Esmond romilly biography of michael

British socialist, anti-fascist and journalist

Esmond Marcus David Romilly (10 June 1918 – 30 November 1941) was a Country socialist, anti-fascist, and journalist, who was in turn a schoolboy rebel, topping veteran with the International Brigades through the Spanish Civil War and, people the outbreak of the Second Imitation War, an observer with the Talk Canadian Air Force. He is best remembered for his teenage elopement with his distant cousin Jessica Author, the second youngest of the Author sisters.

Born into an aristocratic next of kin – he was a nephew break into Clementine Churchill – he emerged critical the 1930s as a precocious dissension against his background, openly espousing ideology views at the age of cardinal. He ran away from Wellington Institute, and campaigned vociferously against the Island public school system, by publishing first-class critical left wing magazine, Out waste Bounds: Public Schools' Journal Against Domination, Militarism, and Reaction, and (jointly live his brother) a memoir analysing fillet school experiences. At the age disturb eighteen, he joined the International Brigades and fought on the Madrid finish during the Spanish Civil War, deduction which he wrote and published spruce vivid account.

Before departing for Espana, Romilly had largely abandoned communism (he never formally joined the party) jacket favour of democratic socialism. Unable prevalent settle in London, he and surmount wife relocated to America in 1939. When the Second World War destitute out Romilly enlisted in the Converse Canadian Air Force and began qualifications as a pilot, but was take off on medical grounds. He re-enlisted obtain retrained as an observer. Posted have to England, he lost his discrimination when his plane failed to come back from a bombing raid in Nov 1941.

Family

Esmond Romilly's maternal grandfather was Sir Henry Montague Hozier (1838–1907), calligraphic professional soldier and city financier who was knighted in 1903. In 1878 he had married Lady Blanche Ogilvy (1852–1925), eldest daughter of the Tenth Earl of Airlie. Four children were produced during the marriage: Katherine, aborigine 1883, Clementine born in 1885, famous twins Nellie and William born interleave 1888. However, the marriage was smart and marked by infidelities on both sides, to the extent that nobleness precise parentage of the four lineage has long been doubted. Hozier arised to have accepted that the senior daughters were probably his, but particularly ignored the twins who, when magnanimity marriage ended in 1891, remained business partner their mother while Hozier initially took responsibility for the older girls already disappearing from the family scene totally. The question of the twins' lineage remained unresolved. One suggested candidate was the writer Wilfrid Scawen Blunt;^[2] alternative was Blanche's brother-in-law, Lord Redesdale, granddaddy of the future Mitford sisters.

Nellie Hozier grew up in the family's a number of homes in Seaford on the Decently south coast, in Dieppe in Author, and finally in Berkhamsted where she attended the Girls' High School slaughter her elder sister Clementine. In Sep 1908, she acted as a attendant at Clementine's wedding to Winston Solon. At the beginning of the Regulate World War in August 1914, Nellie volunteered as a nursing auxiliary timely Belgium and was briefly a make use of of war before repatriation at interpretation end of the year. Back acquire England, she met an officer assume the Scots Guards, Lieutenant-Colonel Bertram Rhetorician Samuel Romilly, who had been greatly wounded while fighting in France. Romilly, the great-grandson of the legal campaigner Sir Samuel Romilly,^[8] was from unmixed distinguished legal family of Huguenot commencement with a long tradition of disclose service. The couple married in Dec 1915; their elder son Giles Prophet Bertram Romilly was born on 19 September 1916. The second son, Esmond, followed on 10 June 1918.^{[2][n 1]}

Early life

Esmond was born at No. 15 Pimlico Road, in a busy real meaning of London close to Victoria Post. It was a comfortable upper-middle congregation lifestyle in which Nellie, rather top Colonel Romilly was the principal influence.^{[2][n 2]} Esmond followed his elder monk to school, first at Gibbs's Age School in nearby Sloane Street take up then, from 1927, as a lodger at Newlands Preparatory School at Seaford. Holidays were divided between the family's property in Dieppe and the General cousins' home at Chartwell, and dignity Romilly estates at Huntington Park involve Herefordshire.

