Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne
The Lord Brabourne | |
---|---|
![]() Michael Knatchbull in 1929 | |
Member of Parliament for Ashford | |
In office 27 October 1931 – 17 March 1933 | |
Preceded by | Roderick Kedward |
Succeeded by | Sir Patrick Spens |
Governor of Bombay | |
In office 1933–1937 | |
Preceded by | Sir Frederick Sykes |
Succeeded by | Sir Lawrence Lumley |
Governor of Bengal | |
In office 1937–1939 | |
Preceded by | Sir John Anderson |
Succeeded by | John Arthur Herbert |
Personal details | |
Born | 8 May 1894 |
Died | 23 February 1939 | (aged 44)
Spouse | Lady Doreen Browne |
Children | Norton Knatchbull, 6th Baron Brabourne John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1914–1920 |
Rank | Major |
Unit | Royal Artillery |
Battles/wars | World War I • Gallipoli |
Awards | Military Cross |
Michael Herbert Rudolf Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne, GCSI, GCIE, MC (8 May 1894 – 23 February 1939) was a British peer and soldier, the son of the 4th Baron Brabourne.
Early life
Baptised Michael Herbert Rudolf Knatchbull-Hugessen, he dropped the Hugessen part of his surname by deed poll in June 1919.[1] Knatchbull was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
Military career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Knatchbull_M_%28capt_the_Hon%29_Collection_Q44341.jpg/220px-Knatchbull_M_%28capt_the_Hon%29_Collection_Q44341.jpg)
Knatchbull was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on 17 November 1914.[2] He served in the Gallipoli Campaign from April 1915, attached to No. 3 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service, flying artillery spotting missions,[3] receiving promotion to lieutenant on 23 July.[4] On 22 September 1915 he received a mention in despatches from General Ian Hamilton, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force,[5] and on 8 November was awarded the Military Cross for his "distinguished service in the Field during the operations at the Dardanelles."[6]
Knatchbull was seconded to the staff to serve as an aide-de-camp on 8 June 1916,[7] serving until 20 April 1918,[8] when he was seconded to the Royal Air Force as a Staff Officer, 3rd Class.[9] He was later promoted to the acting rank of captain, and then to acting major on 11 October 1918 when appointed Staff Officer, 2nd Class (Air).[10] On 8 November 1918 he received a mention in despatches from Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig.[11]
After the end of the war, on 1 August 1919, he was granted a permanent commission in the RAF with the rank of lieutenant.[12] However, he was placed on half-pay on 1 April 1920,[13] and on 1 October was placed on the retired list on account of ill-health contracted on active service, with the rank of flight lieutenant.[14]
House of Commons
Knatchbull was elected Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashford in 1931 and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for India, from 1932 to 1933.
House of Lords
In 1933, upon his father's death, he succeeded as Baron Brabourne following which he was made Governor of Bombay and was invested as a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire.[15]
Governor of Bombay
While Governor of Bombay he laid the foundation stone at the historic Brabourne Stadium cricket ground in 1936 after conducting negotiations for the land with Anthony de Mello of the Cricket Club of India (CCI).
Governor of Bengal
In 1937 he also became a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India[16] and served as Governor of Bengal until 1939, the year he died.
Family
On 22 January 1919, he married Lady Doreen Browne, youngest daughter of the 6th Marquess of Sligo, in St Peter's Church, Eaton Square.[17] They had two children:
- Norton Cecil Michael Knatchbull, 6th Baron Brabourne (1922–1943)
- John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne (1924–2005). In 1946 he married The Hon. Patricia Mountbatten (later 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma) and had issue.
His widow, The Dowager Lady Brabourne, was murdered in the 1979 bombing by the Provisional Irish Republican Army of The 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma's boat. One of their grandsons also died in the bombing.
Styles of address
- 1895-1915: Mr Michael Knatchbull-Hugessen
- 1915-1919: The Honourable Michael Knatchbull-Hugessen
- 1919-1931: The Honourable Michael Knatchbull
- 1931-1933: The Honourable Michael Knatchbull MP
- 1933: The Right Honourable The Lord Brabourne[a]
- 1933-1937: His Excellency The Right Honourable The Lord Brabourne GCIE
- 1937-1939: His Excellency The Right Honourable The Lord Brabourne GCSI GCIE
References
- ^ "No. 31495". The London Gazette. 8 August 1919. p. 10145.
- ^ "No. 28976". The London Gazette. 13 November 1914. p. 9384.
- ^ Isaacs, Keith (1990). "Wings Over Gallipoli" (PDF). Australian Society of WW1 Aero Historians. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ "No. 29380". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 November 1915. p. 11736.
- ^ "No. 29354". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 1915. pp. 10995–10996.
- ^ "No. 29357". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 1915. p. 11027.
- ^ "No. 29698". The London Gazette. 8 August 1916. p. 7787.
- ^ "No. 30712". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 May 1918. p. 6345.
- ^ "No. 30776". The London Gazette. 2 July 1918. p. 7770.
- ^ "No. 30987". The London Gazette. 1 November 1918. p. 12900.
- ^ "No. 31089". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 December 1918. p. 15232.
- ^ "No. 31486". The London Gazette. 1 August 1919. p. 9870.
- ^ "No. 31851". The London Gazette. 6 April 1920. p. 4143.
- ^ "No. 32078". The London Gazette. 8 October 1920. p. 9815.
- ^ "No. 33993". The London Gazette. 7 November 1933. p. 7187.
- ^ "No. 34451". The London Gazette. 5 November 1937. p. 6889.
- ^ "Personal: Married". Flight. XI (538): 183. 6 February 1919. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- Lundy, Darryl. "ThePeerage.com His details & photo". The Peerage].[unreliable source]
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages [self-published source] [better source needed]
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Brabourne
- "The Service of Captain Michael Knatchbull during the Gallipoli Campaign, April– June 1915 (Photograph Collection)". Imperial War Museum.
- Use dmy dates from January 2012
- 1894 births
- 1939 deaths
- Royal Artillery officers
- Royal Air Force officers
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
- Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
- Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- UK MPs 1931–35
- Governors of Bombay
- Governors of Bengal
- People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire
- Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich