A Greek holiday looms and that should allow me the mental space to write a bit more about the death of my Great Uncle David Cochrane but also a much longer piece about Operation Mincemeat, the underpants, my family’s involvement and how that also links to agent Cicero. Trust me, it is gripping stuff. Ahead of that, enjoy a newly framed piece of family history from 1862.
I have only a battered copy of the Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of England and Ireland from A to R. So it is possible that there may be a section on the Styles family, another part of the Donegal protestant squirearchy who interbred with the Cochranes. But, as you can see, we do have the Cochranes and also the Ilberts.
Mora Ilbert, the daughter of Sir Courtenay of Ilbert bill fame, married Sir Arthur Cochrane and were my great grandparents though I never met either. Mora will feature en passant in the Mincemeat article but more prominently in the David Cochrane tale for he was her son and there we will also bring in the Young family, including, Sir George, the unwitting villain of the peace in David Cochrane’s death and also more critical players in Mincemeat and the link to Cicero.
The Ilbert tree goes back a long way and is the proof that the portrait of the Earl of Abingdon is genuine, but also worthless, and he would have been my many times great grandfather. It is good to see the link to ir Francis Drake.