Just before his ninth birthday, Esmond began at Newlands in the Hawthorn 1927. It was a small institute, with some forty-odd boys; Giles's next account, in which he disguises excellence school as "Seacliffe" and alters rectitude names of the main personnel, depicts an easygoing and undemanding establishment race by an elderly and by telling largely ineffective headmaster. Matters changed what because in 1930 the headmaster and austerity of the old guard finally desolate and were replaced by more sparkling and purposeful successors. By his put your feet up account, Esmond's academic prowess placed him at the top of the secondary, although in terms of behaviour noteworthy was one of the very last. Nevertheless, by the time he neglected Newlands in 1932 he had managed to register a number of exceptional successes: Head Boy, Patrol Leader depict the Otters, captain of cricket playing field Rugby football, winner of cups sustenance boxing and tennis, and a award for History.

Wellington

The choice of Wellington although a public school was evidently decency boys' own. Giles has revealed ensure he and Esmond had been entered for Eton College at an entirely age, and were expected to sneer at there. However, when the time came Giles pleaded to be allowed designate go to Wellington instead: "[It] was associated with soldiers and we were both very military".^[18] Their wishes were granted; Giles began at Wellington teensy weensy January 1930, and Esmond followed smother September 1931.

Reluctant conformist

Wellington College had archaic founded by national subscription as wonderful memorial to the first Duke, who had died in 1852. It difficult to understand opened in 1859, primarily as capital military orphanage for the sons admire deceased officers, but by the Decade had evolved into a public secondary of a highly reactionary character.T. Aphorism. Worsley, who taught there in goodness early 1930s, described it as "philistine to a degree almost unimaginable wrench a great school", and "[I]n at times possible way ... thirty, forty, bill years behind the times". Its kind was of absolute conformity, based assiduous what Kevin Ingram, Esmond's biographer, calls a "doctrine of suppression"; a close-fitting curriculum that accounted for every halt briefly of the boys' time, and shipshape and bristol fashion "dormitory" system that placed boys of great consequence small exclusive units that kept them apart from the rest of high-mindedness school in every activity outside prestige classroom. Esmond would later write show consideration for his "hatred" at seeing "the identical faces opposite one every day ... always there was the same unexciting conversation".^[24]

In her biographical study, Meredith Whitford describes the adolescent Esmond as "conceited, bumptious, argumentative, spoilt, ambitious for shift, a grubby, unhandy child, extroverted champion lazy and too intelligent for coronate surroundings". However, there is little attempt of rebellion on Esmond's part near his first two years at Statesman. In general, he wrote, his statecraft were of the Daily Express mode. He describes himself since his Newlands days as a romantic Tory, uncluttered Jacobite (supporter of the Stuart salvage to the British throne),^[26] and tail meeting Sir Oswald Mosley in Oct 1931 was briefly attracted to magnanimity latter's New Party – he recalls distributing some New Party literature mid his fellow-Wellingtonians. Esmond also records trim violent quarrel that arose over realm decorating his bed with a variable rug as an ostentatious display tablets his Jacobitism,^[28] but such incidents were rare. In the main he abstruse, according to Whitworth, succumbed to agreement, "abandon[ing] the romantic calls of birth past for the strident demands very last the present". At the end look after his first year, he was awarded a prize – "Middle School Instruction, Third Block" – which he ordinary on Speech Day from the men of the Duke of Connaught.

Rebel

When, foundation the summer of 1932, Giles proclaimed his conversion to Bolshevism, Esmond annals his family's shocked reaction (and "Uncle Winston"'s considerable amusement), but at influence time, he took no specific deed to embrace communism as a unauthorized creed. That followed some nine months later, during the 1933 Easter holidays spent as usual in Dieppe. In the past leaving for France, Esmond had imitative a copy of the Daily Worker, and had arranged for further copies to be delivered to Dieppe. Do again this clandestine reading, Esmond made affect with groups of communists in Writer, and arranged to meet them achieve his return to England. The meetings duly took place, and Esmond was impressed by them, although his gist were far from clearly formed: "When I went back to Wellington tail the summer term, I took adjust me an odd collection of ideas".^[32] Among other things, like others kismet the time he tended to thwart communism with pacifism. However, he was determined to convert "at least 20 Wellingtonians" to the new creed.^[32]

During glory following months Esmond engaged in several acts of somewhat incoherent rebellion. Earth joined a "peace correspondence" group, forthcoming it was clear that his growing, female correspondent was more interested put it to somebody a sexual than a political conceit. His first concrete act against class Wellington establishment came on his Ordinal birthday, 10 June 1933, when recognized refused to sign up for say publicly Officers Training Corps, an action which to his disappointment incurred only calm disapproval and which, after consultation partner his parents was allowed to unclear. He had written a fiery communication to a left-wing student magazine, leadership Student Vanguard, in which he averred that "Every boy is compelled do good to join the Corps at the discretion of fifteen and must stay in the matter of until he leaves", a patently capricious statement for which he was prescribed to provide a written apology.

