A FEARFUL OLD TWISTER
1904 :
Tom’s parents Hon David Bertram
Ogilvy Freeman-Mitford and Sydney Bowles marry.
1904 : Tom’s sister Nancy born 28 November.
1907 : Tom’s sister Pam born 25
November.
1909 : Tom born 3 January at 1
Graham Street, London.
1909 : Tom baptised on 10
February as Thomas David Freeman-Mitford.
1910 : Tom’s sister Diana born
17 June.
1911 : Tom at Undercliff Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth
on the 1911 Census.
1914 : War declared on 28 July.
1914 : Tom’s sister Unity born 8
August.
1914 : Tom’s father David goes to war with the
Northumberland Fusiliers.
1915 : Death of Tom’s uncle Hon.
Clement Freeman-Mitford heir to the
Barony of Redesdale, eldest brother of David on 13 May.
1915 : Tom’s father David
becomes heir to the Barony of Redesdale on 13 May. Tom becomes an ‘Honourable’.
1916: Death of Tom’s paternal
grandfather ‘Bartie’ Freeman-Mitford:
Lord Redesdale 17 August.
1916 : Tom’s father David
becomes Lord Redesdale, Tom is next heir in waiting.
1917 : Tom’s sister Jessica
born 11 September.
1918-9 : Batsford Park : The Mitford Family Home sold
off.
1919: Asthall Manor : Acquired
as the new Mitford Family Homestead.
1919: Tom goes off to Lockers Park Preparatory School, Hemel Hemstead.
1920: Tom’s sister Deborah born
31 March.
1922 : Tom’s maternal
grandfather ‘Tap’ Bowles dies 12 January
1922 : Tom goes to Eton College
as an Oppidan Scholar at Lent Term under
House Tutor FW Dobbs in Jourdelay House.
1922-1928 : Tom’s Eton
College key contemporaries include James
Lees-Milne, ( diarist) Randolph Churchill ( son of Winston), Nigel Birch ( politician)
and Edward James ( Poet).
1924-7 : Tom joins Cadets C.Q.M.S. Eton College. Contgt and later 16th London Regiment.
1926 : David , Tom’s father, pet family name of ‘Farve’ takes a long lease on 26 Rutland Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 with adjoining stables and a Mews flat.
c 1928 : Tom loses his virginity
with Baroness ‘ Baba’ De’ Erlanger, having previously engaged in homosexual affairs at Eton with Hamish Erskine, Robert Byron, and
others.
1928 : Tom leaves Eton College
having made a name for himself in sport, drama and in musical events. Rejects going to University in England.
1922-1930s : Tom’s six sisters
reach their ‘coming out’ years as debutantes and are presented at Court by
Sydney, pet family name Muv.
1928 : Tom begins his travels
through Europe, including to Italy,
Germany, Austria and Hungary, for pleasure and to study music and law.
1928-1939 : Tom stays as
a paying guest at Castle Bernstein
meets Count, Janos Almassi
and his neighbours including two sisters, the Countesses Erdody. Tom remains in close touch with regular visits
for a decade and more and has Intimate affairs with them ( almost certainly
sexual/ diviant).
1928 : Tom has romantic flings in Vienna and Berlin with
Penelope Cunard and others.
1929 : Tom returns to England to
the family homes in London and
Swinbrook.
1929 : Tom enrols as a
trainee barrister at the Inner Temple.
1920s-30s : Tom shares a flat
with Randolph Churchill and later has his own flat at 4 Rutland Mews.
1929 : Bruno Hat Hoax – Tom is importuned by Lytton Strachey.
1929 : Tom meets Tilly Losch (
Austrian ballet dancer and later Hollywood
actress) in Paris and begins a 10-year-long affair.
C1929-1944 : Tom has a series of
carnal affairs with numerous women including
Baroness Baba D’erlanger, Doris Castlerosse, Lady Diana Cooper, Janetta Woolley, Penelope
Dudley Ward, Sheilah Graham,
Barbara, Countess of Moray, Lady Carolyn Paget, La Jana, and
Tilly Losch.
1930s : Tom is flying with the Auxiliary Air Force and has an accident.
1930-1: Tom is a part of the
Mitford family ski-ing and skating trips to Switzerland.
1932 :Tom is called to the Bar
and begins to seek "briefs" and has own
London flat at 4 Rutland Mews with a housekeeper.
1933 -1940s : Tom is active in
the Territorials – “ Queens Westminsters”.
1930s : Tom is involved in running “ The Worst Play
Club” and regular first- nighter.
1933 : Tom provides support to
his sister Diana during her divorce from Bryan Guinness.
1933-34 : Tom’s affair with
Tilly Losch reaches a crisis point with Tilly’s divorce from Edward James.
1934 : Tom is junior consul in
the Haddon “ Letters to the King” blackmail scandal.
1935 : Tom Is junior consul in
the Rattenbury Murder Case defending
“George Stoner”.
1935- 1939 : Tom is on call as aid/driver / companion for his sisters
Diana and Unity during conquest of Germany and pursuit of Adolf Hitler. Tom
meet Hitler and attends several Nazi Rallys at Nuremberg. Back in England Tom also joins Oswald Mosley’s BUF.
1936 : Tom’s mistress Tilly
Losch leaves Britain for USA ( she
returns 1938) and has a holiday with tom in Austria. Tilly goes to a TB clinic
in Switzerland.
1937 : Tom is involved in the “
Ward of Court” application over
elopement of his sister Decca with Esmond Romilly. Tom defends sister Deborah in a legal action
for libel against the "Daily Express".
1938 : Tom is a dilemma over the
Munich crisis and invasion of Austria.
1938 : Tom is made up to Deputy
Judge Advocate General dealing with Court Martials.
1939 : Tom is called up for full time military service as war clouds form
over Europe.
1937-9 : Tom supports his father
“Farve” in pro –German speeches in The
House of Lords
1939 : Tom attends a BUF meeting
at Earls Court addressed by Oswald
Mosley and salutes – his former mistress
Tilly ( a Jewess) attends with
Randolph Churchill and leaves in horror.
She ends the relationship with Tom. Tom is trouble for taking the salute
to Mosley.
1940-1944 : Tom is army training and posted with the “ Queens
Westminsters” to Italy, North Africa and Palestine.
1940s : Tom ( with Muv) makes
representations to Winston Churchill to have Diana and Oswald Mosley ( interned
as a danger to the state) brought
together in one prison – and this was achieved.
1944: Tom spends 6 months back in London at Army
Staff College – Several references of note covering the period in James
Lees-Milne Diaries.
1945 : Tom reassigned to a Unit away from the European land mass goes as Adjutant to 1 Battn Devonshire Regiment – in the jungles of Burma.
1945 : March Tom is wounded and
transferred to hospital where he dies on 30 March 1945.
1946? : Farve has
the memorial to “ A Very Perfect Son and Brother “ for Tom placed in St Mary’s Church, Swinbrook.
1958 : Farve Dies at Otterburn,
Northumberland – his last years are spent with his mistress.
1963 : Muv Dies at Inch Kenneth
– the Scottish Island owned by Tom.
https://history-vandals.blogspot.com/2025/03/tom-mitford-fearful-old-twister.html
https://history-vandals.blogspot.com/2025/03/tom-mitford-new-book-from-william-cross.html
The book " TOM MITFORD: A FEARFUL OLD TWISTER" is available from the Author William Cross, FSA Scot
Email William Cross, FSA Scot
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