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Cudbert was born in 1883[1]. He was the son of Henry Thornhill and Margaret Wheeler. He passed away in 1952[2][3][4] and was buried at Brompton Cemetery, Brompton, Kent[5].
In 1923 at All Souls, Marylebone, Cudbert married Dorothy Mabel, daughter of Walter Judd[6]. They were divorced before 1939 when Cudbert married Dame Rachel Eleanor, daughter of James Crowdy and Mary Isabel Anne Fuidge[7][8].
Sources
- ↑ Birth notice, The Times of India October 13 1883: "October 4th Buxar Bhutan the wife of HB Thornhill Bengal Staff Corps of a son."
- ↑ England and Wales Death Q3 1952 Surrey South Western Vol5g p582 68y
- ↑ Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England: "THORNHILL Cudbert John Massy CMG DSO of Sheppards Outwood Redhill Surrey died 12 August 1952 at The Redhill County Hospital (Smallfield Section) Burstow Surrey Probate London 11 November to William Gosselin Trower and Anthony Gosselin Trower solicitors. Effects £9952 5s 7d.
- ↑ Obituary, The Times (London) August 13 1952 p6:
"COLONEL CJM THORNHILL
Colonel Cudbert John Massie[sic] Thornhill, CMG, DSO, who performed distinguished work in intelligence in both wars, died yesterday at the age of 68.
He was the elder son of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Thornhill, KCIE, CMG, and was born in 1883 in Tibet when his father was in charge of a station on the Indian frontier. Educated at Bradfield and Sandhurst he followed his fater into the Indian Army. Soon after the outbreak of war in 1914 he was sent to France as GSO1 (Intelligence), and in the course of the next year was put in charge of British intelligence in Russia. During the difficult period of 1917-18 he was military attaché at Petrograd and it was mainly due to him that the staff of the British Embassy succeeded in escaping when the other embassies and legations were interned by the revolutionary government.
When the decision was taken by the British Government to land a military force in northern Russia he was appointed the chief intelligence officer of the force and was in charge of the troops which landed at Onega to create a diversion when the main British forces were landing at Archangel. His services were recognised by the award of the DSO in 1918 and a bar to the decoration in 1919, and in the latter year he was appointed CMG. During the 1939-45 was he was employed by the Political Intelligence Department of the Foreign Office in India and Egypt.
He married, in 1939, Dame Rachel Crowdy, DBE, chief commandant of the VAD in France during the 1914-18 war." - ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #133858975
- ↑ England and Wales Marriage Q4 1923 Marylebone Vol1a p1246 Judd
- ↑ Engagement notice, The Times (London) December 5 1939 p11:
"LIEUTENANT-COLONEL CJ THORNHILL and DAME RACHEL CROWDY
The engagement is announced of Lieutenant-Colonel Cudbert J Thornhill, CMG DSO eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Thornhill, KCIE, CMG, and DAME Rachel Crowdy, DBE, RRC, youngest daughter of the late Mr and Mrs James Crowdy." - ↑ England and Wales Marriage Q4 1939 Westminster Vol1a p1694 Crowdy