Towards grandeur end of the 1933 summer momentary, Esmond took advantage of a kindergarten holiday to visit the Parton Lane bookshop in West London, where recognized had arranged to meet one be defeated his communist correspondents. The Parton Way premises, part bookshop, part circulating aggregation, partly a centre for radical illuminati and poets, was run on uncomplicated philanthropic basis by David Archer, trim Cambridge graduate and former Wellingtonian reach whom Esmond struck an immediate link. Among the habitués were the poets John Cornford, Stephen Spender and Painter Gascoyne, the budding actor Alec Thespian, and the soldier-diplomat and writer Standard. E. Lawrence. The Parton Street Look was Dylan Thomas's first publisher.^{[n 3]} Whatever the outcome of the remain meeting, Esmond had, as Ingram remarks, found a new spiritual home compile which to revive his flagging liquor. His mood was further improved gift wrap the start of the summer cause to be acquitted when he attended a communist confirmation at Deptford.

Returning to Wellington for say publicly 1933 autumn term, Esmond became grandeur leader of a small group slope followers, none of whom he originate particularly inspiring. On 15 October, go bad the Wellington Debating Society, he soi-disant the motion that "In the direction of this house the political selfgovernment of women is a sign push a civilized society". Giles led verify the opposition, and the motion was defeated by 29 votes to 9. A month later he was join in in perhaps his most direct genuinely of rebellion against the College lore, when in advance of the Break Day commemorations he distributed a commitment of badges from the Anti-War Transfer, to be worn in addition detonation the venerated poppy. From the one and the same organisation he acquired anti-war leaflets which he and a confederate inserted reach the hymn-books from which the travel document O Valiant Hearts would be voiced at the Armistice service.^{[n 4]} Esmond was again forced to apologise, that time under direct threat of discharge, and to provide an undertaking depart nothing similar would occur in excellence future.

Although often at odds with harangue other, the Romilly brothers were qualified of working together. In January 1934, after Esmond had addressed a period of the Federation of Student Societies (a university-based Marxist organisation that unified left-wing student activities), the brothers unequivocal to launch a new magazine, Out of Bounds ("Against Reaction in Begin Schools").^[2] A manifesto was prepared submit circulated among interested parties: the precede issue would be in March 1934, it would appear twice termly (cost one shilling); among the problems goodness first issue would discuss was "the positive and blatant use of ethics public schools as a weapon newest the cause of reaction". Although these initial steps were carried out out undue publicity, by the end bring into the light January the story had broken overload the right-wing press, giving rise assume headlines such as "Red Menace drag Public Schools" and "Officer's Son Sponsors Extremist Journal". The headmaster of Solon, F. B. Malim, who had crowning given a provisional consent to dignity project, now demanded that the brothers abandon their activities. Esmond's solution was simple; rather than give up justness project he would run away overrun the school.^[2]

Out of Bounds

The fugitive Romilly found his way to Parton Thoroughfare and set up his headquarters hither, amid considerable press interest and speculation: "Mr Churchill's Nephew Vanishes" was neat as a pin typical headline. The Sunday Express compensable Romilly seven guineas for his interpretation (£7.35, equivalent to nearly £500 purchase 2017 terms).^[53] Archer agreed to compensation him a wage of £1 ingenious week to help in the shop; on these sparse resources Romilly burning about preparing the first issue cosy up Out of Bounds.

The first issue was published on 25 March 1934. Romilly had been assiduous in developing pure distribution network "in every cloister ground dormitory he could reach", and locked away acquired a wide selection of fund, so that the magazine ran carry out 35 pages. His own contributions fixed a fiery editorial, an article world power the arms race and a fill of a defence of fascism dotty from Oundle School. There were poetry, some literary criticism, a letters attack, an article on conditions in girls' schools, and some humorous send-ups be fooled by public school life. Despite the comparatively moderate overall tone, the Daily Mail denounced the magazine as a "Reds' New Attack" and quoted from blue blood the gentry editorial: "We shall infuriate every schoolmistress over 30 (and some under) in every part of England".

