Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Eric Richard Thesiger DSO, TD (17 February 1874 – 2 October 1961),[1] styled The Honourable from 1878, was a British soldier and page to Queen Victoria.
Background[]
He was the fourth son of Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford and his wife Adria Fanny Heath, daughter of Major-General John Coussamker Heath.[2] His older brothers were Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford and the diplomat Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger.[2] Thesiger was educated at Winchester College and in 1884, he was nominated Page of Honour to the Queen, a post he fulfilled for the following six years.[3] In 1893, he became a Staff Commissioner of Police.[3]
Career[]
Thesiger joined the Surrey Yeomanry as private during the Boer War.[4] In 1900, he was advanced to a lieutenant[5] and in 1902 he became a second lieutenant.[6] He was transferred as major from the Yeomanry into the Territorial Force in 1908.[7] In the First World War Thesiger was wounded twice and was mentioned in despatches as many times.[3]
He was appointed to the 10th Battalion, Royal West Surrey Regiment in 1917,[8] commanding it until 1918, and subsequently the 10th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment for another year.[9] In March of the latter year, he was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)[10] and in August, he received the Territorial Decoration (TD).[11] He was made an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Belgium and also awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre in October[12] and some days later, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel.[13]
He retired from the Territorial Army in 1929, having reached the age limit.[14]
Family[]
On 29 October 1904, he married firstly Pearl Marie Coupland, only daughter of John Coupland, and had by her a daughter and two sons.[1] She died in 1922, and Thesiger remarried Sydney Hilda Hutton-Croft, daughter of George Arthur Hutton-Croft on 3 October 1929, but she died only a year later.[1] He married thirdly Mary Pudsey, daughter of Reverend F. W. Pudsey, on 27 March 1953.[1] His third wife sadly also died the next year, and Thesiger survived her until 1961.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "ThePeerage — Lt-Col Eric Richard Thesiger". http://www.thepeerage.com/p21557.htm#i215563. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1929). Armorial Families. vol. II. London: Hurst & Blackett. pp. 1917.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Who Is Who 1935. London: A. & C. Black Ltd.. 1935. pp. 3340.
- ↑ Whitaker's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companioage. J. Whitaker & Sons. 1923. pp. 193.
- ↑ "No. 27251". 27 November 1900. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27251/page/
- ↑ "No. 27513". 6 September 1903. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27513/page/
- ↑ "No. 28159". 17 July 1908. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28159/page/
- ↑ "No. 30584". 15 March 1918. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30584/page/
- ↑ "No. 31428". 1 July 1919. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31428/page/
- ↑ "No. 31435". 4 July 1919. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31435/page/
- ↑ "No. 31511". 19 August 1919. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31511/page/
- ↑ "No. 31615". 21 October 1919. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31615/page/
- ↑ "No. 31626". 31 October 1919. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31626/page/
- ↑ "No. 33470". 26 February 1929. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33470/page/
External links[]
- Portraits of Hon. Eric Richard Thesiger at the National Portrait Gallery, London
The original article can be found at Eric Thesiger and the edit history here.