Cadbury never worked in the family business. He followed his father into flying, with an early career as a test pilot for jet fighters during World War II. In 1993, he fondly remembered his first flight ever in a jet, the pioneering Gloster Meteor, in late 1943. There were no two-seat versions of the Meteor, which was still under development, so his first solo in a Meteor would also be his first flight in one:
"When Michael Daunt was satisfied that I knew enough about the Meteor to be trusted to fly it, I was put in the cockpit...'Line up, set the rpm at 14,000, watch the jet pipe temperature and good luck,' he said, slapped the side of the aeroplane and walked away. I did as I was told and released the brakes... It was a thrill I shall never forget, as the aircraft accelerated down the runway... My immediate reaction was the lack of noise or vibration... The Meteor project was Top Secret and we were told not to fly out of the Moreton Valence area and avoid having to force-land anywhere else."
Cadbury was known for his frequent rows with neighbours, the press, fellow club members and liverymen, as well as even with his own board of directors. He was more than once involved in fistfights on roads over his driving. He owned an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, a Ferrari, a Bentley, numerous yachts, racehorses, properties in the West Indies, and a succession of grand country mansions, one of which had an airstrip and a hangar for five aircraft. As a result of his ongoing conflict with the IBA — the then-regulator of ITV — Westward lost the round of franchise renewals in 1980, and were replaced by TSW. Cadbury's country estate was Tittenhurst Park at Sunninghill in Berkshire, which he later sold to John Lennon. He was an animal lover who kept a parrot, a Great Dane, and a Rwandan gorilla. He was married three times. The first time was to Benedicta Bruce in 1947, with whom he had a son and a daughter; the marriage ended in divorce in 1968. He married again in 1970 to Mrs. Jennifer Morgan-Jones, who was 27 years younger than he, and with whom he had another son, before they divorced in 1976. In that same year, he married a third time, to Mrs Jane Mead, with whom he had two more sons. Along with nine other individuals Cadbury contributed £1,000 in 1963 to the film production of Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker". Cadbury died on 17 April 2006, at the age of 88.
