Lord Edward Gleichen: Difference between revisions

Lord

Edward Gleichen

KCVO CB CMG DSO
Lord; Edward Gleichen; KCVO CB CMG DSO
Birth name	Albert Edward Wilfred von Gleichen
Born	15 January 1863
Died	14 December 1937
Buried	Forest Row, Sussex
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1881–
Rank	Major-General
Unit	Grenadier Guards
Commands	15th Infantry Brigade; 37th Division
Battles / wars	Mahdist War; Second Boer War Battle of Modder River; ; First World War;
Spouse(s)	Sylvia Gay Edwardes

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Major-General Lord Albert Edward Wilfred Gleichen KCVO CB CMG DSO (15 January 1863 – 14 December 1937) was a British courtier and soldier.

Early life and family history

Born as Count Albert Edward Wilfred von Gleichen, he was the only son of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (a half-nephew of Queen Victoria) and his wife, Laura Williamina (a sister of the 5th Marquess of Hertford). Lady Feodora Gleichen, the noted sculptor, was his sister.

Gleichen's comital title, shared by his sisters, derived from his mother, who had received it from Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, shortly before her morganatic marriage to his father. Gleichen had been an hereditary estate of the Princes of Hohenlohe in Germany since 1631, and their father voluntarily used it as a comital title to place himself on the same social footing as his wife. But Edward was not entitled to any land or revenues derived from this dynastic property.

On 15 December 1885, the Court Circular announced Queen Victoria's permission for Edward's mother to share his father's rank at the Court of St James's, and henceforth they were known as TSH Prince and Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. But the Queen did not extend that privilege to their children, although she confirmed use of their German style as count and countesses. On 12 June 1913 Edward was granted precedence before marquesses in the peerage of England (while his sisters were granted precedence before the daughters of dukes in the English peerage).^[1]

Career

Gleichen served as a Page of Honour to the Queen from 1874 to 1879. After graduating from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards as a lieutenant in October 1881^[2] and gradually rose through the ranks over the years, eventually becoming a major general. He served in the short-lived Guards Camel Corps in the Sudan campaign in 1884–85 and with the Egyptian army in the Dongala campaign in 1896. In 1899–1900 he served in the Second Boer War in South Africa, and was mentioned in despatches for his actions during the Battle of Modder River 28 November 1899.^[3] In January 1900 he was appointed deputy assistant-adjutant-general to the forces in South Africa. He was Sudan agent in Cairo from 1901 to 1903 with the local rank of lieutenant colonel,^[4] then Military Attaché to Berlin from 1903 to 1906. He and Kaiser Wilhelm II fell out, and Gleichen was sent to be military attaché in Washington D.C. from 1906 to 1907. He met the Wright brothers while in Washington and wrote a report on their aircraft, but also failed to form a relationship with U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt. He was assistant director of Military Operations from 1907 to 1911.

He served in the First World War, commanding the 15th Brigade from 1911 to 1915, and then, after being promoted to major general,^[5] the 37th Division from 1915 to 1916. He was an Intelligence Bureau director at the Department of Information from 1917 to 1918. He served as Chairman of the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names from 1919.

At court, the Count was appointed an Extra Equerry to King Edward VII in July 1901.^[6]

He wrote a number of books, including:

With the Camel Corps up the Nile (1888)
With the mission to Menelik (1898)
The doings of the Fifteenth Infantry Brigade, August 1914 to March 1915 (1917)
London's open air statuary (1928)
A Guardsman's Memories (1932).

He was the editor of:

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan: a compendium prepared by officers of the Sudan Government - Vol. I: Geographical, descriptive and historical. - 1905. Vol.II: Routes.- 1905. Suppl.: 1906

Change of title

When King George V commanded his German relatives domiciled in Britain to Anglicize their names and titles in 1917, the Gleichens' 1913 precedence was reduced several grades to that of younger son/daughters of a marquess in the peerage of the United Kingdom.^[7] This was because only marquisal rank was conferred upon the King's nearer, heretofore princely relatives, the Tecks and Battenbergs. Although inexplicably allowed to retain their German surname, the Gleichens relinquished use of the comital title and on 12 September 1917 acquired the prefix of Lord or Lady, although this was not made hereditary for Edward's descendants as his countship had been.^[7]

On 2 July 1910, Gleichen married Sylvia Gay Edwardes (a niece of the 4th Baron Kensington), who was a maid of honour to Queens Victoria and Alexandra. They had no children. He is buried at Holy Trinity Church burial ground, Forest Row, Sussex, England.

