The last Englishman

For most barristers, winning a case in the highest court of the land would count as something of a career highlight. For anyone else, it would be something quite extraordinary. For Col Alfred Wintle MC, however, becoming the first ever litigant in person to win a case before the House of Lords was arguably not even his most interesting legal experience, never mind life experience. Wintle was an adventurer whose life story might have stretched the imagination of WE Johns or George MacDonald Fraser, and his various brushes with authority were often as comical as they were bizarre.

Wintle’s autobiography was appropriately entitled The Last Englishman, although as the son of a diplomat he was born in Russia and grew up primarily on the Continent. He spoke French and German fluently, even though he despised the locals. A further clue to his character is that he only unfurled his umbrella once in his lifetime—to insert a note saying “This umbrella was stolen from Col AD