Dermot de Trafford
Encyclopedia
Sir Dermot Humphrey de Trafford, 6th Baronet, FRSA
, VRD
(19 January 1925 – 22 January 2010) was a British
banker, businessman and aristocrat. He was the son of Sir Rudolph de Trafford
, 5th Baronet, and June Isabel Chaplin.
, Cowfold
, Sussex, which had been rented by his parents in 1936. He received his early education from his French governess, Genevieve Galopin, and at Egerton House Pre-Prep School in Dorset Square, London. In 1934 he went to study under the Benedictine Order of monks at the Worth Priory Prep School
; but following an illness was sent to Switzerland
to recuperate at Le Rosey on Lake Geneva
.
In 1938, he returned to England to study Modern Languages at Harrow School
for four years, while there he won the school Steeplechase
, breaking the school record, he also won the school prizes for French and German in 1942. In 1942 he earned a scholarship to the School of Oriental and African Studies
, University of London
, where he studied Turkish
, graduating in 1943. He was later invested as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
(FRSA).
Barracks and from there shipped out to Suez.
He served in Egypt and Turkey, where he became a 1st Class Interpreter attached to the Eastern Mediterranean Costal Forces. In April 1944, Dermot was attached to the Royal Naval Reserve
under Lt Colonel Bill Toombs as Intelligence Office and resident Turkish
interpreter at the Costal Forces Base. In September 1945 he sailed for Greece to assist the British forces fighting with the Greek Government in the Greek Civil War
, serving in the operations room at the Naval Academy.
Following the Greek troubles, Dermot was appointed Naval Liaison Officer at Kavala
. From there he served in Athens
as part of M9/M19 the escape organisation, seeking out and rewarding natives who had assisted the allied personnel during the war. After the completion of this project Dermot was demobbed and returned to Britain via Malta
By the end of his career Dermot had gained the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and was decorated with the award of Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers' Decoration
(V.R.D.).
, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Following graduation he entered business as a Management Accountant with Clubley Armstrong and later with Orr and Boss.
in 1963, serving as Deputy Chairman from 1972–87, and chairing a number of their UK subsidiaries, including Compair and Calor
Gas. From 1971 to 1987, he represented their interests by serving as a director of Petrofina
SA. He retired from business in 1990 at the age of 65.
.
on 26 June 1948. The wedding took place at St James's Spanish Place, followed by the reception at Claridges Hotel. They had nine children, three sons and six daughters: Mary Annette (18 March 1949); John Humphrey
(12 September 1950); Elizabeth Eugenie (26 December 1951); Edmund Francis (9 December 1952); Patricia Clare (5 February 1955); Victoria Mary (4 February 1958); Cynthia Joan Bernadette (7 June 1959); Antonia Lucy Octavia (12 May 1966) and Gerard Thomas Joseph (12 June 1968).
In 1972, Dermot and Patricia oversaw the sale of the 2430 acres (9.8 km²) Newsells Park Estate, Barkway
which had been acquired by his Uncle, Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet in 1926 and also the disposal of the Stud Farm which the family had established there. Dermot then settled in the village of Appleshaw
, near Andover, Hampshire
where he resided until 2003.
Dermot and Patricia divorced in 1973. On 22 December 1973, Dermot de Trafford married Xandra Carandini Walter, only daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Trollope Lee of the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps
and his wife Contessa Estelle Marie (née
Carandini di Sarzano). Xandra was the elder sister of British actor Christopher Lee
and had two daughters from her previous marriage to Roderick Walter; British actress Harriet
and Charlotte. Lady Xandra died in December 2002. Her personal estate was valued at £758,407 net, which she left to relatives, with a £1000 donation to the NSPCC
.
Sir Dermot de Trafford died on 22 January 2010, three days after his 85th birthday, from undisclosed causes.
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
, VRD
Volunteer Reserve Decoration
The Volunteer Reserve Decoration was awarded to commissioned officers in the United Kingdom's Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve for long service and good conduct.The VRD was established in 1908...
