the sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes was commissioned to design the precursor (called "The Whisper") of the Spirit of Ecstasy; the famous winged mascot that has adorned nearly every Rolls-Royce car since 1911. On 30 December 1915, with Thornton, Montagu was on board the SS Persia sailing through the Mediterranean on the way to India when the ship was torpedoed without warning by the German U-boat commanded by Max Valentiner. Thornton drowned, along with hundreds of others, but Montagu survived the sinking. Further reading Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, External links The Rowers of Vanity Fair – Douglas-Scott-Montagu, John Walter Edward 1866 births 1929 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of New College, Oxford John Companions of the Order of the Star of India Deputy Lieutenants of Hampshire Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Douglas-Scott-Montagu, John E Douglas-Scott-Montagu, John E Douglas-Scott-Montagu, John E Douglas-Scott-Montagu, John E UK MPs who inherited peerages John