In her memoirs, his sister Lady Helena Gleichen described a sad incident that happened at Overstone Hall. A "particularly nice" butler named Atkins tried to learn how to swim in the nearby lake, but disappeared. Lord Edward dived after him numerous times, but was unable to save him. In the end, his body was retrieved.^[8]

Honours and awards

British decorations

CMG: Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George – 1898 – for his contributions on a Mission to Ethiopia.
DSO: Companion of the Distinguished Service Order – 29 November 1900 – for his contributions in the Second Boer War.^[9]
CVO: Commander of the Royal Victorian Order – 2 February 1901 – on the day of the funeral of Queen Victoria^[10]
CB: Companion of the Order of the Bath – 1906
KCVO: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order – 1909

Foreign decorations

1897: Order of the Star of Ethiopia (Third Class) – for his contributions on a Mission to Ethiopia.
1905: Order of the Medjidie (Second Class) – for his services in the Egyptian Army
Unknown dates: Commander of the Legion of Honour, Order of the Dannebrog (First Class)

References

^ "No. 28789". The London Gazette. 2 January 1914. p. 37.
^ "No. 25021". The London Gazette. 30 September 1881. p. 4893.
^ "No. 27157". The London Gazette. 26 January 1900. p. 511.
^ "No. 27382". The London Gazette. 3 December 1901. p. 8564.
^ "No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1915. p. 1685.
^ "No. 27335". The London Gazette. 19 July 1901. p. 4779.
^ ^a ^b "No. 30551". The London Gazette. 1 March 1918. p. 2632.
^ Gleichen, Lady Helena (1940). Contacts and Contrasts. Butler & Tanner Ltd. p. 58.
^ "No. 27306". The London Gazette. 19 April 1901. p. 2700.
^ "No. 27285". The London Gazette. 15 February 1901. p. 1146.

External links

Works by or about Lord Edward Gleichen at Wikisource
Works by Lord Edward Gleichen at Project Gutenberg
Works by or about Lord Edward Gleichen at the Internet Archive

Court offices
Preceded by Hon. George Somerset	Page of Honour 1874–1879	Succeeded by Frederic Kerr
Military offices
Preceded by W. H. H. Waters	Military Attaché 1903–1906	Succeeded by J. A. Trench
Titles of nobility
Preceded by Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg	Count von Gleichen 1912–1917	Succeeded by Title relinquished

[1] "No. 28789". The London Gazette. 2 January 1914. p. 37.

[2] "No. 25021". The London Gazette. 30 September 1881. p. 4893.

[3] "No. 27157". The London Gazette. 26 January 1900. p. 511.

[4] "No. 27382". The London Gazette. 3 December 1901. p. 8564.

[5] "No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1915. p. 1685.

[6] "No. 27335". The London Gazette. 19 July 1901. p. 4779.

[gazette-7] "No. 30551". The London Gazette. 1 March 1918. p. 2632.

[8] Gleichen, Lady Helena (1940). Contacts and Contrasts. Butler & Tanner Ltd. p. 58.

[9] "No. 27306". The London Gazette. 19 April 1901. p. 2700.

[10] "No. 27285". The London Gazette. 15 February 1901. p. 1146.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

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[9]

