George Harcourt Vanden-Bampde-Johnstone, 3rd Baron Derwent FRSA (22 October 1899 – 13 January 1949), was a British author, diplomat and Liberal politician.
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Early life
Derwent—always known to his family and friends as "Peter"—was born in London on 22 October 1899. He was the son of Hon. Edward Henry Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, and Hon. Evelyn Mary Agar-Ellis.
His father was a younger son of Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baron Derwent and Charlotte Mills (the daughter of Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet). His maternal grandparents were Leopold Agar-Ellis, 5th Viscount Clifden and the former Hon. Harriet Stonor (a daughter of Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys). In 1929, upon the death of his uncle, Francis, he inherited the Derwent barony.
Derwent was educated at Sandroyd School, followed by Charterhouse. Many of his contemporaries at the latter school believed Derwent to be attracted to men, and while singing in the school choir he met the future poet and novelist Robert Graves. Derwent and Graves struck up a close friendship which appears to have been romantic—Graves later said their relationship was "proto-homosexual" but denied that they were ever involved sexually, instead describing their romance as "chaste and sentimental".