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John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne

February 27, 2023

John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne, CBE (9 November 1924 – 23 September 2005), professionally known as John Brabourne, was a British peer, television producer and Oscar-nominated film producer. Married to the eldest daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten, Brabourne was a survivor of the bombing which killed his father-in-law, mother and son.

Biography

Brabourne was born in 1924, the second son of Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne, and his wife, Lady Doreen Browne. He was educated at Eton College and Brasenose College, Oxford. He was barely 14 when his father died in February 1939 and his elder brother, Norton, inherited the Barony.

War and inheritance

The Second World War broke out just as Brabourne was finishing school, and he enlisted in the armed forces. He served in the Coldstream Guards, rising to the rank of captain. He fought in France from 1944 onwards. In 1943, his elder brother, Norton, a lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards, was wounded and captured in Italy. While being transported to Germany as a POW, he tried to escape, but was captured and executed by the SS on 15 September 1943. Since he died childless, his barony passed to his younger brother, John Knatchbull, who became the 7th Lord Brabourne.

Marriage

At the end of the war, Brabourne returned to England and settled in the family seat, Mersham in Kent. On 26 October 1946, at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, at the age of 21, he married Patricia Mountbatten, elder daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten, later 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Brabourne's best man at the wedding was Squadron Leader Charles Harris-St. John.

Lady Brabourne was to inherit her father's peerages in due course. This would make Lord and Lady Brabourne among the few married couples to each hold peerages in their own right. Also, Lady Brabourne was related to the British royal family, and her aunt Louise Mountbatten was at that time the Crown Princess (later Queen) of Sweden. In February 1947, only months after the wedding, Brabourne's father-in-law was appointed Viceroy of India. The newly-wed couple spent several months in India, residing with her parents in the viceregal palace. In November the same year, Lady Brabourne's first cousin Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wed Princess Elizabeth, future Queen of the United Kingdom.

Lord and Lady Brabourne had eight children:

  • Norton Philip Louis Knatchbull, Lord Romsey – later the 8th Baron Brabourne (born 8 October 1947), married Penelope Eastwood and has issue. 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma from 13 June 2017.
  • Michael-John Ulick Knatchbull (born 1950)
  • Anthony Knatchbull (born/died 6 April 1952)
  • Lady Joanna Edwina Knatchbull (born 1955), married Baron Hubert Pernot du Breuil and later Azriel Zuckerman, and had issue by both.
  • Lady Amanda Patricia Victoria Knatchbull – later Lady Amanda Ellingworth (born 26 June 1957), married Charles Ellingworth and had three sons.
  • Philip Wyndham Ashley Knatchbull (born 1961)
  • Nicholas Timothy Charles Knatchbull (18 November 1964 – 27 August 1979), killed at the age of 14 by an IRA bomb.
  • Timothy Knatchbull (born 18 November 1964), twin with his brother Nicholas

Career and service

In the late 1940s, shortly after leaving the army, Brabourne began working as an assistant production manager for certain television productions, mostly based on war-related themes. He graduated to the role of production manager by the early 1950s, and finally became a producer in his own right in 1958, with Harry Black a romantic story set in India, with war as the distant context. This was followed by Sink the Bismarck! (1960). War, Empire and India were recurrent themes in his work, and A Passage to India (1984) is among his films. His other motion pictures include Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Death on the Nile (1978), and Little Dorrit (1988).[1]

In 1970, he founded Mersham Productions, a production house named after his family seat in Kent, which produced many of his works thereafter. He served as a director of Thames Television (later chairman) and Euston Films from 1978 to 1995, and a director of Thorn EMI from 1981 to 1986.

John Brabourne received two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, as producer of Romeo and Juliet (1968) and A Passage to India.[2] In 1979, Brabourne was invested as a Fellow of the British Film Institute. In 1993, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1990 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Old Brewery venue in London.[citation needed]

Despite an active career, Brabourne was also a country gentleman, and took his local responsibilities seriously. He served as a governor of various schools, including Norton Knatchbull School (founded by an ancestor c. 1630 AD) from 1947 to 2000; Wye College in Kent from 1955 to 2000, and Gordonstoun School from 1964 to 1994. He also served as Pro-Chancellor of the University of Kent from 1993 to 1999.

