David Brand was the second son of
Thomas Brand, who succeeded to the
Viscountcy of Hampden in 1906. David's grandfather,
Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden, was
Governor of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899. David's elder brother
Thomas succeeded their father as Viscount Hampden in 1958. David attended
Eton College, where he captained the First XI in 1921. He went up to
Trinity College, Cambridge, but played only one
first-class match for the
university team, in May 1922. He spent the 1922–23 university year on a tour of
Ceylon,
Australia and
New Zealand with the
Marylebone Cricket Club. His highest first-class score was 60 in the second match against
New South Wales, and his best bowling figures were 4 for 31 in the first match against
Auckland. He played no further first-class cricket after the tour. ==Later life==