Peter Murray Rennell Rodd (16 April 1904 – 17 July 1968),Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage 2003, volume 3, pg 3319 soldier, aid worker, film-maker and idler.

Early life

Rodd was the second son of Sir Rennell Rodd, a diplomat and politician who was ennobled in 1933 as Baron Rennell, and Lilias Georgina Guthrie (1864–1951). Among his siblings were

Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell Major-General Francis James Rennell Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell (25 October 1895 – 15 March 1978), known as Lord Rennell, was an army officer and the second but eldest surviving son of the diplomat Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell. He served as a ...

(who married the Hon. Mary Constance Vivian Smith), Evelyn Emmet, Baroness Emmet of Amberley (a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician and was created a life peer), Hon. Gloria Rodd (who married the painter

Simon Elwes Lt. Col. Simon Edmund Vincent Paul Elwes, (29 June 1902 – 6 August 1975) was a British war artist and society portrait painter whose patrons included presidents, kings, queens, statesmen, sportsmen, prominent social figures and many members ...

), and Hon. Gustaf Rodd (who married Yvonne Mary Marling, the youngest daughter of diplomat Sir Charles Murray Marling). His mother was the fourth daughter of James Alexander Guthrie, 4th Baron of Craigie and the former Elinor Stirling (a daughter of Adm. Sir James Stirling,

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutiona ...

). His aunt, Rose Ellinor Guthrie, was the wife of Hon. Sir Cecil Edward Bingham (a younger son of Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan). His father was the only son of Maj. James Rennell Rodd of the

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd (Cornwall Light ...

, and the former Elizabeth Anne Thomson (a daughter of Dr. Anthony Todd Thomson). Through his father, he was a descendant of Adm. Sir John Tremayne Rodd and the geographer

James Rennell Major James Rennell, (3 December 1742 – 29 March 1830) was an English geographer, historian and a pioneer of oceanography. Rennell produced some of the first accurate maps of Bengal at one inch to five miles as well as accurate outlines of Ind ...

. He was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

and Balliol College, Oxford.

Career

Rodd followed no specific career and his views were erratic and changeable; having joined the British Union of Fascists in 1933, by the following year he was fiercely denouncing the movement. In 1938 he carried out humanitarian work in Perpignan on behalf of refugees from 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 was commissioned into the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...

in 1939, and during a varied war career saw service in Africa and Italy, attaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. After the war he attempted unsuccessfully to become a film-maker; his one completed project, ''For Whom the Gate Tolls'', shot in Spain, was a failure. Other than this, for the remainder of his years he lived a more or less idle life, mainly on handouts, mostly in Rome and finally in Malta, where he died in 1968.

Personal life

In 1933, Rodd was married to the novelist and socialite

Nancy Mitford Nancy Freeman-Mitford (28 November 1904 – 30 June 1973), known as Nancy Mitford, was an English novelist, biographer, and journalist. The eldest of the Mitford sisters, she was regarded as one of the "bright young things" on the London ...

, daughter of David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale and one of the famous

Mitford sisters The Mitford family is an aristocratic English family, whose principal line had its seats at Mitford, Northumberland. Several heads of the family served as High Sheriff of Northumberland. A junior line, with seats at Newton Park, Northumberlan ...

. They divorced in 1957, although by then the marriage had been over in all but name for some years.Hastings, p. 172 Nancy, who was called "unabashedly snobbish and devastatingly witty" and her family nicknamed him "Prodd" or "the old toll-gater", from his skill at talking at great length on historical subjects such as turnpike roads. Rodd died in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

on 17 July 1968. Nancy died at her home in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1973.

References

Citations Sources * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodd, Peter 1904 births 1968 deaths People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Welsh Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II Younger sons of barons