Peter Cadbury
Peter Cadbury | |
---|---|
Born | Peter Egbert Cadbury 6 February 1918 Cambridge |
Spouse(s) | Benedicta Bruce, 1947-1968 Mrs Jennifer Morgan-Jones 1970-1976 Mrs. Jane Mead 1976- |
Children | 5, including Joel Cadbury |
Parent(s) | Sir Egbert Cadbury Mary Forbes |
Peter Egbert Cadbury (6 February 1918 – 17 April 2006) was a British entrepreneur.
Early life and education
Cadbury was born at
Career
Cadbury never worked in the family business. He followed his father into flying, with an early career as a test pilot for jet fighters during World War II.
In 1993, he recanted his first flight ever in a jet, the pioneering Gloster Meteor, in late 1943. There were no two-seat versions of the Meteor, which was still under development, so his first solo in a Meteor would also be his first flight in one:[1]
"When [check pilot] Michael Daunt was satisfied that I knew enough about the Meteor to be trusted to fly it, I was put in the cockpit . . .'Line up, set the rpm at 14,000, watch the jet pipe temperature and good luck,' he said, slapped the side of the aeroplane and walked away. I did as I was told and released the brakes . . . It was a thrill I shall never forget, as the aircraft accelerated down the runway . . . My immediate reaction was the lack of noise or vibration . . . The Meteor project was Top Secret and we were told not to fly out of the Moreton Valence area and avoid having to force-land anywhere else."
He stood as a Liberal candidate in Stroud at the 1945 General Election and finished third.[2] He qualified as a barrister, playing a minor role in the Nuremberg War Crimes trials, before deciding his future did not lie in law. Borrowing £75,000 from his father, Cadbury purchased the Keith Prowse theatre booking agency.
After this, he was involved as a company director in the establishment of
Personal life
Cadbury was known for his frequent rows with neighbours, the press, fellow club members and liverymen (he was a Currier), as well as even with his own board of directors. He was more than once involved in fistfights on roads over his driving. He owned an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, a Ferrari, a Bentley, numerous yachts, racehorses, properties in the West Indies, and a succession of grand country mansions, one of which had an airstrip and a hangar for five aircraft. As a result of his ongoing conflict with the IBA — the then-regulator of ITV — Westward lost the round of franchise renewals in 1980, and were replaced by TSW.
Cadbury's once owned Tittenhurst Park at Sunninghill in Berkshire, which he later sold to Ron Blindell[3] which was subsequently purchased by John Lennon following Blindell's death. He was an animal lover who kept a parrot, a Great Dane, and a Rwandan gorilla.
He was married three times. The first time was to Benedicta Bruce in 1947 (with Spitfire pilot Douglas Bader as best man), with whom he had a son and a daughter; the marriage ended in divorce in 1968. He married again in 1970 to Mrs Jennifer Morgan-Jones, who was 27 years younger and with whom he had another son (Joel Cadbury, one-time owner of the Groucho Club), before they divorced in 1976.[4] In that same year, he married a third time, to Mrs Jane Mead and had two more sons.
Along with nine other individuals Cadbury contributed £1,000 in 1963 to the film production of Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker".
Cadbury died on 17 April 2006, at the age of 88.[5]
References
- ^ Peter Cadbury, "Test Pilot," in High Flyers: 30 Reminiscences to Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force, Michael Fopp (ed.), Greenhill Books in Association with the Royal Air Force Museum. London, 1993. p. 66
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
- ^ "Tittenhurst Park sold for £145,000". The Birmingham Post. 16 June 1964. p. 11.
- ^ Cowe, Roger (6 May 2003). "Obituary: Jennifer d'Abo". The Guardian.
- ^ Martin Adeney. "Obituary: Peter Cadbury | Media". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
External links
- Burkespeerage.com
- Obituary in The Independent
- Obituary in The Daily Telegraph, retrieved 18 April 2006