Page 23 - xxxHISTORY BUCKLAND NEWTON PLACE_email

Sir William Aykroyd - (cont)
On 22nd October 1944, at the village of Nulands in Holland, the advance of the 4th Welsh Regiment was held up by a tenacious enemy.The “Skins” were in support. Sir William was ordered to manoeuvre his tank south of the village, in order to bring heavy fire to bear, so as to dislodge the enemy and establish a bridge- head. His tank received a direct hit but although wounded in the head he contin- ued amidst heavy and constant enemy fire to complete this task. He was evacuated for treatment but soon rejoined his soldiers for the advance into Germany.
It was during this engagement that he so distinguished himself that he was awarded an immediate Military Cross for gallantry. Such was the modest nature of the man it was not for him to recount this incident. Instead he preferred to recall times of ice skating on the frozen canals in the very cold winter of 1944 and the pleasure of finding country houses with cellars of fine wine in which to lodge.An epitome
of elegance and style, and totally unflap- pable, his men held him in great respect.
On one occasion he was found warm- ing a bottle of fine claret in the exhaust of his tank, no doubt with his then customary cigarette set in a holder at an elegant angle.
At war’s end he returned to civilian life and was well suited to the mood of postwar England. His charm, elegance, very good manners and sense of fun made him hugely popular in London society and a favoured party guest. His own parties at his house in Eaton Square were colourful and stylish, perhaps rather extravagant, outrageous but fun.When asked why he had bought a Rolls Royce. His reply was simple - “I would feel so foolish without one”. In 1950 he set up in business with his friend, Hardy Amies, and remained a director of the successful fashion house for next 20 years.
In the early 1970’s he moved to Buckland Newton Place and set about bringing the house to life. He was a keen supporter of the village and was not one for pomposity. Indeed, he relished exposing self-important people. He had a reputation for enjoying a mischievous joke and became “hard of hearing” when people complained about his dogs. For most of his life he had a French bulldog as his compan- ion, but Pagan, Humphrey, Claude and the others were used to living in a grand style and their behaviour was by no means to everyone’s taste.
Sir William led a full and elegant life redolent of an earlier age and he was in every sense “a gallant and chivalrous knight” and a “gentle-man”.
Sir Keith John Lindblom – Queen’s Counsel & Lord Justice of Appeal
Sir William Ackroyd was followed at Buckland Newton Place by Sir Keith John Lindblom.
Born on 20 September 1956, Keith Lindblom was educated at St John’s College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1980 and in 1991 married Fiona Jackson in Central London,Westminster.
Keith Lindblom became a Queen’s Counsel in 1996, a Recorder in 2001 and a deputy High Court Judge in 2009. In 2010 he was approved as a Justice of the High Court and on 2 November 2015 was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal.
Sir Keith John Lindblom and Lady Fiona Lindblom lived at Buckland Newton Place until 2016 when in July, Professor and Mrs Julian Raby became the new owners of “The Place” as it has been referred to for well over a hundred years by the local village community, who have welcomed their new neighbours with typical Dorset hospitality - and great relief, as Mrs Lorna Raby is a very keen gardener with an extensive knowledge of trees and shrubs which bodes well for the continuing and proper maintenance of the large 9 acre estate with assistance from three very loyal inherited artisans, Nigel, John and Andrew.
Hardy Amies outside 14 Savile Row
A fitting at Hardy Amies fashion house Town Toffs,The New Mayfair Edwardians - Peter Coats,William Aykroyd and Mark Gilbey Photo: Norman Parkinson 1950