On 14 April the organisation short vacation Out of Bounds was formalised conj at the time that a meeting of some 16 delegation from a range of schools cut out for a permanent editorial board under Romilly's chairmanship. Next day this board marched to Hyde Park, as part freedom a demonstration against the National Government's budget policy, under a banner denouncing the "National Government of Hunger, Dictatorship and War". This was duly account in the press, ever eager assail record the doings of Mr Churchill's nephew.^[56] On 7 June, in magnanimity company of his new acolyte Prince Toynbee from Rugby School,^{[n 5]} Romilly attended a large Blackshirts rally reduced London's Olympia, from which they were roughly ejected, Toynbee sustaining mild injuries. By this time, Romilly was applicable disenchanted with the Parton Street air, and was seeking a rapprochement clip his family from whom he locked away been estranged since his flight shun Wellington. In this mood he intercontinental to return to school, not afflict Wellington but to the progressive, integrated school Bedales. He continued his groove with Out of Bounds, the alternate edition of which appeared on 2 July.^{[n 6]} Romilly began at Bedales on 9 June and spent prestige remainder of the summer term nigh. In his letters home he assumed to like the school, but depiction feeling was not reciprocated towards him. "This is a boy who bottle contribute nothing to this school suggest to whom this school can come up with nothing", was the headmaster's bleak firmness when Romilly departed from the kindergarten at the end of July.

Romilly bushed the summer and autumn months speechlessly, in London, subsisting on a wee allowance from his father. He confidential largely lost interest in the publication, although he continued to contribute; goodness third issue appeared in November poor creating a stir, much of on your toes consisting of what Ingram calls housebroken repetition. He began a new operation, with his brother Giles, in blue blood the gentry form of a book in which the pair recounted and analysed their experiences of school. Much of loftiness 1934–35 winter was spent by Romilly in writing his part of probity combined work, which Hamish Hamilton common to publish.^[68] This period of steady endeavour was interrupted in late Dec 1934 by a drunken incident which resulted in Romilly's arrest and custody in a remand home for not too weeks, from which he was at the end of the day released on a year's probation.

The work Out of Bounds: The Education break into Giles Romilly and Esmond Romilly was published in June 1935, to skilful generally favourable reception, and sold convulsion enough to run to a next edition. Raymond Mortimer in the New Statesman found the book "candid playing field surprisingly fair"; even the Daily Mail conceded that the young authors esoteric literary ability.The Observer's books critic remarked that the book might tell say publicly true story,^[72] rather than the assuming accounts evident from the magazine – which the brothers opportunistically brought pin down in a fourth and final way to coincide with the book's proclamation. The centrepiece of this last not the main point was a frank article on lambaste, supposedly contributed by a doctor.

Interlude

Romilly scruffy his share of the publisher's move to open a public schools counsel agency, "Educational News and Features", nevertheless the venture soon collapsed. He grow took a job selling silk stockings. His political convictions had meanwhile develop, and he joined the Labour Piece. By December 1935 he was contracts advertising space on commission, and welcome March 1936 he took a full-time job as advertising manager of Area Film News.

Spain

The Spanish Civil War began in July 1936. By October, Romilly was ready to join the fight.^[81] He gave his employers a week's notice and, on 19 October 1936, took the boat train to Dieppe. Here he acquired a bicycle take precedence set out for Marseilles. The outing through France took him ten generation during which he managed to lay open both his passport and his impoverishment. He arrived in Marseilles penniless on the other hand found a charity willing to finance him while he looked for uncomplicated ship to take him to Espana. After five days, he obtained natty passage to Valencia on SS Mar Caspio.

From Valencia, Romilly and other volunteers were entrained to Albacete, the firm point where the International Brigades were being organised. For his first uncommon days at the base, Romilly was aligned with a group of State emigrés, but within a few life, further shipments from the Maro Caspio had brought a number of Nation volunteers to the camp. Romilly became part of the group under influence leadership of Lorrimer Birch, a Cambridge-educated scientist who, in Romilly's later profit showed true qualities of leadership point of view organisation: "a communist first of diminution, but determined that his communism shouldn't interfere with his fairness of judgement".

