Death of Lord Patrick Beresford

THE death has taken place of Patrick Tristram de la Poer Beresford. He died in Berkshire, England on Wednesday at the age of 85 where a private family service will be held on Monday. He was well known in eventing, polo, racing and hunting circles.

Born on June 16th, 1934, he was the second son of John Charles de la Poer Beresford, 7th Marquess of Waterford, the Beresfords being descendants of a family established in Ireland in 1179.

Lord Patrick Beresford rode the winners of the Past and Present Hunters’ Chase and the Past and Present Handicap Chase at Sandown’s Grand Military meeting. He took part in four Grand Military Gold Cups, achieving his best placing when third in 1963.

He joined the Royal Horse Guards in 1952 and attained the rank of captain. He served with the RHG for 11 years, including deployments to Cyprus where he was awarded the GSM in 1957 as part of the British Army of the Rhine.

Lord Patrick was secretary of the Brigade Polo Club of the Royal Horse Guards, of which the Duke of Edinburgh was president. He achieved a handicap of five goals in polo and won the prestigious Gold Cup in England with his brother and Prince Philip in 1966 and 1969. No less respected in the word of eventing, he was chef d’equipe of the British eventing team from 1985 to 1992.

Race wins

He achieved his first success under National Hunt rules when winning Sandown’s Past and Present Hunters’ Chase on Major Robert Collie’s Topper in 1958. Topper had won the race the previous year when ridden by his owner.

Lord Patrick had seven rides under NH rules the following season which yielded one winner, a horse named Syrup in a Market Rasen hunters’ chase on March 7, 1959. He won Sandown’s Past and Present Handicap Chase on the Frank Cundell-trained Super Flash in 1962 and finished fourth in that year’s Grand Military Gold Cup on Lord Fermoy’s Blunt’s Cross. He twice rode Blunt’s Cross to victory over fences in Ireland that season, winning the Thomond Chase at Limerick’s Christmas fixture and the Dunboyne Plate at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday. Lord Patrick finished third on Shavings in the 1963 Grand Military Gold Cup.

He transferred from the Royal Horse Guards to No. 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company in 1963 and took part in the deployment to Cyprus and Borneo. From there he went on to join R Squadron of 22 Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment, rising to the rank of Major. He was part of the overseas deployment to the Mid and Far East during a career from 1966 to 1974.

Having left the service, he remained active in the veterans’ community and became president of the Guards Parachute Association. Lord Patrick’s elder brother, the 8th Marquess of Waterford, died in February 2015.

A service will be held at Lord Waterford’s Curraghmore later this year when current restrictions are lifted.