[10]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|British Army general}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
-[[File:Lord Edward Gleichen.jpg|thumb|right|Lord Edward Gleichen]]
+{{Infobox military person
+|honorific_prefix = Lord
+|name             = Edward Gleichen
+|honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCVO|CB|CMG|DSO}}
+|image            = Lord Edward Gleichen.jpg
+|caption          =
+|birth_name       = Albert Edward Wilfred von Gleichen
+|birth_date       = 15 January 1863
+|birth_place      =
+|death_date       = 14 December 1937
+|death_place      =
+|placeofburial    = [[Forest Row]], [[Sussex]]
+|allegiance       = [[United Kingdom]]
+|branch           = [[British Army]]
+|serviceyears     = 1881–
+|rank             = [[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]]
+|unit             = [[Grenadier Guards]]
+|commands         = [[15th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|15th Infantry Brigade]]<br/>[[37th Division (United Kingdom)|37th Division]]
+|battles          = {{Tree list}}
+*[[Mahdist War]]
+*[[Second Boer War]]
+**[[Battle of Modder River]]
+*[[First World War]]
+{{tree list/end}}
+|awards           =
+|memorials        =
+|alma_mater       =
+|spouse           = Sylvia Gay Edwardes
+|children         =
+|relations        =
+|laterwork        =
+|signature        =
+|signature_size   =
+|signature_alt    =
+}}
 [[File:Count Albert Edward Wilfred Gleichen Vanity Fair 13 January 1898.jpg|thumb|{{center|"Glick"<br />Count Gleichen as caricatured by Spy ([[Leslie Ward]]) in [[Vanity Fair (British magazine)|Vanity Fair]], January 1898}}]]
 [[File:HL Damals - fr Militair-Attaches.jpg|thumb|Foreign military attachés at the ''Kaisermanöver'' (1904), British Attaché Colonel Gleichen is shown at (10)]]
@@ Line 11: / Line 46: @@
 Gleichen's [[count|comital]] title, shared by his sisters, derived from his mother, who had received it from [[Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], shortly before her [[morganatic marriage]] to his father. [[Gleichen]] had been an hereditary [[manorialism|estate]] of the Princes of [[Hohenlohe]] in Germany since 1631, and their father voluntarily used it as a comital title to place himself on the same social footing as his wife. But Edward was not entitled to any land or revenues derived from this [[dynasty|dynastic]] property.
-On 15 December 1885, the [[Court Circular]] announced Queen Victoria's permission for Edward's mother to share his father's [[Ranks of nobility and peerage|rank]] at the [[Court of St James's]], and henceforth they were known as [[Serene Highness|HSH]] Prince and Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. But the Queen did not extend that privilege to their children, although she confirmed use of their German style as count and countesses. On 12 June 1913 Edward was granted [[Order of precedence in England and Wales|precedence]] before  [[marquess]]es in the [[peerage of England]] (while his sisters were granted precedence before the daughters of [[duke]]s in the English peerage).<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=28789 |page=37 |date=2 January 1914}}</ref>
+On 15 December 1885, the [[Court Circular]] announced Queen Victoria's permission for Edward's mother to share his father's [[Ranks of nobility and peerage|rank]] at the [[Court of St James's]], and henceforth they were known as [[Serene Highness|TSH]] Prince and Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. But the Queen did not extend that privilege to their children, although she confirmed use of their German style as count and countesses. On 12 June 1913 Edward was granted [[Order of precedence in England and Wales|precedence]] before  [[marquess]]es in the [[peerage of England]] (while his sisters were granted precedence before the daughters of [[duke]]s in the English peerage).<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=28789 |page=37 |date=2 January 1914}}</ref>
 ==Career==
-Gleichen served as a [[Page of Honour]] to the Queen from 1874 to 1879. He joined the [[Grenadier Guards]] in 1881 and gradually rose through the ranks over the years, eventually becoming a [[Major General]].  He served in the short-lived [[Camel Corps (Gordon Relief Expedition)|Guards Camel Corps]] in the [[Sudan campaign]] in 1884–85 and with the [[Egyptian army]] in the Dongala campaign in 1896. In 1899–1900 he served in the [[Second Boer War]] in [[South Africa]], and was [[mentioned in despatches]] for his actions during the [[Battle of Modder River]] 28 November 1899.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=27157 |page=511 |date=26 January 1900}}</ref> In January 1900 he was appointed [[Adjutant general|Deputy Assistant-Adjutant-General]] to the forces in South Africa. He was Sudan agent in [[Cairo]] from 1901 to 1903 with the local rank of [[Lieutenant-colonel (British Army)|Lieutenant-colonel]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27382 |date=3 December 1901 |page=8564 }}</ref> then [[Military Attaché]] to [[Berlin]] from 1903 to 1906.  