Field Marshal Lord Bramall, one of Britain’s greatest soldiers, was known affectionately to his grandchildren as “Papa”.
Alex Bramall, his grandson, a fashion photographer, was particularly close to the D-Day veteran, who later became head of the armed forces. Before Alex started an internship at British Vogue after university, Bramall wanted to make sure his grandson was well prepared and was very keen he arrived on time.
“He went to Vogue’s offices the day before and mapped out the whole route for me,” Alex said, speaking for the first time about his late grandfather. “He knew what I had to do and where I had to be. He was so supportive and made me feel very loved.”
But alongside the fond memories, Alex, 47, also still recalls the exact moment in 2015 he was told by his father, Nick Bramall, “something has happened to Papa”.
Alex said: “I thought he’d died. Then he said, ‘He’s not died, it’s far worse than that’.”
Police had raided Bramall’s country home near Farnham in Surrey. He was later voluntarily interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives about false allegations of child sex abuse and murder as part of Operation Midland.
The investigation was triggered after Carl Beech, a former paediatric nurse, made allegations about a number of public figures. He falsely alleged that a VIP paedophile ring had existed during the 1970s and 1980s which abused and murdered children. He was jailed for 18 years in 2019 on 12 charges of perverting the course of justice, a...
Field Marshal Lord Bramall, one of Britain’s greatest soldiers, was known affectionately to his grandchildren as “Papa”. Alex Bramall, his grandson, a fashion photographer, was particularly close ...