(19 January 1925 – 22 January 2010) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
banker, businessman and aristocrat. He was the son of Sir Rudolph de Trafford
Rudolph de Trafford
Sir Rudolph Edgar Francis de Trafford OBE, 5th Baronet was a British aristocrat and banker who succeeded his brother to the de Trafford baronetage at the age of 77. Rudolph was born on 31 August 1894, the second son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet and Violet Alice Maud Franklin.He attended...
, 5th Baronet, and June Isabel Chaplin.
Early life and education
Dermot de Trafford grew up at the Loder Dower HouseLoder Baronets
The Loder Baronetcy, of Whittlebury in the County of Northampton, and of High Beeches in Slaugham in the County of Sussex, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 27 July 1887 for Robert Loder, who had previously represented New Shoreham in the House of Commons as a...
, Cowfold
Cowfold
Cowfold is a village and civil parish between Billingshurst and Haywards Heath in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, located at the intersection of the A272 and A281 roads. The parish has a land area of 1926 hectares . In the 2001 census 1,864 people lived in 729 households, of...
, Sussex, which had been rented by his parents in 1936. He received his early education from his French governess, Genevieve Galopin, and at Egerton House Pre-Prep School in Dorset Square, London. In 1934 he went to study under the Benedictine Order of monks at the Worth Priory Prep School
Worth School
Worth School, near the village of Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, England, is a co-educational Roman Catholic boarding and day independent school for pupils aged between 11–18 years. The school is located with Worth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, in of Sussex countryside...
; but following an illness was sent to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
to recuperate at Le Rosey on Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
.
In 1938, he returned to England to study Modern Languages at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
for four years, while there he won the school Steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
, breaking the school record, he also won the school prizes for French and German in 1942. In 1942 he earned a scholarship to the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, where he studied Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, graduating in 1943. He was later invested as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
(FRSA).
Naval career
In 1943, he joined the Royal Navy as a Probationary Temporary Midshipman, Special Branch, Special Service, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He underwent basic training at PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
Barracks and from there shipped out to Suez.
He served in Egypt and Turkey, where he became a 1st Class Interpreter attached to the Eastern Mediterranean Costal Forces. In April 1944, Dermot was attached to the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
under Lt Colonel Bill Toombs as Intelligence Office and resident Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
interpreter at the Costal Forces Base. In September 1945 he sailed for Greece to assist the British forces fighting with the Greek Government in the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, serving in the operations room at the Naval Academy.
Following the Greek troubles, Dermot was appointed Naval Liaison Officer at Kavala
Kavala
Kavala , is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala peripheral unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos...
. From there he served in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
as part of M9/M19 the escape organisation, seeking out and rewarding natives who had assisted the allied personnel during the war. After the completion of this project Dermot was demobbed and returned to Britain via Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
By the end of his career Dermot had gained the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and was decorated with the award of Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers' Decoration
Volunteer Reserve Decoration
The Volunteer Reserve Decoration was awarded to commissioned officers in the United Kingdom's Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve for long service and good conduct.The VRD was established in 1908...
(V.R.D.).
Post war
Following his Naval service, Sir Dermot returned to education at Christ Church, OxfordChrist Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Following graduation he entered business as a Management Accountant with Clubley Armstrong and later with Orr and Boss.
In Business
During the 1950s, Dermot served on the board of several industrial firms, which in 1961 he merged into a public company; The GHP (General Hydraulic Power) Group, becoming the first Managing Director, then Chairman in 1966. In 1976, GHP was merged with Low and Bonar and he became Vice-Chairman until June 1982 when he was appointed Chairman. He became a director of Imperial Continental Gas AssociationImperial Continental Gas Association
Imperial Continental Gas Association plc was a leading British gas utility operating in various cities in Continental Europe . It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
in 1963, serving as Deputy Chairman from 1972–87, and chairing a number of their UK subsidiaries, including Compair and Calor
Calor
Calor Gas is a brand of bottled butane and propane which is available in Britain and Ireland. It comes in cylinders, which have a special gas regulator.Calor was formed in 1935. Calor is the UK's leading supplier of Liquefied petroleum gas...
