Douglas Sutherland (1919-95), author and journalist, was born in Appleby, Westmoreland and had always been fascinated by the local tales of the 5th Earl of Lonsdale, as related by the tenants and miners of Whitehaven, and by the Lonsdale family who co-operated with him in this biography.
An accomplished journalist, generous habitué of Fleet Street’s El Vino and of Soho’s Colony Room, Sutherland lived life to the full and often on the edge. He had three wives and five children.
He worked for the London Evening Standard, and wrote several books including The English Gentleman. Sutherland shared many of the characteristics of the Earl of Lonsdale: he was physically brave, spent money like water, was a great raconteur and had a taste for fun and adventure. Sutherland had a distinguished war record, earning him the Military Cross.
