Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir
Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford, KCB (16 November 1865 – 15 February 1953) was a British Army
officer, and the father of movie star Peter Lawford
.
, England
. His first marriage was on 30 September 1893, at St. Paul's Church
, Knightsbridge
, London
to Lillian Maud Cass, who died on 26 November 1900.
Lawford served in the Boer War
in South Africa
as a captain in the British Army
. His second marriage was on 20 May 1914 in London
to Muriel Williams. During World War I
, Lawford was promoted to the rank of major-general
, and commanded the 41st Division, the junior division of the New Army
, throughout its existence. His nickname of 'Swanky Syd', used by others behind his back, apparently derives from his habit of donning full dress regalia for every occasion, including all medals. He was knighted in the field.
Lawford was promoted to lieutenant-general, the third highest rank in the British Army
, and was posted to India
after World War I
. While serving in India in the early 1920s, and while still married to Muriel, he fell in love with the wife of one of his officers, May Somerville Aylen, and she became pregnant with his child. Colonel Ernest Aylen, May's husband, upon hearing this news, divorced her over the scandal. (He died on 12 October 1947).
General Lawford divorced Muriel and married May Aylen, and their child was Peter Lawford
(born in 1923). The Lawfords returned to England
. But the scandal eventually drove the family to settle in France
, and they then moved to the United States
by the late 1930s. Peter had appeared in his first film before age ten, learned several languages, and also appeared in several movies in France.
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford, KCB (16 November 1865 – 15 February 1953) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer, and the father of movie star Peter Lawford
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
.
Biography
Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford was born in Tunbridge Wells, KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His first marriage was on 30 September 1893, at St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's Church, Knightsbridge
St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge is an Anglican church in London’s West End, supposed to be one of the most beautiful Victorian churches in London. Set in the heart of the Grosvenor Estate on Wilton Place in Belgravia, the church dates from 1843, during the incumbency of the Rev. W. J. E. Bennett....
, Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Lillian Maud Cass, who died on 26 November 1900.
Lawford served in the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as a captain in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. His second marriage was on 20 May 1914 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Muriel Williams. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Lawford was promoted to the rank of major-general
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
, and commanded the 41st Division, the junior division of the New Army
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
, throughout its existence. His nickname of 'Swanky Syd', used by others behind his back, apparently derives from his habit of donning full dress regalia for every occasion, including all medals. He was knighted in the field.
Lawford was promoted to lieutenant-general, the third highest rank in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, and was posted to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. While serving in India in the early 1920s, and while still married to Muriel, he fell in love with the wife of one of his officers, May Somerville Aylen, and she became pregnant with his child. Colonel Ernest Aylen, May's husband, upon hearing this news, divorced her over the scandal. (He died on 12 October 1947).
General Lawford divorced Muriel and married May Aylen, and their child was Peter Lawford
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
(born in 1923). The Lawfords returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. But the scandal eventually drove the family to settle in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and they then moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the late 1930s. Peter had appeared in his first film before age ten, learned several languages, and also appeared in several movies in France.