The IRA bombing

On 27 August 1979, while the family was on holiday in Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Lord Brabourne's father-in-law, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, took a number of family members out lobstering on his motorboat, Shadow V, in Donegal Bay. Having planned to murder Mountbatten, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) placed a bomb inside the boat on the night of the 26th. Mountbatten and several members of the party were killed the next morning when the bomb was triggered by an IRA observer onshore who was armed with a radio detonator. The dead included Brabourne's 83-year-old mother, the Dowager Baroness Brabourne, one of his twin 14-year-old sons, Nicholas Knatchbull, and a local boy, 15-year-old Paul Maxwell from County Fermanagh who had been hired for the summer as Mountbatten's boat boy. Brabourne, his wife Patricia, and their other twin son Timothy were severely injured, but survived the attack.

Lord Brabourne died in 2005 at his home in Kent at the age of 80.[1] He was survived by his wife and their six remaining children. Patricia Brabourne died in June 2017.

Ancestry

References and notes

  1. ^ a b Death on the Nile producer dies, BBC News, 23 September 2005.
  2. ^ Search of Academy Awards Database 8 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 March 2011.

External links

  • Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Brabourne
  • John Brabourne at IMDb
  • , mountbattenofburma.com. Accessed 8 December 2022.
  • Interview with John Brabourne, HistoryProject.org.uk. Accessed 8 December 2022.