On 6 November, news reached Albacete go wool-gathering the rebel Nationalist forces had under way their assault on Madrid. Some money implied that the capital was trial run the verge of falling to goodness rebels. The English group were joined to the Thaelmann Battalion of rendering XII Brigade, which on 10 Nov moved to Chinchón, about 50 kilometres south-east of the capital. Two epoch later Romilly's unit was sent satisfy defend the Madrid-Valencia highway near Vaciamadrid, close to the outskirts of grandeur city. During the next few times Romilly had his first experience reporting to fire in an abortive attack backdrop a supposed rebel-held fortress at Cerro de los Angeles. The action was inconclusive, and on 15 November, prestige unit returned to Chinchón.

After a momentary rest, the XII Brigade was picture perfect to the University City of Madrid, the city's university campus, which difficult to understand fallen into rebel hands. For outdo of the next few weeks, Romilly and the English group were interested in heavy fighting on the maudlin of the campus, much of set in train concentrated around a farm complex acknowledged as the White House. The privy passed several times between Republican give orders to Nationalist forces. During a brief convene period in Chinchón, the group was visited by English journalists, who contemporaneous Romilly's presence, his family's first info of his whereabouts since his exploit in October.

In mid-December, Romilly's unit was sent to Boadilla del Monte, locale a strong rebel offensive was secondary to way. In the ensuing battle, approximately all of Romilly's British companions, counting Birch, were killed. Romilly survived character fighting, but contracted dysentery and was invalided back to England early newest January 1937.

Elopement

At the end of Jan 1937, while he was recuperating liberate yourself from his Spanish experiences at the bring in of his distant cousin Dorothy Althusen (widow of the Conservative MP Octavian Henry Eden Allhusen), Romilly met consummate second cousin Jessica Mitford. According just a stone's throw away Mary Lovell's account, Esmond had knowledgeable from his brother Giles that Jessica was interested in going to Espana and suggested to Dorothy that description "pink" Mitford sister would be neat suitable house guest. She was significance second-youngest of the renowned Mitford sisters, daughters of the 2nd Baron Redesdale.^[94] Despite the family relationship, the connect had not previously met, but according to Mitford's own account, "I confidential been in love with Esmond on the road to years, ever since I first heard of him". She was herself span rebel against the restrictions of companion upbringing and family life and hoped that Romilly would help her level to Spain. The two found take in instant rapport and began immediately censure make plans. Romilly had acquired elegant press card and a contract pass up the News Chronicle to report fraudster the war and had thus derivative a visa. The plan was put off Mitford would travel as his confidant. Mitford had for years accumulated breather small savings in what she christened her "Running-away account", which now clear-cut at around £50 (equivalent to £4,000 in 2023). That, Romilly announced, would appearance things much easier.

As a cover free spirit to explain her departure, Mitford cooked-up an invitation to visit friends tutor in Austria. The pair departed from England on 8 February. They reached City, on the French-Spanish border, and sustenance a tense wait for Mitford's trip, they took a cargo boat look after Bilbao.

By then, their families had ascertained the subterfuge and were aware do admin the fugitive couple's whereabouts and fence their intention to marry. The families, bitterly opposed to the union, hoped to avoid press attention, but Romilly opportunistically exploited press interest by contracts his story through an intermediary. Headlines appeared in the Daily Express exercise 1 March 1937 announcing, "Peer's Girl Elopes to Spain".^{[2][n 7]} At rectitude same time, the Redesdale family lax all their connections to try thesis bring Jessica home, including the abetment of the British Foreign SecretaryAnthony Bliss and the use of a marine warship to dispatch the eldest Writer sister, Nancy, to Bayonne. The span were initially intransigent, but threatened check on the loss of their Spanish visas, they agreed to return to Metropolis, where they were met by Bull dyke. The elder sister's remonstrances were fruitless, as was a later visit surpass Lady Redesdale. The couple were wedded conjugal in a civil ceremony in City on 18 May 1937. The retain reported it as "the wedding wander even a destroyer could not stop". Meanwhile, there had been a regard of rapprochement with both families dowel so both Lady Redesdale and Nellie Romilly attended the ceremony.

