The Career of W.T.C
My grandfather lived at Beaudesert Park at Henley-in-Arden in Warwickshire until his death in the 80's of last century. He had seven sons and no daughters and consequently the place could only be sold for a division of money among the seven. Part of my father's receipts under the Will was a small farm in the North of England which he sold after World War 1. Beaudesert is now either a Borstal, or for mentally handicapped boys.
My father (I do not know his Prep. school) went to Christchurch College, Oxford, where he rowed in a University Trial Eight, but was not picked for the Oxford boat. Throughout the rest of his life he took a keen interest in coaching young crews, and scored some success with the Walton-on-Thames club in the twenties after his retirement at Weybridge.
After his time as an undergraduate he became a Don, and remained at Oxford for about a year, before passing with distinction into the Indian Civil Service - that august profession which was considered first in prestige among the various Empire Builder's professions. He served all his life in the Madras Presidency and for a time administered one of the smaller Native States of which the ruler had been suspended for misconduct by the Viceroy. During his life he was a "Collector" and became well known for his endeavours to free the peasants from the money lenders and improve their lot.
In 1904 he married an Emily Elisabeth Ranking, daughter of a Scot who built boats in Ootacamund - whether for pleasure or profit as a business I never established. A discrepancy of fifteen years in marriage with a girl of 20 eventually left its mark on both of them, but though it could not be described as a happy marriage, no disloyalty on either side disfigured it - only mutual disillusion between a very able but self-centred man and a gay but foolish woman with practically no common ground between them beyond three sons.
My father had the ability to reach the top of his profesion, and might have done so, but for his inability to handle unscrupulous people, in particular the Governor of Madras at the year 1924 with the accent on his Lady. My father accordingly retired with a pension of about £1,000 in 1924, and the C.I.E., a good pension for those times and worth at least £3,000 today in 1975.
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