Francis and Riversdale Grenfell

"Francis and Riversdale Grenfell" by John Buchan is a biographical memoir written in the early 20th century. It portrays the intertwined lives of the celebrated Grenfell twins—soldiers, sportsmen, and Etonians—from a renowned fighting family, using their letters and reminiscences to chart their character, camaraderie, and service leading up to the Great War. The opening of the memoir sets the tone with a preface by their uncle, Lord Grenfell, explaining how the twins’ letters inspired the book and recalling their family’s service, the twins’ close bond, Francis’s Victoria Cross, and the many tributes that followed their deaths. The narrative then turns to childhood and school: a united pair with grave good humor, adored at home, devoted to animals, and quickly prominent at Eton as leaders, fundraisers for the Beagles’ kennels, and irresistible charmers of masters and dignitaries. Early adulthood diverges—Francis, delayed by illness, edges into soldiering (Egypt, Malta, then South Africa), while Rivy takes up City work, revels in high society, and starts a self-imposed education in history and politics. We see Francis bored by blockhouse war, briefly blooded in action, and increasingly certain he belongs in the cavalry; Rivy shines in letters full of hunts, salons, and reading lists, with a comic miscommunication when the King mistakes him for a Frenchman. Francis moves to India, excels at polo, and longs to transfer to the 9th Lancers, while the brothers exchange frank, affectionate counsel about money, work, and ambition. This opening section closes with plans for a grand Indian tour giving way to Rivy’s fact-finding trip through southern Africa, culminating in Rhodesia as he begins a somber letter that signals a turning point.

Summary written by Project Gutenberg, by machine.