As a young man Townend excelled at sport and athletics, becoming a schoolboy hockey international. He went up to Oxford in 1928, where he became president of the Oxford University Athletic Club and winner of six Oxford University blues. In 1930 he won a gold medal at the British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario, in the 4x440 yard relay.
Professional career
After university, Townend joined the Royal Artillery in 1931. He was commissioned in 1933 and held the appointment of Assistant Quartermaster general during the war. He served in north-west Europe and India. He attained the appointment of Assistant Adjutant-General, World Wide Air Movements at the War Office. He retired from the army in 1947 to become housing chairman of the London Olympics, organising the accommodation at short notice for the athletes and officials attending the event to be held the following year. There was no time or money to build athletes’ villages, and 3500 of the athletes and sportsmen were put in three camps in Richmond Park, Uxbridge and High Wycombe. The remainder and all the officials were put up in 41 schools and colleges across London. As a reward for his efforts, he was given an OBE in 1949. He was director-general of the Hotels and Restaurants Association. He was a director of an international publishing company and of an international school in Switzerland and a director and founder of the Anglo-Swiss Society of Great Britain. He founded Hill House School, in Knightsbridge, London in 1951. In 1956 the school got a lift to its reputation when Prince Charles attended the school as pupil. It was the first time an heir to the British throne had been sent to school, as opposed to being educated by private tutors. Townend championed a "stripped down to basics" approach to independent education that enabled him to keep his fees among the lowest in the country, despite its location in Knightsbridge, one of the most expensive areas of London. Despite limited financial resources, the school excelled academically, consistently helping its boys into top public schools such as Eton College, Harrow School, Radley College, Westminster School, and St Paul's School and its girls into Benenden School, Wycombe Abbey, and Roedean. He continued to actively run the school until his death in 2002 at aged 93. At that time it was reportedly the world's largest private junior school with over 1100 pupils. Townend famously declared in 1999 that the school's principles were "back to front". He explained: “We put safety first – any teacher who leaves a child unsupervised is sacked on the spot – and then the child’s happiness. If a child’s happy and loves coming to school, he or she can do anything. Discipline and good manners come next and, last of all, preparation for the next school.”
Political career
He was for 10 years a member of Paddington Borough Council. He was Liberal candidate for the Torquay division of Devon for the Liberal Party at the 1950 General Election; He was Liberal candidate for the Falmouth and Camborne division of Cornwall for the Liberal Party at the 1950 General Election; He did not stand for parliament again. He left the Liberal Party and joined the Conservatives. In 1958 he was elected to the London County Council as a member for Chelsea. He served two terms before standing down in 1965.
