Ormond Wilson - Early Life

Early Life

Ormond Wilson was born in Bulls in 1907, the son of (George) Hamish Wilson and Ada Mary Ormond. The MPs Sir James Wilson and John Davies Ormond were his grandfathers. His great uncle was the MP James Wilson, Financial Secretary to the Treasury and the founder of the economist and chartered banks of Australia, India, and China.

He suffered from severe hay fever and as a child, he spent his summers in a hostel on Mount Egmont in order to be less exposed to pollen. As a twelve year old, the family spent half a year in London. On their return, Wilson was sent to Christ's College, Christchurch as a boarder (1922–1924). After the fifth form, he went to Surrey in preparation for study at Lincoln College, Oxford, from where he graduated in 1930.

When he returned to New Zealand, he found that he had inherited his grandfather's 320 hectares (3.2 km2) farm, Mt Lees, located between Bulls and Sanson. He was unprepared for life as a farmer, but he grew into the role. After he lost his seat in Parliament, he travelled extensively. First, he went to Washington in March 1939 for three days, where he met with Labour leaders, Congressmen, Senators and columnists; he was surprised how much interests was shown in him as a former Member of Parliament. Wilson sent his impressions to Christchurch for publication in the journal Tomorrow. He then visited Britain, where he met with old friends from his university days, and the journalists Kingsley Martin and Dick Crossman of the New Statesman. He visited the House of Commons, met with Labour leaders and was invited to their 1939 party conference in Southport as a guest. Travelling via Scandinavia, he obtained a visa for the Soviet Union and experienced an oppressive totalitarian socialist state first hand (he got into trouble taking a tourist photo of a photogenic building). He then spent four days in Berlin in August 1939, but with war coming, he returned to the UK. He prepared a broadcast covering his travels for the BBC and this led to a job with the BBC Overseas Service in London.

He married Margery Wace on 29 September 1940 in Ardingly, Sussex; she was his superior at the Overseas Service. They had one daughter; Cecilia. His wife died during labour with their second child in 1944. Wilson returned to New Zealand with his young daughter. On 8 January 1946, he married at Napier the war widow Rosamond Russell (née Rolleston), a daughter of Frank Rolleston and granddaughter of William Rolleston; both her father and grandfathers had served as Members of Parliament. His second wife had one son and two daughters. They had known each other from Wilson's time in Christchurch and he had made an earlier marriage proposal to her, which she rejected. Together, they had one son (Francis).