Leopold Greville, 6th Earl of Warwick
Leopold Guy Francis Maynard Greville, 6th Earl of Warwick, CMG MVO (10 September 1882 – 31 January 1928), styled Lord Brooke between 1893 and 1924, was a British officer[1].
The Earl of Warwick CMG MVO | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leopold Guy Francis Maynard Greville 10 September 1882 |
| Died | 31 January 1928 (aged 45) Brighton East Sussex |
| Spouse(s) | Elfrida Marjorie Eden (m. 1909; his death 1928) |
| Children | Charles Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick |
| Parents | Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick |
| Alma mater | Eton College |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | The King's Royal Rifle Corps |
| Rank | Brigadier-general |
| Commands | 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade 12th Canadian Infantry Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War First World War |
Early life
Greville was the son of Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick and his wife Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick.[2]
He was educated at Eton[3], he eventually ran away from the school, supposedly selling his fur coat and gun to travel to join the Second Boer War.[4]
He succeeded his father in the earldom in January 1924.[5]
Military service
Lord Brooke was a second lieutenant in the 7th (Militia) Battalion of The King's Royal Rifle Corps, and was seconded for service with a line battalion in March 1900.[6] He fought in the Second Boer War (1899–1901), and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the Life Guards on 3 November 1900. From August 1901 he served as Aide-de-Camp to Lord Milner, High Commissioner for South Africa,[7] an appointment he held until the conclusion of the war in 1902. He was also a Reuters correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). In 1907 he was Aide-de-Camp to the Inspector-General of the Forces. In 1905 he was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO).[1]
During the First World War he was Aide-de-Camp to the General Officer Commanding of the British Expeditionary Force from 1914 until 1915. He was then promoted to Brigadier General later that year and commanded 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade and then 12th Canadian Infantry Brigade until 1918.[8]
Letters and passports indicate that Leopold was present in Russia during 1917 and probably witnessed the beginnings of the Russian Revolution. There are no comprehensive records as to the reasons for his visit, however, which sparked rumors that he may have been a spy for the Russian or the British royal families.
Death
Much speculation and rumour surrounds the demise of Leopold and his premature death in 1928. It has been suggested that Leopold suffered from shell shock after his return from World War One, which was later fueled by severe alcoholism. In his final years he moved out of Warwick Castle to live with a mistress in Mill Street, Warwick. He eventually died in Brighton, where he was being treated for his illness.[9]
Personal life
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On 29 April 1909, Lord Warwick married Elfrida Marjorie Eden (1887–1943). She was the only daughter of Sir William Eden, 7th Baronet and Sybil Frances Grey (a daughter Sir William Grey KCSI by his second wife). Together, Lord Warwick and Elfrida were the parents of three children:[8]
- Charles Guy Fulke Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick (1911–1984).[10]
- Hon. Richard Francis Maynard Greville (1913–1968),[11] who served as a Governor of University College Hospital from 1952 to 1968.[8]
- Hon. John Ambrose Henry Greville (1918–1942), who was killed in action.[8]
After his death, his widow, the Countess of Warwick served as Mayor of Warwick in 1929, 1930 and 1931 before her death on 10 February 1943.[8]
Selected works
- An Eye-witness in Manchuria (1905). London: E. Nash.
References
- Lundy, Darryl. "Leopold Guy Francis Maynard Greville, 6th Earl of Warwick, p. 5258". The Peerage.
- Kidd, Charles and Williamson, David, eds. (1990). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. New York: St Martin's Press.,
- Peerage.
- Gliddon, Gerald (2002). The Aristocracy and the Great War. Gliddon Books. pp. 112, 394. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- Peerage.
- "No. 27171". The London Gazette. 6 March 1900. p. 1533.
- "No. 27351". The London Gazette. 3 September 1901. p. 5812.
- "Warwick, Earl of (GB, 1759)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Lundy, Darryl. "Leopold Guy Francis Maynard Greville, 6th Earl of Warwick1, p. 5258". The Peerage.
- Bowman, Martin (2015). RAF Fighter Pilots in WWII. Pen and Sword. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-4738-6571-6. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter de Vere; Powell, Roger S. (2006). Right Royal Bastards: The Fruits of Passion. Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-9711966-8-1. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Warwick
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Francis Richard Charles Greville |
Earl of Warwick 1924–1928 |
Succeeded by Charles Guy Fulke Greville |