Philanthropist. Born the second child of Rudyard Kipling and his American wife Caroline Starr Balestier. Her elder sister, Josie, died of pneumonia in 1899 while her younger brother, John, was killed in action in 1915, leaving her as the only surviving child, a role she apparently found difficult to cope with especially since her parents never really ceased mourning the lost children. In October 1924 she married Captain George Bambridge who had served in the Irish Guards, but was at the time a British diplomatic attaché in Madrid and the couple lived abroad for some years. They would have no children. In 1938 she purchased the 17th century derelict, Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire, and spent many years restoring the 2500 acre estate to its former glory. On January 19, 1939 she christened HMS Kipling, a 'K' Class Destroyer, saying that nothing would have given her father such immense pride and pleasure than that a ship of the Royal Navy would bear his name. As Rudyard Kipling's only surviving descendant, she also dedicated herself to sort and list the documents which she had inherited from her parents. She purchased what additional documents she could find for sale and sought out others in private possession and had copies made. When she died in 1976, Wimpole Hall and its Kipling archive were willed to the National Trust. In 1978 the Trust deposited the archive in the University of Sussex Library.
Philanthropist. Born the second child of Rudyard Kipling and his American wife Caroline Starr Balestier. Her elder sister, Josie, died of pneumonia in 1899 while her younger brother, John, was killed in action in 1915, leaving her as the only surviving child, a role she apparently found difficult to cope with especially since her parents never really ceased mourning the lost children. In October 1924 she married Captain George Bambridge who had served in the Irish Guards, but was at the time a British diplomatic attaché in Madrid and the couple lived abroad for some years. They would have no children. In 1938 she purchased the 17th century derelict, Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire, and spent many years restoring the 2500 acre estate to its former glory. On January 19, 1939 she christened HMS Kipling, a 'K' Class Destroyer, saying that nothing would have given her father such immense pride and pleasure than that a ship of the Royal Navy would bear his name. As Rudyard Kipling's only surviving descendant, she also dedicated herself to sort and list the documents which she had inherited from her parents. She purchased what additional documents she could find for sale and sought out others in private possession and had copies made. When she died in 1976, Wimpole Hall and its Kipling archive were willed to the National Trust. In 1978 the Trust deposited the archive in the University of Sussex Library.
Bio by: Iola
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