Wentworth Beaumont, 3rd Viscount Allendale
Wentworth Hubert Charles Beaumont, 3rd Viscount Allendale (12 September 1922–27 December 2002) was a British peer, Royal Air Force officer and race horse breeder.[1][2]
Early life
Allendale was born on 12 September 1922 to the 2nd Viscount Allendale, a courtier, and his wife Violet Seely. His father's father was the 1st Viscount Allendale, a politician, and his mother's father was Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet, also a politician.[1] He spent his earlier years living at the family seat of Bretton Hall, near Wakefield, Yorkshire.[2] He was an accident prone child and had a number of near-death experiences: he was rescued from a house fire in 1927, was electrocuted and left temporarily paralysed when a lamp fell in his bath when aged 14, and at 15 shot himself while pigeon shooting with friends.[1] He was educated at Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire.[2]
Career
Military service
Allendale joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) in 1940 after he had completed his schooling.[2] He had flown 71 missions in a Spitfire until he became a prisoner of war in 1942. On 31 May, he had been attacking a ship off the coast of the Netherlands, before being shot down by flak.[1][3] Having injured his leg in the crash, he was taken captive and transported to Stalag Luft III, a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany.[1] He was promoted to flying officer (war substantive) on 16 July 1942 and to flight lieutenant (war substantive) on 16 July 1943.[4][5] In March 1944, the Great Escape occurred from Stalag Luft III. He was not involved in the escape itself on account of his leg injury, but was part of the map-making team.[1] Having spent three years as a prisoner of war, he was released following the end of World War II in 1945.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35736. p. 4385. 6 October 1942. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 36094. pp. 3219–3220. 13 July 1943. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Viscount Allendale 1956 to 2002 |
Succeeded by Wentworth Beaumont |
