Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Hugh Kenyon Molesworth Kindersley, 2nd Baron Kindersley of West Hoathly (7 May 1899 – 6 October 1976) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer, businessman, banker. His father was businessman

Robert Kindersley, 1st Baron Kindersley Robert Molesworth Kindersley, 1st Baron Kindersley (21 November 1871 – 20 July 1954) was an England, English Businessperson, businessman, stockbroker, merchant banker, and public servant who organised the National Savings Movement. Backgroun ...

GBE.

Early years

Kindersley was born in

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, to Robert Molesworth Kindersley, 1st Baron Kindersley, GBE (1871-1954), and Gladys Margaret Beadle. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. He married Nancy Farnsworth (daughter of Dr Geoffrey Boyd of Toronto) in October 1921: they had two daughters, Patricia, who married Napier Crookenden, Ginette and a son Robert, who succeeded his father as 3rd Baron Kindersley. Kindersley was managing director of Lazard Brothers, one of the three houses of

Lazard Lazard Inc. (formerly known as Lazard Ltd and Lazard Frères & Co.) is a financial advisory and asset management firm that engages in investment banking, asset management and other financial services, primarily with institutional clients. It i ...

, from 1927 to 1964.

War service

Kindersley was commissioned into the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

in 1917 and served during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1918. He rejoined as a lieutenant in the

Regular Army Reserve of Officers The Regular Reserve is the component of the military reserve of the British Armed Forces whose members have formerly served in the " Regular" (full-time professional) forces. Other components of the Reserve are the Volunteer Reserves and the Spons ...

from 12 November 1938 and at the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he rejoined the Scots Guards. He later commanded a tank battalion of the Scots Guards in the

Guards Armoured Division The Guards Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was created in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1941 during the Second World War from elements of the Guards units, the Grenadie ...

. He completed a parachute training course and qualified as a glider pilot. In May 1943, promoted to acting Brigadier, Kindersley was appointed

Commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the 6th Airlanding Brigade. It was on his recommendation that Major

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

and D Company 2nd

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

(the 52nd) were selected to lead the

coup de main A ''coup de main'' (, : , ) is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow. Definition The United States Department of Defense defines it as "An offensive operation that capitalizes on surprise ...

operation at

Pegasus Bridge Pegasus Bridge, originally called the Bénouville Bridge after the neighbouring village, is a road crossing over the Caen Canal, between Caen and Ouistreham in Normandy. The original bridge, built in 1934, is now a war memorial and is the c ...

and

Horsa Bridge Horsa Bridge, also known as Ranville Bridge, over the Orne river, was, along with Pegasus Bridge, captured during Operation Tonga by gliderborne troops of the 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (the 52nd) in a '' coup de mai ...

before the Allied invasion of the Normandy beaches began. Kindersley commanded 6 Airlanding Brigade, part of

6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who m ...

, during the Normandy landings on

D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, 6 June 1944, landing at 03.30 hours with 6 Airborne divisional headquarters. He was later wounded during the Battle of Bréville, and evacuated to England. Brigadier Edwin Flavell replaced him as commanding officer of 6 Airlanding Brigade. Kindersley was appointed a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 1941 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1945.

Post-war

Kindersley was Chairman of Lazard Brothers, one of the three houses of

, from 1953 until 1964 and a director from 1965 to 1971. During his service at Lazard Brothers, he was a director of the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

from March 1947 to March 1967, Chairman of

Royal Exchange Assurance The Royal Exchange Assurance, founded in 1720, was a British insurance company. It took its name from the location of its offices at the Royal Exchange, London. Origins The Royal Exchange Assurance emerged from a joint stock insurance enterpri ...

from 1955 to 1967, and Chairman of

Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce Limited was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his Crane ( ...

from 1956 to 1968. He was one of the figures who, as both a Bank of England director and a financier with private interests, was suspected of having taken advantage of advance warning of a change in

Bank Rate Bank rate, also known as discount rate in American English, and (familiarly) the base rate in British English, is the rate of interest which a central bank charges on its loans and advances to a commercial bank. The bank rate is known by a numb ...

to sell

gilt-edged securities Gilt-edged securities, also referred to as gilts, are bonds issued by the UK Government. The term is of British origin, and referred to the debt securities issued by the Bank of England on behalf of His Majesty's Treasury, whose paper certifi ...

ahead of the public announcement of the rate change. A judicial inquiry was held to investigate these allegations in 1957, to which he gave evidence. Although subjected to intensive and aggressive questioning by the

Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

Reginald Manningham-Buller Reginald Edward Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne, (1 August 1905 – 7 September 1980), known as Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller, Bt, from 1954 to 1962 and as The Lord Dilhorne from 1962 to 1964, was an English lawyer and Conservative po ...

during the proceedings, he was fully exonerated in Lord Justice Parker's subsequent report in what journalists at the time suspected of a

whitewash Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes ...

.David Kynaston, ''Till Time's Last Stand: A History of The Bank of England, 1694-2013'', Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017, pp. 434-5 Kindersley was chairman of the Officers Association from 1946 to 1956, Honorary Colonel of 10th Parachute Battalion from 1947 to 1952 and High Sheriff of the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

in 1951. He succeeded his father as second baron in 1954. He was appointed Commander, Royal

Order of St Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

of Norway in 1958. He also served as chairman,

Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration The Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration, also known as the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB), is a body established to set the pay of doctors and dentists in the National Health Service. The Review Body invites evidence f ...

, 1962-1970 and as chairman, Arthritis and Rheumatism Council. He lived in

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

, near

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. Hugh Kenyon Molesworth Kindersley died at Tonbridge, Kent on 6 October 1976 and he was succeeded in the barony by his son, Robert Hugh Molesworth Kindersley.

Awards and decorations

* Commander of the

(1 February 1945; previously Member, 1 January 1941) *

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

(15 February 1919) * Commander of the

(Norway, 1958) * Honorary

Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Roya ...

(1959) * Member, Court of Patrons,

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

(1960) * Royal College of Surgeons Honorary Gold Medal (1975) Citation for the Military Cross:

For great gallantry and able leadership during 11, 12 and 13 October 1918. When sent by night to support the advance to the railway line west of St. Python, his platoon captured an obstinately defended machinegun post. Next morning, when leading two platoons in the western and southern half of the village, he handled the house to house fighting admirably. The ground was won and held with few casualties largely through his work. His gallant conduct was a fine example to all ranks.

References

* Who Was Who Volume V11 1971-1980 (1981), Pegasus Bridge Stephen Ambrose (1984), Go To It! The Illustrated History of 6th Airborne Division Peter Harclerode (2000), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Vol 31 (2004) and Burke's Peerage Baronetage and Knightage Vol 11 (2003).

External links

British Army Officers 1939−1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kindersley, Hugh Kindersley, 2nd Baron 1899 births 1976 deaths People educated at Eton College People from Knightsbridge Scots Guards officers Recipients of the Military Cross English bankers 2 Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British Army personnel of World War I High sheriffs of the County of London British Army brigadiers of World War II

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

20th-century English businesspeople Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Military personnel from the City of Westminster Order of Saint Olav