Home Kidston
| Home Kidston | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Home Ronald Archibald Kidston 11 March 1910 Cadogan Square, London, England |
| Died | January 1996 (aged 85–86) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Eton |
| Occupation | Royal navy officer, farmer and racing driver |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Georgiana Mary Curzon Eleanor Keith Erica Lanz |
| Children | Glen Kidston (with Lady Curzon) Simon Kidston and Nicholas Kidston (both with Erica Lanz) |
| Parent(s) | Archibald Glen Kidston Hélène Adeline Blanche Chapman |
| Relatives | Glen Kidston (brother) |
Lieutenant-Commander Home Ronald Archibald Kidston (11 March 1910 – January 1996) was a Royal Navy officer, farmer and racing driver.
Kidston was born 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.
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 HMS Kelly, 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,HMS Escapade from October 1944 until December 1945. He retired from the Navy on 21 January 1947.
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.
Aged 14, he acquired a Morgan three-wheeler, and while a student at Eton, a Type 37A Bugatti. After he joined the Royal Navy, he bought an MG K3 and a Bentley 4½. He was later posted to New Zealand, and "raised eyebrows" when he arrived with his de Havilland DH.60 Moth aircraft, Vosper racing speedboat and a Mercedes-Benz S. His on-road speeding antics earned him much coverage in the New Zealand press and various far-flung court appearances which his aircraft proved useful for attending. After he returned to England, he raced a Type 51 Bugatti and the ex-Howe Alfa Romeo 2.3 Le Mans car, and entering several Frazer Nash BMWs in Alpine trials. His later road cars included a Bugatti 57C, a Lancia Aurelia B20 GT, a Mercedes-Benz 300SL and a Porsche Carrera 2.7RS. Kidston ordered his Type 57C from the Bugatti showroom in Nice in 1938 while on shore leave, and it was delivered to England the following year. He sold it in 1955. Kidston was one of the first in the UK to purchase a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing coupé, in April 1955.
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