Richard Alexander Usborne Born May 16th 1910 in Simla, India.                             Married April 16th 1938 in Oxford to Monica MacArthur Russell. Monica died 1986;   Dick died 21st March 2006                                                           Dick was Charterhouse scholar and went up to Balliol College, Oxford. He was a Squash Rackets Blue (played for university in 1931) Deputy Editor Strand Magazine (1937?). Invested in the magazine "London Week" but sold up after being sued. Member of the Garrick Club. Spent the war (1940/44) with Special Operations Executive in Egypt and Lebanon (propaganda).  Then to Evesham (1944/45) with Political War Executive. Rose to rank of Major. Monica and children stayed in America.

In 1945 the family settled in Weybridge, Surrey. Monica became teacher. Dick worked as a journalist/broadcaster/copywriter first with the London Press Exchange and later as a director of Graham & Gillies. (Chocolate advert: "Rich and dark like the Aga Khan"). Dick retired in 1975. With Monica they became curators of Fenton House for the National Trust. When she died he joined the Charterhouse, London as a brother. Dick's first book Clubland Heroes won critical acclaim. Book Club choice? Gained reputation as top Wodehouse scholar publishing an authorised biography in 1961. He edited "Sunset at Blandings", Wodehouse' unfinished novel of 1975. Now read about Dick Usborne in The Usborne Affair (1910) by William LeQueux, a pioneering who-done-it which indirectly led to the formation of the British Secret Service. Letter from Ian Fleming to Dick sold at auction for $13,000 (October 2005) Some short poems by Dick.        or a long one Obituaries: Telegraph  Independent Wikipedia

Dick with brothers Henry&Tommy Books: Clubland Heroes 1953. Wodehouse at work 1961 Wodehouse at work to the end 1976. Plum Sauce (?) Vintage Wodehouse (?) A Wodehouse companion 1981 A century of Summerfields 1983