He and [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] fell out, and Gleichen was sent to be Military Attaché in [[Washington D.C.]] from 1906 to 1907.  He met the [[Wright brothers]] while in Washington and wrote a report on their aircraft, but also failed to form a relationship with [[U.S. President]] [[Teddy Roosevelt]].  He was Assistant Director of Military Operations from 1907 to 1911.  He served in the [[First World War]], commanding the [[British 15th Brigade|15th Brigade]] from 1911 to 1915, and then the [[British 37th Division|37th Division]] from 1915 to 1916.  He was an [[Directorate of Military Intelligence (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Bureau]] director at the [[Department of Information (United Kingdom)|Department of Information]] from 1917 to 1918. He served as Chairman of the [[Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use|Permanent Committee on Geographical Names]] from 1919.
+Gleichen served as a [[Page of Honour]] to the Queen from 1874 to 1879. After graduating from the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], he was commissioned into the [[Grenadier Guards]] as a lieutenant in October 1881<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25021|page=4893|date=30 September 1881}}</ref> and gradually rose through the ranks over the years, eventually becoming a [[Major general (United Kingdom)|major general]]. He served in the short-lived [[Camel Corps (Gordon Relief Expedition)|Guards Camel Corps]] in the [[Sudan campaign]] in 1884–85 and with the [[Egyptian army]] in the Dongala campaign in 1896. In 1899–1900 he served in the [[Second Boer War]] in [[South Africa]], and was [[mentioned in despatches]] for his actions during the [[Battle of Modder River]] 28 November 1899.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=27157 |page=511 |date=26 January 1900}}</ref> In January 1900 he was appointed [[Adjutant general|deputy assistant-adjutant-general]] to the forces in South Africa. He was Sudan agent in [[Cairo]] from 1901 to 1903 with the local rank of [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27382 |date=3 December 1901 |page=8564 }}</ref> then [[Military Attaché]] to [[Berlin]] from 1903 to 1906.  He and [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] fell out, and Gleichen was sent to be [[military attaché]] in [[Washington D.C.]] from 1906 to 1907. He met the [[Wright brothers]] while in Washington and wrote a report on their aircraft, but also failed to form a relationship with U.S. President [[Teddy Roosevelt]]. He was assistant director of Military Operations from 1907 to 1911.
+He served in the [[World War I|First World War]], commanding the [[15th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|15th Brigade]] from 1911 to 1915, and then, after being promoted to major general,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29074|page=1685|date=16 February 1915|supp=y}}</ref> the [[37th Division (United Kingdom)|37th Division]] from 1915 to 1916. He was an [[Directorate of Military Intelligence (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Bureau]] director at the [[Department of Information (United Kingdom)|Department of Information]] from 1917 to 1918. He served as Chairman of the [[Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use|Permanent Committee on Geographical Names]] from 1919.
 At [[Royal Households of the United Kingdom|court]], the Count was appointed an [[Extra Equerry]] to [[King Edward VII]] in July 1901.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27335 |date=19 July 1901 |page=4779}}</ref>
@@ Line 29: / Line 66: @@
 ==Change of title==
-When [[George V|King George V]] commanded his German relatives domiciled in Britain to [[English people|Anglicize]] their names and titles in 1917, the Gleichens' 1913 precedence was reduced several grades to that of younger son/daughters of a marquess in the [[peerage of the United Kingdom]].<ref name=gazette>{{London Gazette |issue=30551 |date=1 March 1918 |page=2632 }}</ref> This was because only [[marquess|marquisal]] rank was conferred upon the King's nearer, heretofore princely relatives, the [[Duke of Teck#Renewal of the title in 1871|Tecks]] and [[House of Battenberg|Battenbergs]]. Although inexplicably allowed to retain their German surname, the Gleichens relinquished use of the [[comital]] title and on 12 September 1917 acquired the prefix of [[Courtesy title#Courtesy prefix of "Lord"|Lord or Lady]], although this was not made hereditary for Edward's descendants as his countship had been.<ref name=gazette/>
+When [[King George V]] commanded his German relatives domiciled in Britain to [[English people|Anglicize]] their names and titles in 1917, the Gleichens' 1913 precedence was reduced several grades to that of younger son/daughters of a marquess in the [[peerage of the United Kingdom]].<ref name=gazette>{{London Gazette |issue=30551 |date=1 March 1918 |page=2632 }}</ref> This was because only [[marquess|marquisal]] rank was conferred upon the King's nearer, heretofore princely relatives, the [[Duke of Teck#Renewal of the title in 1871|Tecks]] and [[House of Battenberg|Battenbergs]]. Although inexplicably allowed to retain their German surname, the Gleichens relinquished use of the [[comital]] title and on 12 September 1917 acquired the prefix of [[Courtesy title#Courtesy prefix of "Lord"|Lord or Lady]], although this was not made hereditary for Edward's descendants as his countship had been.<ref name=gazette/>
