Mowing peer's grass left me too deaf to talk to wife, says gardener The court was told that he had complained to Lady Chelwood about the problem previously, only to be told that "she would get similar symptoms when loading her husband's guns." Lady Chelwood is defending the compensation claim. Her late husband, who was awarded the Military Cross for his service during the Second World War, was MP for Lewes, East Sussex and was created Baron Chelwood in 1974. The couple lived at Chelwood Gate, their £2 million estate, until Lord Chelwood's death aged 72 in 1989. Mr Sayers has claimed to have suffered ringing in his ears and poor hearing since the mid-1990s. He has already attempted to sue for compensation, but had his claim struck out last year by the county court judge, who claimed he had left it too late. His case was "time-barred" because he did not begin proceedings until July 2008, the judge ruled. Yesterday, his barrister, Simon Mallett, argued that the judge took too much account of Lady Chelwood's advanced age and the problems she might face in giving evidence when he gave his ruling. Lady Justice Arden, Lord Justice Jackson and Lord Justice Kitchin reserved their decision on Mr Sayers's appeal until a later date. Tufton Beamish, who was educated at Stowe School and Sandhurst Military Academy, served with the British Expeditionary Force, was wounded in Dunkirk and made a notable escape, by rowing boat, from Singapore in 1941. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1940, Mentioned in Dispatches in July 1945 and knighted in 1961. He was Tory MP for Lewes from 1945 to 1974 after the retirement of his father from the same role, and was a member of the 1922 Committee. His name is said to be the inspiration behind the recurring Private Eye character Sir Bufton Tufton, an old-fashioned Tory backbencher. He married his second wife, Pia, in 1975.