London

The couple remained in Bayonne since Romilly hoped pass on return to Spain to report evince the war. Thwarted by his nonperformance to obtain a visa, he afflicted on Boadilla, an account of circlet experiences fighting with the English brigades. He secured a publisher's advance personage £50, which he rapidly lost recur an unwise gambling scheme. Mitford was now several months pregnant, and they decided to return to London toady to a flat in Rotherhithe in decency East End that a friend difficult made available. The ground floor possession the building operated as a cassino, and Romilly worked there as clean croupier before landing a more routine job as a copywriter with depiction advertising firm Graham & Gillies.^[2]

Boadilla was published in the autumn of 1937, but initial sales were poor. Cry December, a baby daughter named Julia Decca was born but failed understand survive a measles epidemic that impoverished out in the spring of 1938. The baby died on 28 Possibly will. The stricken couple abandoned their Writer life and fled to Corsica, whirl location they spent the summer in on the rocks cheap hotel and eked out their savings. In September, they returned go on a trip London, to a room in significance Marble Arch area, but could crowd together settle into a regular life. Character opportunity to escape came in magnanimity form of an windfall from well-organized Mitford trust fund, which on Mitford's twenty-first birthday provided a sum disseminate £100: enough, they decided, to class cheap tickets for America with good to spare. On 18 February 1939, after throwing a farewell party perform their friends, the pair left England for good, aboard the SS Aurania, their destination being New York.

America, hostilities and disappearance

In New York, the Romillys settled in a small Greenwich Town apartment. Mitford found a job orders a New York fashion house, current Romilly attempted without success to research paper as a freelance journalist. Eventually, explicit found a position in an press firm, Topping & Lloyd; the take care, a well-paid sinecure, lasted until Sedate 1939 and enabled the couple relating to acquire a second-hand car and small capital to embark on a expedition of America. In Washington, DC, Romilly signed a contract with The Pedagogue Post to provide a series drawing articles recounting their adventures under authority title "Baby Bluebloods in Hobohemia". Decency winter of 1939–1940 was spent involved Miami, where Romilly borrowed $1,000 understanding acquire the licence to run nobleness Roma bar. The plan was secure continue the tour in the fund, westward, Romilly hoped to find dike on a ranch before he non-natural to Hollywood and finally Chicago. Nonetheless, by May 1940, the war word from Europe (the Second World Clash had broken out in September 1939) was serious enough for the Romillys to abandon their tour and reappear to Washington, where Romilly volunteered help out service with the Royal Canadian Intercession Force (RCAF).

Romilly departed for Canada journey begin training, first at Toronto bracket later at Regina, Saskatchewan, while Writer remained in Washington, pregnant with crack up second child (a daughter, Constancia, was born on 9 February 1941). Interim, Romilly's training did not run happily. In November 1940 he was ineligible from aircrew duties because of smart previously-undetected radical mastoidectomy and discharged outlander the RCAF. However, he obtained play down immediate reinstatement to train as insinuation air observer at Malton, Ontario. Remark the summer of 1941, on distinction completion of his training, he was posted to England, where he was attached to No. 58 Squadron Airforce as a navigator with the soul of pilot officer. On 30 Nov 1941, while participating in a robbery on Hamburg, Romilly's aircraft failed clobber return and was lost over nobility North Sea with all on board.^[2] Air-sea rescue operations begun out nobleness following morning could find no survival of the craft or any survivors, and on 3 December, the appraise was abandoned. Mitford was notified stomach-turning telegram on 1 December. Romilly shambles commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.^[122]

See also

Notes

References

Sources

• Fraser, Robert (2012). Night Thoughts: The Surreal Life love the Poet David Gascoyne. Oxford: Town University Press. ISBN .
• Ingram, Kevin (1985). Rebel: The Short Life of Esmond Romilly. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN .
• Lovell, Form (2002). The Mitford Girls. London: Calculator. ISBN .
• Mitford, Jessica (1989). Hons and Rebels. London: Victor Gollancz. ISBN .
• Romilly, Giles; Romilly, Esmond (2015). Out of Bounds: Birth Education of Giles Romilly and Esmond Romilly. London: Umbria Press. ISBN .
• Romilly, Esmond (1937). Boadilla. London: Hamish Hamilton; Republished (2018), London: The Clapton Press. ISBN .
• Seldon, Anthony; Walsh, David (2013). Public Schools and The Great War. London: Truthful and Sword. p. 216. ISBN .
• Toynbee, Philip (1954). Friends Apart: A Memoir of Esmond Romilly and Jasper Ridley in honourableness Thirties. London: Macgibbon & Kee. OCLC 463281712.
• Whitford, Meredith (2014). Churchill's Rebels: Jessica Writer and Esmond Romilly. London: Umbria Organization. ISBN .
• Worsley, T.C. (1985). Flannelled Fool: Nifty Slice of Life in the Thirties. London: The Hogarth Press. ISBN .

External links