Tom Mitford
Major Thomas David Freeman-Mitford (2 January 1909 – 30 March 1945) was the only son of the 2nd Baron Redesdale and brother of the Mitford Sisters. Tom Mitford was killed in action during the Second World War.
Tom Mitford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Freeman-Mitford 2 January 1909 England |
| Died | 30 March 1945 (aged 36) Sagaing, British Burma |
| Cause of death | Died of wounds |
| Resting place | Taukkyan War Cemetery |
| Parent(s) | The 2nd Baron Redesdale Sydney Bowles |
| Relatives | Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica, & Deborah Mitford |
| Education | Lockers Park School and Eton College |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | Devonshire Regiment |
| Rank | Major[1] |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
Early life
Mitford was born on 2 January 1909, the only son of David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale. He attended Eton College. He had relationships with several students there, among whom were Jim Lees-Milne and The Hon. Hamish St. Clair-Erskine (later engaged to his sister Nancy).[2][3]
In the late 1920s, Mitford studied law in Berlin, and it was at that time that he displayed a favour for the Nazi Party.[2]
Military service and death
While serving, at first Mitford chose to serve in Italy and North Africa, and then in Burma, since he did not want to fight against Germany.[4]
Mitford was killed on 30 March 1945 in Burma, while serving with the Devonshire Regiment. He is buried at Taukkyan War Cemetery.[1] His sister Diana, Lady Mosley, wrote: "his loss was something from which I never recovered for the rest of my life". His father, Lord Redesdale, erected a memorial tablet inside St Mary's Church, Swinbrook, near their home, Swinbrook House.[2] The 2nd Baron Redesdale, Lady Mosley, Nancy Mitford, and Unity Mitford are buried in the churchyard, while Pamela Mitford is buried in the northwest of the tower.[5] Another tablet to the memory of Tom Mitford is inside Holy Trinity Church, Horsley, just south of Rochester, Northumberland, near their estate in Northumberland.[6]
Personal life
In July 1929, Mitford took part in the "Bruno Hat" art hoax. He took the role of the imaginary reclusive artist, Bruno Hat; other Bright Young Things involved were Brian Howard, Evelyn Waugh, Bryan Guinness, and John Banting.[7]
Mitford had an alleged affair with James Lees-Milne, a writer, when both were attending Eton.[8]
In the summer of 1930, Mitford met Sheilah Graham, who would later describe him in her memoirs, Beloved Infidel, as "a youthful edition of his father and, at twenty-one, one of the handsomest men I had ever seen".[9]
In the 1930s, he was a lover of Austrian-born dancer Tilly Losch, while she was married to art patron Edward James.[10]
References
- "MajorFREEMAN-MITFORD, The Hon. THOMAS DAVID". Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- Seymour, Miranda (2013). Noble Endeavours: The life of two countries, England and Germany, in many stories. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781847378262. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- Cooper, Michelle (9 May 2013). "Meet The Mitfords". Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford. Alfred A. Knopf. 2006. ISBN 9780375410321. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- Pearson, Lynn F. (2004). Discovering Famous Graves. Shire Publications. p. 93. ASIN 0747806195.
- "The Mitford Men". 7 October 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- Lovell, Mary S. (2011). The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 111. ISBN 9780393076103. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire (2010). Wait for Me!: Memoirs. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-374-20768-7.
- Lovell, Mary S. (2011). The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 114. ISBN 9780393076103. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- Lovell, Mary S. (2008). The Mitford Girls: The Biography of an Extraordinary Family. Hachette UK. p. 107. ISBN 9780748109210. Retrieved 22 September 2017.