He was named after a famous general of the time but there is no Redvers in Wilde ancestry that I know of. He was very proud of the classy name and, I suspect, considered himself of very good lineage. He had a rather lordly manner, and would give lavish tips which he could hardly afford. "Here, my good man," he would say. My mother would say "Oh, LES!" He had no sense of money, and therefore suffered from lack of it most of his post Japan life. He was adamant on one matter. He would not allow my mother to work.
He had a very intense, even high strung personality. He spoke very loudly. There is a photograph of him, taken on their honeymoon in Japan, that my mother titled "the big noise".
He loved a party, and liked an occasional drink or smoke, although he was not addicted in any way to either alcohol or tobacco. He referred to a lively party as "High Jinks" when it was time for "Jollification". I have never heard these expressions elsewhere, but may be common in England. He used them often.
Not in any way an athlete, he kept himself in good physical condition by long-strided walks, and was never still for very long while awake. He ate prodigious amounts of my mother's mince pies, and never gained an ounce. When he slept, almost nothing could wake him.He took great interest in my physical development as a child.
When I was about four he had a swinging gym installed in the fenced-off side yard, and I would happily swing from hand to hand like a monkey. I remember hanging from my knees as well. I was encouraged to do backbends, handstands and headstands. He would remind me to pull my shoulders back. My mother, even then, had a slight dowager's hump, and he wanted none of that for his daughter. He was horrified at my tiny appetite and would bellow, "Eat up your food!" when I left some on my plate.
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