Obituary

427 OBITUARY THE RT. HON. THE LORD BRABOURNE, CBE. 1924-2005 John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Lord Brabourne and 16th Baronet, was the second son of the 5th Lord Brabourne, sometime Viceroy in India, who died in 1939. John Ulick succeeded to the title in sad circumstances in 1943, when the 6th Lord, his elder brother, was shot after escaping from a prison train in Italy in Italy and being recaptured. Using the name John Bradbourne, he pursued a most successful career as Film and Television Producer. Among his films in the 1960s-1980s were – Romeo and Juliet, The Tales of Beatrice Potter, Sink the Bismarck, Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express, and A Passage to India; and for TV he produced a definitive account of The Life and Times of Lord Mountbatten – his father-in-law. The Knatchbull family has a long tradition, dating from the seventeenth century, of public service at local, county, national and international level, and, despite the demands of his work, the 7th Lord carried on that tradition. Amongst the honorary positions he held from time to time were Pro Chancellor of Kent University, Governor of Wye College, Vice-President of Royal Society for Nature Conservation, Trustee of the Science Museums, in addition to advisory connections with the British Museum and the BAFTA. Historians and archaeologists in Kent will remember him particularly for his service as Vice President of the KAS from 1948 to 1993, and as Patron from 1984. From 1993 onwards he was also Patron of the Dover Bronze Age Boat Trust (DBABT). In these capacities, he was always ready to give of his time, expertise and influence in a straightforward commonsense way. The Trustees of the DBABT much appreciated his assistance and support in their difficult task of conserving and displaying the Boat in a multi award winning Gallery in Dover Museum. His interest in and enthusiasm for the Project never waned, and he added lustre to the enterprise, opening doors which otherwise might have remained closed. He was always approachable, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to have had his encouragement, advice and support over the last decade. F.H. PANTON