Home Kidston

Lieutenant-Commander Home Ronald Archibald Kidston (11 March 1910 – January 1996) was a Royal Navy officer, farmer and racing driver.

Early life Kidston was born on 11 March 1910 in Cadogan Square, London, the son of Captain Archibald Glen Kidston and Hélène Adeline Blanche Chapman. His older brother was Glen Kidston, the record-breaking aviator and motor racing driver.

He was educated at Eton.

Career Royal Navy Kidston joined the Royal Navy, being promoted from acting sub-lieutenant to sub-lieutenant on 1 January 1932, and to lieutenant on 1 July 1934.

During the Second World War, he commanded the motor anti-submarine boat MA/SB.6, as part of the 2nd Motor Anti-Submarine Boat Flotilla, based at Portland in 1940. He then served as Anti-Submarine Officer aboard , under Lord Mountbatten, from February 1941 until her sinking off Crete on 23 May 1941. Kidston was promoted to lieutenant-commander on 1 July 1942, and later commanded his own destroyer,

Farmer In 1947, Kidston retired to farm his estate at Southover House, Tolpuddle, Dorset. In 1976, he moved to Italy to grow olives and wine at Il Gallinaio, near Siena.

Cars

Aircraft Also a keen pilot, Kidston owned a de Havilland DH.60M Moth G-AAXG (c/n 1542) which was built in 1930 for de Havilland company chairman Alan S. Butler, who flew it in the 1930 King's Cup Air Race and finished second, as well as won the prize for the highest speed achieved at . Kidston shipped the Moth to New Zealand in 1933, selling it there in 1935.

In June 1934 Kidston registered his brother's Lockheed Vega (G-ABGK) to take part in the MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia. However, it was an Australian, Jimmie Woods, who actually flew the aircraft in the race, which overturned on landing at Aleppo, and was forced to withdraw.

In 1936 he bought the DH.85 Leopard Moth G-AEFR (c/n 7125), based at Brooklands. Kidston continued to fly into his 70s.

Boats In 1959 Kidston acquired a John G. Alden-designed motor yacht (Design No. 916) which he named Pasadena, built for him by R. & W. Clark Ltd. of East Cowes.

Personal life His first wife was Lady Georgiana Mary Curzon, the daughter of Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe and Mary Curzon, Lady Howe. They had one son, Glen Kidston (b. 1937), and divorced in 1943. His second wife was American heiress Eleanor Keith. He later married Erica Lanz and had two children, Simon Kidston (b. 1967), the classic car dealer, and Nicholas Kidston (b. 1969), who died in a motorcycle accident in 2011. Kidston had 3 grandchildren, Cassius Kidston and Constance Kidston (Simon Kidston) and Sofia Kidston (Nicholas Kidston).