Swanky Syd Lawford

[Chris_Baker]

"Swanky" Syd Lawford commanded 22nd Brigade in 1914-15 and then took up command of 41st Division, which he led throughout the war.

Post-war, he had an affair with a married woman, May Aylen, who had his child. This was a boy, Peter Lawford, who became the film actor of rather dashing good looks. She eventually married "Swanky Syd" once the husband was out of the way.

May's husband had committed suicide. I have read various internet accounts of this. Some say it was her first husband and that it took place well before the pregnancy, others suggest it was her cuckolded husband. It's all rather sad and squalid but can anyone please elucidate?

By the way, Syd Lawford took part in several movies and lived on Sunset Boulevard. Not your average British General.

[AlanCurragh]

Chris - you've possibly already seen this but here is General Lawford's biography from IMDB - the author doesn't seem to know whether to spell his first name Sidney or Sydney, so may not be totally reliable, but still it does add a lot of juicy detail - possibly the only Great War general to have acted with Angela Lansbury!

Cheers

Alan

--

Sir Sidney Turing Lawford, K.C.B. was an English military officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General, third highest after Field Marshal and General, primarily remembered as the father of the Anglo-American actor Peter Lawford, who was the brother-in-law of the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. Sir Sidney, a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.), served the British Empire in many skirmishes and wars in his long career, including World War One.

After the Great War, Sir Sydney fell in love with the former May Somerville Bunny, whom was married to another man at the time. She became pregnant with Sir Sidney's child, and she gave birth to the future Peter Lawford (future, as Lawford fils originally bore the name of his mother's husband; he did not find out his true birth status until he was an adult). Sir Sydney and May eventually married after she secured a divorce, but the resulting scandal caused the couple to flee England for France and then America, where they settled in Palm Beach, Florida (a prime haunt of Peter's future father-in-law, Joseph P. Kennedy, head of F.B.O. studio and later R.K.O.-Radio Pictures).

Sir Sidney's younger brother Ernest Lawford was an actor who appeared in some silent films. Late in his life, Sir Sidney appeared in three motion pictures, two of them at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the studio to which his son Peter was signed too. He made his debut in an uncredited but in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1945), which his his son starred in. He also appeared that year in Mitchell Leisen's "Kitty" in an unbilled role in support of Paulette Goddard. He wrapped up his career by appearing in Robert Z. Leonard's adaption of John Marquand's novel "B.F.'s Daughter" (1948), again uncredited.

Sir Sidney Lawford died in Los Angeles, Califonria on February 15, 1953. His widow, Peter's mother Lady May Lawford (who was billed as Mary Somerville in the two films she appeared in), was briefly married to the Paramount producer `Monta Bell' after General Lawford's death.

[Jim Clay]

Chris

You may have seen this already, but here's what they said in The Times at Lawford's death:

Obituary 17 Feb 1953:

Letter to The Editor 20 Feb 1953:

Jim

PS - the divorce case (May and Ernest Aylen) is also reported in The Times - can post if you want.

[Jim Clay]

More! There's so much information out there on the web (and some of it, no doubt, fact...)

The Following is taken from Peter Lawford: The Man Who Kept the Secrets, by James Spada, August 1992. (Source: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/6552/lawford.htm )

Peter Lawford's name given at birth was Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen. Both of his parents were married to other people.

His father, Sir Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford was born on November 16, 1865 in Tumbridge Wells, Kent, England. His first marriage was on September 30, 1893 at St. Paul's Church in Knightsbridge to Ms. Lillian Maud Cass, who died on November 26, 1900. His second marriage was on May 20, 1914 in London, England to Muriel Williams, daughter of Hartley Williams who was also married to Jessie Lawford, Sydney's sister.

Peter's mother, May Somerville Bunny was born on November 4, 1883 in London, England to Frank William Bunny and his wife Caroline Stanley Todd. Her first marriage was on July 1, 1902 at St. Peter's Church in Ealing to the China born Henry Ashley Cooper, who later committed suicide on January 5, 1905. Her second marriage was on November 1, 1906 at St. Jude's Church in Portsea to Ernest Vaughan Aylen son of Samuel Aylen.

Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen was born on September 7, 1923 in London, England. His mother's divorce from Ernest Aylen was granted on October 9, 1923 and his father's divorce from Muriel (Williams) Lawford was granted on November 2, 1923. Sydney and May were then married on September 11, 1924 in London, England. Peter's last name was then changed from Aylen to Lawford.

Peter Lawford died on December 24, 1984 in Los Angeles, California of Cirrhosis of the Liver.

So ... May's first husband killed himself - but not, it would seem, because of Lawford...

Jim

[PhilB]

So ... May's first husband killed himself - but not, it would seem, because of Lawford...

Jim

Can`t say, Jim. Syd was 40 when H A Cooper committed suicide and may have "known" May at that time. She`d be 22.

Ashley-Cooper is the family name of the Earls of Shaftesbury. The 10th Earl recently died after a life of debauchery!

[JulianB]

The fact that 41 Div was the only Div in the war to have only one CO from beginning to end says something about Lawford's qualities. My grandfather was in 41 Div and reveals a great regard for Lawford in his letters.

[Jim Clay]

Can`t say, Jim. Syd was 40 when H A Cooper committed suicide and may have "known" May at that time. She`d be 22

True, Phil, but I'd guess it's more likely an affair betweem May and Ernest Aylen that sent him 'over the edge'.

Jim

[PhilB]

I hate to badmouth the dead, but she does sound a bit of a "goer"! Perhaps Syd and Ernest Aylen (et al) were concurrent?

[Jim Clay]

Bohemian, Phil, bohemian!

[Michael Johnson]

"Libertine men and scarlet women!" (You've got trouble, right here in River City)

[armourersergeant]

Chris,

Drop me a line if you would like to see a pic of him, copyright stops me from putting it up here.

Arm

[Steven Broomfield]

Errrrrr....picture of him doing what, exactly? And to whom?

[PhilB]

Does that mean that Peter Lawford was illegitimate or not? It was a real stigma in those days, except, of course, in the aristocracy.

[Jim Clay]

No, Phil, not as I understand it. He was born in wedlock, and received his 'father's name, Aylen. When his mother married his 'real' father, he then took his name, Lawford.

Jim

[PhilB]

Born in wedlock = legitimate, even if actual father elsewhere? Yes, I think that`s how it went.

[auchonvillerssomme]

Heres Peter Lawfords FBI file

http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/lawford_p.htm

This is an interesting site.

Mick

[stiletto_33853]

His entry in Who Was Who, Volume V, 1951-1960

[centurion]

QUOTE (Phil_B @ Sep 29 2007, 10:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Born in wedlock = legitimate, even if actual father elsewhere? Yes, I think that`s how it went.

No his actual fther was very much involved in the process (at least at the beginning) it was his legal father who could be elsewhere!