Jack Dunfee

Discover how one farm in East Sussex can lead us on a journey through stage and screen, motorsport successes, and celebrity connections during the 20th century. An Ordnance Survey map of East Sussex as part of the National Farm Survey. Catalogue reference: MAF 73/41/79/SW One recorded farm was West Dean Farm, located in the Parish of West Dean, East Sussex. It was farmed by a Jack L Dunfee, whose address is listed at the nearby Coach House in West Dean. Its B496/EI tells us it is 52-acre farm that receives the highest grade possible, an 'A'. The surveyor reports 'production is high' and that while 'heavily stocked for its size... this farm should be self-supporting'. Although heavily stocked for its size – about 50 acres – this farm should be self-supporting. General comments on a National Farm Survey B496/EI form assessing the West Dean Farm. Catalogue reference: MAF 32/1014/68 The forms show there is a diverse range of animals and crops present on the farm. They demonstrate wartime efforts to diversify farming, expand capacity, and improve self-sufficiency. The West Dean Farm appears on both the Sussex (East) LXXIX NW and SW map, which shows the array of farmland in this area and its proximity to military land and the English Channel. An Ordnance Survey map of East Sussex as part of the National Farm Survey. Dunfee’s farm is in the bottom right corner, labelled XE 37/68/2. Catalogue reference: MAF 73/41/79/NW But who was the farmer, Jack L Dunfee? Using other records at The National Archives, such as census records, can we find out more about him? The register gives Dunfee's birthdate as 19 October 1901, and his profession as a 'Company Director'. Living with him are Sandra Storme (her surname later corrected to Dunfee and Yarde Buller on the Register) and a 'horse groom' named John A Sweeney, who could be one of the three male workers noted on the farm's C47/SSY form. Working back through census records using Dunfee's name and birthdate reveals more about his upbringing. Turning to the 1911 Census, a school-aged Dunfee was residing at 25 Chartfield Avenue, Putney. Here he is living with his two brothers (Vickers Claude and Beresford Clive), three servants, and a cook. Another useful series is the Passenger Lists, detailing those who set sail from Ireland or Britain during the 19th and 20th centuries. These record Jack Dunfee as travelling to the US on multiple occasions during the 1930s, for business-related trips. A Passenger List from November 1932 showing a Jack Dunfee and Benita Siepmann-Hume sailing from the UK to the United States. Catalogue reference: BT 27/1357 He was also a company director of O'Bryen, Linnit and Dunfee, a theatrical production company, placing him at the heart of the golden age of stage and screen. He was personally involved too. In November 1932, The Daily News reported his engagement to Benita Hume the actress who had travelled to the US with him. However, it seems they never actually married. There are further newspaper accounts of US visits in 1933 and 1935. He also features in The New York Times archive as working with Warner Brothers in June 1937 on a series of plays in London's West End. In November 1939, The London Evening News reported a new romance, a marriage to Sandra Storme, who is listed in the National Farm Survey as living in West Dean. Further exploration into Storme reveals a photoshoot she gave to The Tatler at the farm in 1941. This provides a fascinating, albeit staged, snapshot into the appearance of small-scale farming during wartime, only a few months before the farm was surveyed. There is also an interview with Dunfee from June 1973, found in the archive of Motorsport Magazine , which provides more context to his racing career. Dunfee raced in two Le Mans 24 Hour races, driving Bentleys on both occasions. In the 1929 edition he partnered Glen Kidston, whose granddaughter is the designer Cath Kidston, and in 1930 he shared with Beris Harcourt Wood. We also l