his father was lumley green-wilkinson, the younger son of ltgen frederick green-wilkinson cb, colonel of the ox & bucks light infantry in the early 1900s; he had served with the 42nd highland regiment, the black watch, in the crimea and the indian mutiny. the name wilkinson was added in 1808, when wilkinson left his inheritance to green. lumley was a private in the city imperial volunteers in the boer war.