John Swinton of Kimmerghame

Swinton was the son of Brigadier Alan Henry Campbell Swinton of Kimmerghame, MC (born 15 March 1896)[1][2][3][4][5][6] and wife, Mariora Beatrice Evelyn Rochfort Alers-Hankey (born 1900). A member of the Swinton family, his paternal grandfather was Scottish politician and officer-of-arms George Swinton.[5] He was educated at Harrow School, London.[7]

Swinton was commissioned into the Scots Guards on 24 March 1944,[8] and was twice wounded towards the end of the Second World War.[9] He was promoted to lieutenant on 8 November 1947.[10] He served in Malaya during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and was mentioned in despatches.[11] Swinton was promoted to captain on 21 April 1952.[12] Between 1953-54, he was aide-de-camp to Field-Marshal Sir William Slim, Governor-General of Australia.[13]

He was successively promoted to major on 21 April 1959,[14] to lieutenant-colonel on 1 April 1966,[15] commanding the Scots Guards (1970-71), to full colonel on 30 June 1970 and to brigadier on 31 December 1971.[16][17] He was promoted to major-general and appointed Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District in 1976.[18] In 1977, he was appointed Brigadier of the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland (The Royal Company of Archers).[19] He retired from the Army in 1979.[20]

In 1980, he became a Deputy Lieutenant for Berwickshire:[21] he went on to be Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire from 1989 to 2000[22] and escorted the Stone of Scone back to Scotland in 1996.[9]

He married the Australian-born Judith Balfour Killen (1929–2012) on 26 August 1954; they had three sons – James Christopher Swinton, Alexander Harold Swinton and Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Swinton – and one daughter, the actress Tilda Swinton.[1]

As the Laird of Kimmerghame, Swinton lived at Kimmerghame House in Duns in Berwickshire.[1][23] He died there on 4 October 2018 at the age of 93.[24]