Birthdays

Today: Gen Sir Frank Kitson, C-in-c, United Kingdom Land Forces, 1982-85, is 92; Miss Ida Haendel, violinist, 90; Miss Edna O’brien, writer, 88; Prof Sir John

Meurig Thomas, Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, 1993-2002, 86; Baron David de Rothschild, banker; a former Chairman, N.M. Rothschild & Sons, 76; Prof Sir Ivor Crewe,

Master of University College, Oxford, 73; Rear-adml Michael Gregory, Lord-lieutenant for Dunbartonshire, 73; Miss Henrietta Knight, former racehorse trainer, 72; Mr Brian

Roper, Chief Executive, 2002-09, and Vice-chancellor, 2004-09, of the London Metropolitan University, 69; Mr Mark Blundell, Lord-lieutenant for Merseyside, 68; Sir Oliver Heald,

QC, MP, Solicitor General, 2012-14, 64; Mr Timothy Keyes, Headmaster, The King’s School, Worcester, 1998-2014, 64; Sir Hector Sants, Chief Executive Officer, FSA, 2007-12, 63; Mrs

Justice O’farrell 58; Lord Freyberg 48; and Mr Frankie Dettori, flat race jockey, 48. Tomorrow: Prof Sir Quentin Blake, artist and illustrator; Children’s Laureate, 1999-2001, will be 86; Miss Liv Ullmann, actress, 80; Gen Sir Roger

Wheeler, Constable, HM Tower of London, 2001-09; Chief of the General Staff, 1997-2000, 77; Ewen Brodie of Lethen, Lord-lieutenant for Nairnshire, 1999-2017, 76; Mrs Carol

Kinghorn, Lord-lieutenant for Kincardineshire, 73; Prof Sir

Martyn Poliakoff, Foreign Secretary and Vice President, The Royal Society, 2011-16, 71;

Lady Justice Hallett 69; Mr Joel Garner, former West Indies cricketer, 66; Baroness Ford, Chairman, Olympic Park Legacy Company, 2009-12; Chairman, English Partnerships, 2002-07, 61; Mr Paul Mcginley, golfer; Ryder Cup Captain 2014, 52; Mr

Graham Lee, National Hunt and flat race jockey, 43; and Mr Paul

Bennett, rower; Olympic gold medallist, men’s coxed eight, Rio 2016, 30. Today is the anniversary of the disappearance over the English Channel of the American band leader Major Glenn Miller in 1944. Tomorrow will be the anniversary of Oliver Cromwell becoming Lord Protector in 1653. It will also be the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, and of the birth of Jane Austen in 1775.