Town mourning Countess Mountbatten

Lady Patricia Brabourne at the fundraising event to build ‘Jubilee’, a new science block for Ashford School in 1960.

Ashford is mourning the loss of one of its most loved and respected figures after the daughter of Lord Mountbatten – Patricia Mountbatten CBE – died at her home in Mersham last week, aged 93.

Countess Mountbatten had numerous roles in the area over the decades, including being patron of numerous charities such as Demelza House Children’s Hospice and becoming Deputy Lieutenant of Kent in 1974.

The first cousin to the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, and third cousin to the Queen, she arrived in Ashford 70 years The note sent by Patricia Brabourne to me in 2010 on a compliment slip. ago upon the marriage to her husband Lord John Brabourne in 1946, who was an aide to her father in the Far East and latterly a respected film producer.

Her bridesmaids included the then Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.

She continued to live at their home ‘Newhouse’ Mersham after Lord Brabourne died in 2005.

She is survived by four sons and two daughters.

Patricia Edwina Victoria Knatchbull (latterly Lady Brabourne) born February 14, 1924, took over from her father in the most tragic of circumstances.

Patricia, her husband and one of her twin sons, Timothy, survived – albeit with serious injuries – after an IRA bomb exploded in their boat Shadow V off the coast of Sligo in August 1979, killing her father Lord Louis Mountbatten, her mother-in law the Dowager Lady Brabourne, and Timothy’s twin Nicholas.

A local 15-year-old boy also died in the attack.

Countess Mountbatten was godmother to the Queen’s first son, Prince Charles.

She was governor, benefactor and honoured visitor to Ashford School in East Hill where her daughters attended.

She was instrumental in raising money for a new science wing for the school, named ‘Jubilee’.

Both Countess Mountbatten and her husband were devoted supporters of Caldecott Community in Smeeth for more than 40 years and their daughter was chairman until recently. As Lady Brabourne, she opened the Towers School at Kennington in 1967.

Very approachable, there has often been reason to speak to the her regarding her time in the town and the causes that she supported. A delightful lady to speak to, she even dropped me a line a few years ago to say how much she enjoyed my weekly Remember When page and reminisced about the Rabson family and their twin sons. The Rabsons’ had both a watchmaker’s and toyshop in the town.

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Write to me: Steve Salter, Kentish Express Remember When, Unit 4, Park Mall Shopping Centre, Ashford, Kent. TN24 8RY. E-mail me: rememberwhen_kmash@ hotmail.co.uk Follow me on Twitter @SteveKMAshford. Or you can also leave a telephone message for me with brief details by calling 01233 623232.

Look back at a remarkable life - pages 30 & 31 Patricia Brabourne reminisces about the Rabson shops that once existed in the High Street and that the Rabson twins were of special interest to her as her sixth and seventh children were identical twin sons. Nicholas, one of the twins, died in the IRA bomb attack at Sligo in August 1979, which also killed her father and her mother-in- law.