David Guy Blomfield (11 July 1934 – 12 July 2016) was leader of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

group on

Richmond upon Thames Council Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London, the United Kingdom capital. Richmond upon Thames is ...

, a writer, a book editor and a local historian.

Early life and education

David Blomfield was born in Camberley, Surrey. His parents were Valentine Blomfield, a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

officer, and his wife, Gladys (''née'' Lang), who had been a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse at

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

Star and Garter Home The Royal Star and Garter Home on Richmond Hill, in Richmond, London, was built between 1921 and 1924 to a design by Sir Edwin Cooper, based on a plan produced by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1915, to provide accommodation and nursing facilitie ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. His father's family was descended from the

Anglican bishop The Anglican ministry is both the leadership and agency of Christian service in the Anglican Communion. "Ministry" commonly refers to the office of ordained clergy: the ''threefold order'' of bishops, priests and deacons. More accurately, Anglica ...

Charles James Blomfield Charles James Blomfield (29 May 1786 – 5 August 1857) was a British divine and classicist, and a Church of England bishop for 32 years. Early life and education Charles James Blomfield was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the eldest son (an ...

and

Alfred Blomfield The Right Reverend Alfred Blomfield D.D. (31 August 18335 November 1894) was an Anglican bishop in the last decades of the 19th century. Alfred was the youngest son of Charles James Blomfield, Bishop of London, and brother of architect Arthur ...

and the architect Sir

Reginald Blomfield Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (20 December 1856 – 27 December 1942) was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period. Early life and career Blomfield was born at Bow rectory in Devon, w ...

. He was educated at

Wellington College, Berkshire Wellington College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the village of Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,200 pupils, between the ages of 13 ...

and served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

and the

Oxfordshire Yeomanry The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars (QOOH) was a Yeomanry Cavalry regiment of the British Army's auxiliary forces, formed in 1798. It saw service in the Second Boer War with 40 and 59 Companies of the Imperial Yeomanry and was the first Yeomanry ...

. He studied

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

Hertford College, Oxford University Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...

and graduated in 1955.

Career

Blomfield worked in the condensed books department of ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

'' from 1959 to 1987 and subsequently became a freelance book editor. He was elected to represent Kew ward on Richmond upon Thames Council from 1971 to 1978 and then from 1979 to 1986. As leader of the Liberal group he was Leader of the Opposition on Richmond upon Thames Council in 1978. Blomfield, who researched, wrote and published books on the history of Kew, chaired the Richmond Local History Society from 2003 to 2013, edited its annual journal ''Richmond History'' and succeeded

John Cloake John Cloake Hon. DLitt. (2 December 1924 – 9 July 2014) was a historian and author of several works mostly relating to the local history of Richmond upon Thames and surrounding areas. He was also a former United Kingdom diplomatic re ...

in 2015 as the Society's President. He was also a patron of the

Kew Society Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew i ...

and a past chairman of the

Orange Tree Theatre The Orange Tree Theatre is a 180-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south-west London, which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style. Th ...

in Richmond.

Honours and awards

He was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 2000.

Personal life

He lived in Kew, London with his wife Caroline, with whom he had three children (two sons and a daughter). He died on 12 July 2016, a day after celebrating his 82nd birthday.

Publications

Books

* Blomfield, David (ed.) (1992). ''Lahore to Lucknow: The Indian Mutiny Journal of Arthur Moffat Lang''. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. * Blomfield, David (1994), ''Kew Past''. Chichester, Sussex: Phillimore & Co. Ltd. * * * * *

Articles

* * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blomfield, David 1934 births 2016 deaths Military personnel from Surrey Burials in England 20th-century English historians 21st-century English historians Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford Blomfield family Councillors in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames English book editors English military historians Historians of London Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Liberal Party (UK) councillors Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire People from Camberley People from Kew, London Reader's Digest Royal Artillery personnel Churchwardens Ghostwriters