Gas. From 1971 to 1987, he represented their interests by serving as a director of Petrofina
Petrofina
Petrofina was a Belgian oil company which merged with Total in 1999 to form TotalFina, but the name has now been changed back to Total after another merger...
SA. He retired from business in 1990 at the age of 65.
Banking career
During his career, Sir Dermot served on the board of several European financial institutions including the BNP Paribas (Banque de Paris et des Pays Bas Ltd); Banque Belge Ltd; Belgian & General Investments and Friars Investment Trust.Post Retirement
Following his retirement from his business interests in 1990, Dermot became involved in charity work, he became a director of the Andover Crisis and Support Centre and of People Need Homes Plc. The latter was a continuation of a long interest in improving housing conditions, which had earlier led to him becoming a director of Hummingbird Housing Association and Hyde Housing Association. He also served terms as Chairman 1990-1992 and Vice-President 1993-1994 of the Institute of DirectorsInstitute of Directors
The Institute of Directors is a UK-based organisation, established in 1903 and incorporated by royal charter in 1906 to support, represent and set standards for company directors...
.
Personal life
Dermot married Patricia Mary Beeley, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Francis Beeley of Richmond Bridge Mansions, TwickenhamTwickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
on 26 June 1948. The wedding took place at St James's Spanish Place, followed by the reception at Claridges Hotel. They had nine children, three sons and six daughters: Mary Annette (18 March 1949); John Humphrey
John de Trafford
Sir John Humphrey de Trafford, 7th Baronet, MBE is a British businessman and banker. He is the son of Sir Dermot de Trafford, 6th Baronet and his first wife Patricia Mary Beeley...
(12 September 1950); Elizabeth Eugenie (26 December 1951); Edmund Francis (9 December 1952); Patricia Clare (5 February 1955); Victoria Mary (4 February 1958); Cynthia Joan Bernadette (7 June 1959); Antonia Lucy Octavia (12 May 1966) and Gerard Thomas Joseph (12 June 1968).
In 1972, Dermot and Patricia oversaw the sale of the 2430 acres (9.8 km²) Newsells Park Estate, Barkway
Barkway
Barkway is a long-established village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England, about five miles south-east of Royston,35 miles from London and 15 miles from the centre of Cambridge....
which had been acquired by his Uncle, Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet in 1926 and also the disposal of the Stud Farm which the family had established there. Dermot then settled in the village of Appleshaw
Appleshaw
Appleshaw is a village in the English county of Hampshire. The name Appleshaw is derived from Old English ‘scarga’ - a shaugh or wood; thus Appleshaw may mean ‘apple wood’. It includes the hamlet of Ragged Appleshaw, the ‘ragged’ possibly being a corruption of ‘roe gate’ - the gate of the Royal...
, near Andover, Hampshire
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
where he resided until 2003.
Dermot and Patricia divorced in 1973. On 22 December 1973, Dermot de Trafford married Xandra Carandini Walter, only daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Trollope Lee of the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
and his wife Contessa Estelle Marie (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Carandini di Sarzano). Xandra was the elder sister of British actor Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
and had two daughters from her previous marriage to Roderick Walter; British actress Harriet
Harriet Walter
Dame Harriet Mary Walter, DBE is a British actress.-Personal life:She is the niece of renowned British actor Sir Christopher Lee, as the daughter of his elder sister Xandra Lee. On her father's side she is a great-great-great-granddaughter of John Walter, founder of The TimesShe was educated at...
and Charlotte. Lady Xandra died in December 2002. Her personal estate was valued at £758,407 net, which she left to relatives, with a £1000 donation to the NSPCC
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
.
Sir Dermot de Trafford died on 22 January 2010, three days after his 85th birthday, from undisclosed causes.