Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll

Josslyn Victor Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll (born May 11, 1901 in Mayfair , London , † January 24, 1941 near Nairobi , Kenya ) was a British peer . His unexplained murder brought the decadent lifestyle of high-ranking and wealthy British settlers in Kenya - the so-called Happy Valley group - into the spotlight.

Early years

Hay was the eldest son of the diplomat Victor Hay, Lord Kilmarnock (later Earl of Erroll ) and his wife Lucy, the only daughter of Sir Allan Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet. In 1911 Hay attended the coronation of George V and wore his grandfather's helmet crown . From 1914 he attended Eton College , but was expelled from school two years later.

Although the family of the Earls of Erroll was not wealthy, Josslyn Hay had to earn a living. In 1920 he was in Berlin honorary attaché under his father, the charge d'affaires was until the High Commissioner was appointed for the Rhineland. The son stayed in Berlin until 1922 as secretary to Ambassador Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon .

After passing the Foreign Office exams, he was supposed to work in the diplomatic service like his father. However, the career fell victim to an affair Hays with Lady Idina Sackville , daughter of Gilbert Sackville, 8th Earl de La Warr , divorced from the politician Euan Wallace, at the time married to Charles Gordon. Lady Indina divorced again and married Josslyn Hay on September 22, 1923.

Kenya

The marriage caused a social scandal: Lady Idina was divorced twice, had two sons, lived an extremely unconventional life and was also 8 years older than her third husband. Lady Idina's fortune, however, allowed the couple to move to Kenya, where they became part of the Happy Valley group, notorious for excessive drug and sex parties.

In 1926 Josslyn Hay and Lady Idina had a daughter, Diana Denyse Hay. In 1928, Josslyn inherited his late father's titles. In 1930 Lady Idina divorced Hay because he had cheated on her out of money. Hay then married the divorced Edith Maude ("Molly") Ramsay-Hill on February 8, 1930, who also indulged in the Happy Valley group's lifestyle in the new home on Lake Naivasha .

During a visit to England in 1934, Lord Erroll joined Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists . Returning to Kenya the following year, he became President of the Convention of Associations. As an admirer of Hitler and an ardent anti-Semite , he intended to establish fascism in Africa. In 1936 he was at the coronation of George VI. present. In 1939 he was elected to the Legislative Council of Kenya to represent Kiambu. When the Second World War broke out in the same year, Lord Erroll became a captain in the Kenya regiment. In 1940 he took over the post of Military Secretary for East Africa.

Lady Erroll died on October 13, 1939. In 1940 Lord Erroll had an affair with Lady Diana Broughton, wife of Baronet Jock Delves Broughton.

assassination

After spending a night with Lady Delves Broughton, Lord Erroll was found shot dead in his car not far from Nairobi on January 24, 1941. Delves Broughton, who had been informed of the affair, was charged with the murder. He was arrested on March 10th and the trial began on May 26th. There were no witnesses and insufficient circumstantial evidence, and so Delves Broughton was acquitted on July 1st. A few months later he committed suicide in England.

Lord Erroll was buried in Kiambu next to his second wife. His daughter Diana Hay from his first marriage followed him as Countess of Erroll, the title Baron Kilmarnock went to his brother Gilbert.

To this day, there have always been new attempts to solve the murder, but without creating conclusive certainty.

Popular culture

• The case inspired journalist James Fox to write his 1982 book White Mischief , which was made into a film by Michael Radford in 1988 .
• The BBC film The Happy Valley (1987) deals with the assassination of Lord Erroll.
• The 2005 miniseries Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder featured The Case of the Earl of Erroll .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Felix Schürmann: The days of the Happy Valley clique. Die Zeit N ° 36, August 25, 2016, p. 17
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Josslyn Victor Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll on thepeerage.com , accessed September 17, 2016.
3. ^ Judith Woods: Revealed: The White Mischief murderer . The Telegraph , May 11, 2007
4. ↑ Elizabeth Grice: Is this the Happy Valley murderer? The Telegraph , April 27, 2010 (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Victor Hay	Earl of Erroll 1928-1941	Diana Hay
Victor Hay	Baron Kilmarnock 1928-1941	Gilbert Boyd