Lieutenant Colonel Sir Ranulph Twiselton-Wykeham-Fiennes DSO Commanding Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), Royal Armoured Corps, was born 12th of November 1902 at Cromwell Road, Kensington, the son of Lt Colonel, the Honourable Sir Eustace Fiennes, 1st Baronet of Broughton Castle, Oxfordshire and Lady Fiennes OBE.

Ranulph was baptised 4th January 1903 at Holy Trinity, Brompton. Sir Eustace was a soldier, who also served with the Royal Flying Corps, and was a politician and colonial administrator in the Seychelles and Leeward Islands.

The 1911 census finds him with his family at 8, Buckingham Palace Gardens. Buckingham Palace Road, London. Sir Eustace was not present for the census. Florence aged 44 was born at Wynberg, South Africa. Ranulph aged 3 is the only child recorded.There are five servants - Elizabeth Abbott, aged 34, born Lambeth; Emily Cullem aged 22 born Clapham; Albert Brett aged 22 born Histon; Lucy Guest aged 20 born Notting Hill and Mabel Bloomfield, aged 27 born Reading.

On the 1st of September 1918 Ranulph and his parents left Plymouth for the Seychelles on the P&O ship Merkara - the “camouflage name” of the Agra, which was bound for Calcutta.

At Windlesham, Surrey in the third quarter of 1931, Ranulph married Audrey J Newson. The Daily News of London for the 7th of August, 1931 reported that Audrey was the daughter of Sir Percy and Lady Newson. The couple had four children - Susan, Celia, Julia and Ranulph (Ranulph was born three months after the the death of his father; he too served in the army and gained fame as an explorer.)

As to his army service...

The Army List for New Years’ Eve 1938 charts his rise through the ranks.

2nd Lt - 1st February 1923; Lt 1st February 1925; ADC to the Gov. Gen and C-In-C, Canada 2nd November 1928 to the 2nd of March 1930; Adjutant 10th of March 1930 to 9th of March 1933; Captain 1st April 1932; Major 1st of January 1938.

www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/britishcavalry/scotsgreysranulphtwfiennes

The website also gives the following account -

“At the battle of El Alamein the regiment spent the night of 23/24 Oct 1942 negotiating the first German minefield. But they had difficulty penetrating the second one so Sir Ranulph (known as 'Lugs') personally organised the squadrons' defence of the bridgehead covering the gap in the first minefield, sending forward recce parties to the second. They kept the enemy occupied in the south of the battle area which greatly contributed to the victory. At Nofilia on 17 Dec 1942 Lieutenant-Colonel Fiennes led an attack on the retreating German rearguard. His command vehicle was a Stuart tank with the turret removed known as Astra. This battle lasted all day and resulted in the Greys losing 7 tanks and three men”.

Following active service in North Africa Lt Colonel Fiennes went with his regiment to Italy. Whilst engaged in the Battle of Monte Cassino, he trod on a German anti-personnel S-mine and died of his wounds eleven days later in Naples on 24 Nov 1943.

He was initially buried along with sixteen other Commonwealth casualties in a small cemetery until all were exhumed for reburial in Naples War Cemetery.

He was posthumously awarded the DSO.

The Banbury Guardian for the 14th of August, 1946 reports upon the unveiling of a memorial to Lt Colonel Fiennes in Broughton Church. The name of Lady Audrey Fiennes was added after her death. [The paper notes that there are two other family memorials to his brother Captain John Fiennes, who died of wounds at Arras in June 1917 and to his father - Sir Eustace.]

Lt Colonel Ranulph Fiennes is remembered in the churchyard at Lodsworth on the headstone of Lady Audrey Joan Fiennes 7th of July 1912 to the 27th of August 2004.