- His first name is pronounced "Rafe"
- He allegedly declined Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the King's Honours List but later accepted the Order of Merit in the 1935 King's Honours List for his services to music.
- He was awarded the O.M. (Order of Merit) in the 1935 King's Honours List for his services to music.
- He is mentioned in the film The Lady in the Van (2015), in which his real-life widow Ursula is one of the characters.
- In the winter of 1907-08, believing his music needed "a little French polish", Vaughan Williams studied orchestration with Maurice Ravel in Paris.
- Died peacefully in his sleep at 85, after a bedtime snack of cookies and bananas.
- Was a lifelong friend of Gustav Holst, composer of the famous orchestral suite "The Planets".
- Married Ursula Wood in February 1953. He was 80, she was 41. After his death she wrote his biography and promoted his legacy.
- During World War I Vaughan Williams served in France as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. This resulted in hearing loss that deteriorated into near-total deafness as he grew older, though he continued to compose to the end of his life.
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