February 27, 2023
john, knatchbull, baron, brabourne, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources John Knatchbull 7th Baron Brabourne news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message John Ulick Knatchbull 7th Baron Brabourne CBE 9 November 1924 23 September 2005 professionally known as John Brabourne was a British peer television producer and Oscar nominated film producer Married to the eldest daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten Brabourne was a survivor of the bombing which killed his father in law mother and son Contents 1 Biography 1 1 War and inheritance 1 2 Marriage 1 3 Career and service 1 4 The IRA bombing 2 Ancestry 3 References and notes 4 External linksBiography EditBrabourne was born in 1924 the second son of Michael Knatchbull 5th Baron Brabourne and his wife Lady Doreen Browne He was educated at Eton College and Brasenose College Oxford He was barely 14 when his father died in February 1939 and his elder brother Norton inherited the Barony War and inheritance Edit The Second World War broke out just as Brabourne was finishing school and he enlisted in the armed forces He served in the Coldstream Guards rising to the rank of captain He fought in France from 1944 onwards In 1943 his elder brother Norton a lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards was wounded and captured in Italy While being transported to Germany as a POW he tried to escape but was captured and executed by the SS on 15 September 1943 Since he died childless his barony passed to his younger brother John Knatchbull who became the 7th Lord Brabourne Marriage Edit At the end of the war Brabourne returned to England and settled in the family seat Mersham in Kent On 26 October 1946 at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire at the age of 21 he married Patricia Mountbatten elder daughter of Louis Mountbatten 1st Viscount Mountbatten later 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Brabourne s best man at the wedding was Squadron Leader Charles Harris St John Lady Brabourne was to inherit her father s peerages in due course This would make Lord and Lady Brabourne among the few married couples to each hold peerages in their own right Also Lady Brabourne was related to the British royal family and her aunt Louise Mountbatten was at that time the Crown Princess later Queen of Sweden In February 1947 only months after the wedding Brabourne s father in law was appointed Viceroy of India The newly wed couple spent several months in India residing with her parents in the viceregal palace In November the same year Lady Brabourne s first cousin Philip Duke of Edinburgh wed Princess Elizabeth future Queen of the United Kingdom Lord and Lady Brabourne had eight children Norton Philip Louis Knatchbull Lord Romsey later the 8th Baron Brabourne born 8 October 1947 married Penelope Eastwood and has issue 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma from 13 June 2017 Michael John Ulick Knatchbull born 1950 Anthony Knatchbull born died 6 April 1952 Lady Joanna Edwina Knatchbull born 1955 married Baron Hubert Pernot du Breuil and later Azriel Zuckerman and had issue by both Lady Amanda Patricia Victoria Knatchbull later Lady Amanda Ellingworth born 26 June 1957 married Charles Ellingworth and had three sons Philip Wyndham Ashley Knatchbull born 1961 Nicholas Timothy Charles Knatchbull 18 November 1964 27 August 1979 killed at the age of 14 by an IRA bomb Timothy Knatchbull born 18 November 1964 twin with his brother NicholasCareer and service Edit In the late 1940s shortly after leaving the army Brabourne began working as an assistant production manager for certain television productions mostly based on war related themes He graduated to the role of production manager by the early 1950s and finally became a producer in his own right in 1958 with Harry Black a romantic story set in India with war as the distant context This was followed by Sink the Bismarck 1960 War Empire and India were recurrent themes in his work and A Passage to India 1984 is among his films His other motion pictures include Murder on the Orient Express 1974 Death on the Nile 1978 and Little Dorrit 1988 1 In 1970 he founded Mersham Productions a production house named after his family seat in Kent which produced many of his works thereafter He served as a director of Thames Television later chairman and Euston Films from 1978 to 1995 and a director of Thorn EMI from 1981 to 1986 John Brabourne received two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture as producer of Romeo and Juliet 1968 and A Passage to India 2 In 1979 Brabourne was invested as a Fellow of the British Film Institute In 1993 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1990 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Old Brewery venue in London citation needed Despite an active career Brabourne was also a country gentleman and took his local responsibilities seriously He served as a governor of various schools including Norton Knatchbull School founded by an ancestor c 1630 AD from 1947 to 2000 Wye College in Kent from 1955 to 2000 and Gordonstoun School from 1964 to 1994 He also served as Pro Chancellor of the University of Kent from 1993 to 1999 The IRA bombing Edit On 27 August 1979 while the family was on holiday in Mullaghmore County Sligo Lord Brabourne s father in law Earl Mountbatten of Burma took a number of family members out lobstering on his motorboat Shadow V in Donegal Bay Having planned to murder Mountbatten the Irish Republican Army IRA placed a bomb inside the boat on the night of the 26th Mountbatten and several members of the party were killed the next morning when the bomb was triggered by an IRA observer onshore who was armed with a radio detonator The dead included Brabourne s 83 year old mother the Dowager Baroness Brabourne one of his twin 14 year old sons Nicholas Knatchbull and a local boy 15 year old Paul Maxwell from County Fermanagh who had been hired for the summer as Mountbatten s boat boy Brabourne his wife Patricia and their other twin son Timothy were severely injured but survived the attack Lord Brabourne died in 2005 at his home in Kent at the age of 80 1 He was survived by his wife and their six remaining children Patricia Brabourne died in June 2017 Ancestry EditAncestors of John Knatchbull 7th Baron Brabourne8 Edward Knatchbull Hugessen 1st Baron Brabourne4 Cecil Knatchbull Hugessen 4th Baron Brabourne9 Anna Maria Elizabeth Southwell2 Michael Knatchbull 5th Baron Brabourne10 Johann Hermann Flesch von Brunningen5 Helene Frederike Flesch von Brunningen11 Karoline Aloisia Strasser1 John Knatchbull 7th Baron Brabourne12 Henry Browne 5th Marquess of Sligo6 George Browne 6th Marquess of Sligo13 Catherine Henrietta Dicken3 Lady Doreen Browne14 James Stewart Hodgson7 Agatha Stewart Hodgson15 Gertrude Agatha ForsythReferences and notes Edit a b Death on the Nile producer dies BBC News 23 September 2005 Search of Academy Awards Database Archived 8 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 23 March 2011 External links EditHansard 1803 2005 contributions in Parliament by Lord Brabourne John Brabourne at IMDb Tribute amp Memorial web site to Louis 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma mountbattenofburma com Accessed 8 December 2022 Interview with John Brabourne HistoryProject org uk Accessed 8 December 2022 Peerage of the United KingdomPreceded byMichael Knatchbull Baron Brabourne1943 2005 Succeeded byNorton Knatchbull Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Knatchbull 7th Baron Brabourne amp oldid 1137670831, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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