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 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas David Freeman-Mitford 2 January 1909 England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 30 March 1945 (aged 36) Sagaing, British Burma |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| 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 |
During the Second World War, Mitford joined the British Army, and was initially deployed to Italy and North Africa. A Nazi sympathizer, Mitford was sent to fight in the Pacific after saying he did not want to fight against Germany. He was killed in action in 1945.
Early life
editMitford was born on 2 January 1909, the only son of David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale. He attended Lockers Park School in Hertfordshire and 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
editWhile 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
editIn 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
edit- ^ a b "Major the Hon. Thomas David Freeman-Mitford". Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ a b c 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.