Auberon Thomas Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas and 5th Lord Dingwall,
PC (25 May 1876 – 3 November 1916), who preferred to be known as Bron Herbert, was a radical British
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politician and
fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...
. He was a member of
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...
's
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
as
President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries between 1914 and 1915.
Background and education
Herbert was the second but eldest surviving son of the Hon.
Auberon Herbert, younger son of
Henry Herbert, 3rd Earl of Carnarvon
Henry John George Herbert, 3rd Earl of Carnarvon, FRS (8 June 1800 – 10 December 1849), styled Lord Porchester from 1811 to 1833, was a British writer, traveller, nobleman, and politician.
Background and education
Herbert was born in London ...
. His mother was Lady Florence, daughter of
George Cowper, 6th Earl Cowper
George Augustus Frederick Cowper, 6th Earl Cowper (26 June 1806 – 15 April 1856), styled Viscount Fordwich until 1837, was a British Whig politician. He served briefly as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under his uncle Lord Melbo ...
. He was educated at
Bedford School
:''Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Girls' School, Bedford High School, Bedford Modern School, Old Bedford School in Bedford, Texas or Bedford Academy in Bedford, Nova Scotia.''
Bedford School is a public school (English indep ...
and
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...
.
Military and political career
Herbert was a captain in the
Hampshire Yeomanry
The Hampshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry cavalry regiment formed by amalgamating older units raised between 1794 and 1803 during the French Revolutionary Wars. It served in a mounted role in the Second Boer War and World War I, and in the air defenc ...
(Carabiniers) and worked as a war correspondent during the
Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
, where he was wounded and lost a leg. His elder brother, Rolf, had died in 1882 and his mother in 1886 and so in 1905 (as the nearest heir) he inherited the
barony of Lucas and the
lordship of Dingwall (which are able to pass through female lines) from his maternal uncle, the
7th Earl Cowper.
However, it was not until 1907 that he was confirmed in the titles by the
Committee for Privileges
The Committee for Privileges and Conduct was a select committee of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom which considered issues relating to the privileges of the House of Lords and its members, as well as having oversight fo ...
of the House of Lords and allowed to take his seat in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
.
Lucas was private secretary to
Richard Haldane, the
Secretary of State for War
The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...
, from 1907 to 1908. In April 1908 he was appointed to his first ministerial post as
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean (appointed in 1794). In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for ...
(with a seat on the
Army Council) by
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...
, a post he held until 1911. He was
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State.
Under-Secretaries of State for the Col ...
between March and October 1911 and then served as
from 1911 to 1914.
He was sworn of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
in 1912 and in August 1914 he entered the cabinet as
President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. However, he did not hold office in the coalition government formed by Asquith in May 1915.
Lucas also played a prominent part in
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...
's Land Campaign.
Lucas served as a captain in the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. On 3 November 1916, whilst flying over
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
lines in the vicinity of
Bapaume
Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.
The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Bapalmois'' or ''Bapalmoises''.
Geography
Bapaume is a far ...
, his aircraft was attacked and brought down by a German fighter-aeroplane, and Lucas died of wounds whilst a prisoner of war the same day at the age of 40 years.
His body was buried in a war grave at the village of
Ecoust-Saint-Mein.
[Entry in the War Graves Commission website for the grave of Capt. Herbert (2019). https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/304085/herbert,-auberon-thomas/]
Personal life
Lord Lucas never married. His titles passed to his sister,
Nan Herbert.
See also
Wrest Park
Wrest Park is a country estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England. It comprises Wrest Park, a Grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens, also Grade I listed, formal gardens surrounding the mansion.
History
Thomas Carew (1595 ...
Notes
*Jones, H.A.
"The War in the Air: Being the Story of the Part Played by the Royal Air Force in the Great War: Vol. II"'. History of the Great War. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1928.
References
CWGC entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Auberon Herbert, 9th Baron
1876 births
1916 deaths
Auberon Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas
Auberon Thomas Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas and 5th Lord Dingwall, PC (25 May 1876 – 3 November 1916), who preferred to be known as Bron Herbert, was a radical British Liberal politician and fighter pilot. He was a member of H. H. Asquith's cabi ...
Dingwall, Auberon Herbert, 5th Lord
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
British war correspondents
Lucas of Crudwell, Auberon Herbert, 9th Baron
British Army personnel of World War I
British military personnel killed in World War I
British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
Hampshire Yeomanry officers
People educated at Bedford School
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
Agriculture ministers of the United Kingdom
Barons Lucas