She was second in command to Margaret Wyndham Gore, Margot Gore at ...

, Lady du Cros, MBE. He was educated at

West Downs School West Downs School, Romsey Road, Winchester, Hampshire, was an English independent preparatory school, which was established in 1897 and closed in 1988. History Founding The school was founded by Lionel Helbert (1870–1919), with help from h ...

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

. His father, who had been an administrator in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

and a

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, died in 1922 and he inherited the baronetcy. He was for a while an attache at the British Embassy in Berlin. In 1925 he became a lecturer at the

Worker's Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

in London, and also acted as Treasurer there.University College London - Rees Papers
/ref> He became editor of '' Adelphi'' in 1930, where he provided encouragement to George Orwell among others. He was the inspiration for the wealthy Ravelston, publisher of the socialist magazine ''Antichrist'', in Orwell's ''

Keep the Aspidistra Flying ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'', first published in 1936, is a socially critical novel by George Orwell. It is set in 1930s London. The main theme is Gordon Comstock's romantic ambition to defy worship of the money-god and status, and the dis ...

''. In the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

he drove ambulances in Catalonia.Tom Buchanan ''The Impact of the Spanish Civil War on Britain: War, Loss and Memory'' Sussex Academic Press, 2007 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 ...

, Sir Richard served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). His service included an attachment to the French Navy from 1943, serving as a Liaison Officer (LO) on board ships of the newly-integrated Mediterranean Fleet, with whom he was awarded the Croix de Guerre. As well as writing several books, he translated the works of

Simone Weil Simone Adolphine Weil ( , ; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. Over 2,500 scholarly works have been published about her, including close analyses and readings of her work, since 1995. ...

and was the literary executor of George Orwell and

R. H. Tawney Richard Henry Tawney (30 November 1880 – 16 January 1962) was an English economic historian, social critic, ethical socialist,Noel W. Thompson. ''Political economy and the Labour Party: the economics of democratic socialism, 1884-2005''. 2nd ...

. In addition to writing, he was a painter, exhibiting at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

Publications

*''Brave Men: A study of D H Lawrence and Simone Weil'' (Victor Gollancz, London, 1958) *''For Love or Money'' (Secker & Warburg, London, 1960) *''George Orwell: Fugitive from the Camp of Victory'' (Secker & Warburg, London, 1961) *''A Theory of my Time'' (Secker & Warburg, London, 1963) *''Simone Weil: A Sketch for a Portrait'' (Oxford University Press, London, 1966) ;Edited with

John Middleton Murry John Middleton Murry (6 August 1889 – 12 March 1957) was an English writer. He was a prolific author, producing more than 60 books and thousands of essays and reviews on literature, social issues, politics, and religion during his lifetime. ...

*''Selected criticism 1916 to 1957'' (Oxford University Press, London, 1960) *''Poets, Critics, Mystics'' (Feffer & Simons, London & Amsterdam, 1970) ;Translations with Jane Degras *Alfred Grosser ''Western Germany: From defeat to rearmament'' (George Allen & Unwin, London, 1955) *Jules Monnerot ''Sociology of Communism'' (George Allen & Unwin, London, 1953) *Simone Weil ''Selected Essays'' (Oxford University Press, London, 1962) *Simone Weil ''Seventy Letters'' (Oxford University Press, London, 1965) *Simone Weil ''On Science, Necessity, and the Love of God'' (Oxford University Press, London, 1968) *Simone Weil ''First and Last Notebooks'' (Oxford University Press, London, 1970

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Richard 1900 births 1970 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom English writers People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge George Orwell People educated at West Downs School Royal Navy officers of World War II Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) People of the Spanish Civil War