Double-barrelled
Sir: In your issue of 26 March under the heading 'A vintage viscount' you printed a delightful piece by Alan Rusbridger about my noble neighbour here in Kent, Viscount Massereene and Ferrard. May I add a postscript?
One winter weekend in the early Seven- ties, when I was Ambassador in Madrid, my opposite number here in London invited a group of distinguished British sportsmen over to Spain for a day's partridge shooting near Toledo. Lord Massereene and Ferrard was included in this party and they all flew together the day before to Madrid, where they spent the night in various hotels. Early on the Saturday morning they were col- lected by a series of cars and ferried out to the farmhouse, where breakfast was served. Here it soon became evident that we were one gun short — yes, you have guessed it, the drivers had missed the hotel where your 'vintage viscount' was staying.
A car was hastily sent back to Madrid with instructions to collect Lord Massereene and Ferrard. Half an hour later I was called to the telephone (Ambassador Fraga had kindly invited me to join the shoot) to hear a worried chauffeur explain- ing that he had got one English milord, but could not find the other: what was he to. do? 'Just bring one,' I said. 'That will be quite enough.' A little later the noble vis- count was safely in line with the rest of us, blazing away with his customary skill and elegance.
Sir John Russell
The Vine Farm, Northbourne, Deal, Kent
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