-On 2 July 1910, Gleichen married Sylvia Gay [[Baron Kensington#UK title (1886)|Edwardes]] (a niece  of the [[William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington|4th Baron Kensington]]), who was a [[Maid of Honour]] to Queens Victoria and [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra]]. They had no children. He is buried at Holy Trinity Church burial ground, Forest Row, Sussex, England
+On 2 July 1910, Gleichen married Sylvia Gay [[Baron Kensington#UK title (1886)|Edwardes]] (a niece  of the [[William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington|4th Baron Kensington]]), who was a [[maid of honour]] to Queens [[Queen Victoria |Victoria]] and [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra]]. They had no children. He is buried at Holy Trinity Church burial ground, Forest Row, Sussex, England.
-.
+In her memoirs, his sister [[Lady Helena Gleichen]] described a sad incident that happened at [[Overstone Hall]]. A "particularly nice" butler named Atkins tried to learn how to swim in the nearby lake, but disappeared. Lord Edward dived after him numerous times, but was unable to save him. In the end, his body was retrieved.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gleichen |first=Lady Helena |title=Contacts and Contrasts |publisher=Butler & Tanner Ltd. |year=1940 |pages=58}}</ref>
 ==Honours and awards==
@@ Line 46: / Line 84: @@
 *1905: [[Order of the Medjidie]] (Second Class) – for his services in the [[Egyptian Army]]
 *Unknown dates: [[Légion d'honneur|Commander of the Legion of Honour]], [[Order of the Dannebrog]] (First Class)
-==Ancestry==
-{{ahnentafel
-|collapsed=yes |align=center
-|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
-|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
-|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
-|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
-|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
-|1= 1. '''Lord Edward Gleichen'''
-|2= 2. [[Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg]]
-|3= 3. [[Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg|Laura Wilhelmina Seymour]]
-|4= 4. [[Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg]]
-|5= 5. [[Princess Feodora of Leiningen]]
-|6= 6. [[George Seymour (Royal Navy officer)|Sir George Seymour]]
-|7= 7. Georgiana Mary Berkeley
-|8= 8. Carl Ludwig III, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
-|9= 9. Countess Amalie Henriette of [[Solms-Baruth]]
-|10= 10. [[Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen]]
-|11= 11. [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
-|12= 12. [[Lord Hugh Seymour]]
-|13= 13. Lady Anne Horatio Waldegrave
-|14= 14. Sir George Cranfield Berkeley
-|15= 15. Emilia Charlotte Lennox
-|16= 16. Christian Albrecht, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
-|17= 17. Princess Caroline of [[Stolberg-Gedern]]
-|18= 18. Johann Christian II, Count of Solms-Baruth
-|19= 19. Countess Friederike Luise [[Reuss-Köstritz]]
-|20= 20. [[Carl Friedrich Wilhelm, 1st Prince of Leiningen]]
-|21= 21. Countess Christiane of [[Solms-Rödelheim-Assenheim]]
-|22= 22. [[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
-|23= 23. [[Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf|Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf]]
-|24= 24. [[Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford]]
-|25= 25. Lady Isabella Fitzroy
-|26= 26. [[James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave]]
-|27= 27. [[Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh|Maria Walpole]]
-|28= 28. [[Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley]]
-|29= 29. Elizabeth Drax
-|30= 30. [[Lord George Lennox]]
-|31= 31. Lady Louisa Kerr
-}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 98: / Line 95: @@
 {{Commons category|Lord Edward Gleichen}}
 *{{wikisource author-inline}}
-* {{Gutenberg author | id=Gleichen,+Edward,+Lord}}
+* {{Gutenberg author | id=25078}}
 * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Edward Gleichen}}
@@ Line 127: / Line 124: @@
 [[Category:Grenadier Guards officers]]
 [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog]]
-[[Category:Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur]]
+[[Category:Commanders of the Legion of Honour]]
 [[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 2nd class]]
 [[Category:1863 births]]
 [[Category:1937 deaths]]
 [[Category:British military attachés]]
-[[Category:British Army generals]]
+[[Category:British Army major generals]]
+[[Category:English people of German descent]]
 [[Category:British expatriates in Germany]]
+[[Category:Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia]]

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