Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Sir Augustus Charles Frederick FitzGeorge, (12 June 184730 October 1933) was a
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer and a relative of the
British royal family. FitzGeorge was born in 1847 to
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife
Sarah Fairbrother. His parents' marriage contravened the
Royal Marriages Act 1772
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 (12 Geo 3 c. 11) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribed the conditions under which members of the British royal family could contract a valid marriage, in order to guard against marriages t ...
and not officially recognized, thus FitzGeorge was ineligible to inherit the
Dukedom of Cambridge.
FitzGeorge graduated from the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...
, in 1864, and served as an officer in the British Army until his retirement in 1900. He served as an
aide-de-camp, accompanied
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) during his visit to India (1875–1876), and served as private secretary and
equerry to his father, who was the
Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, later Commander-in-Chief, British Army, or just the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), was (intermittently) the professional head of the English Army from 1660 to 1707 (the English Army, founded in 1645, was succ ...
. In his later years, FitzGeorge served as the chairman of the Cobalt Townsite Silver Mining Company and the Casey Cobalt Mining Company, and as president of the National Health League.
Early life and family
FitzGeorge was born on 12 June 1847 at 31
Queen's Gate
Queen's Gate is a street in South Kensington, London, England. It runs south from Kensington Gardens' Queen's Gate (the edge of which gardens are here followed by Kensington Road) to Old Brompton Road, intersecting Cromwell Road.
The street ...
,
South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
He was the third and youngest son of
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife,
Sarah Fairbrother.
FitzGeorge's two older brothers were
George FitzGeorge
Colonel George William Adolphus FitzGeorge (24 August 1843 – 2 September 1907) was a British soldier and a great-grandson of King George III of the United Kingdom.
Early life
Colonel FitzGeorge was born on 24 August 1843 in London. He was t ...
and
Adolphus FitzGeorge
Rear Admiral Sir Adolphus Augustus Frederick FitzGeorge (30 January 1846 – 17 December 1922) was a senior officer of the Royal Navy.
Biography
Adolphus FitzGeorge was born 30 January 1846, the second son of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge ...
.
Because his parents' marriage contravened the
Royal Marriages Act 1772
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 (12 Geo 3 c. 11) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribed the conditions under which members of the British royal family could contract a valid marriage, in order to guard against marriages t ...
and not officially recognized, FitzGeorge and his brothers were ineligible to inherit the
Dukedom of Cambridge from their father.
Through his father, FitzGeorge was a male-line grandson of
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, (Adolphus Frederick; 24 February 1774 – 8 July 1850) was the tenth child and seventh son of the British king George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 18 ...
, and great-grandson of
King George III.
As a descendant of GeorgeIII, he was a
first cousin once-removed of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
and a first cousin of
Queen Mary, who was the daughter of his paternal aunt,
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
Princess Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth of Cambridge (27 November 1833 – 27 October 1897), later Duchess of Teck, was a member of the British royal family. She was one of the first royals to patronise a wide range of charities.
Mary Ade ...
.
The three sons were raised by their mother at a house at 6 Queen Street in
Mayfair, while their father lived nearby at his official residence,
Gloucester House at
Piccadilly and
Park Lane
Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...
.
FitzGeorge received his early education at private schools in England and
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
Military career
FitzGeorge followed in his father's footsteps by serving in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
.
He attended the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...
and was gazetted in December 1864 as an
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
into the
37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot.
On 24 January 1865, FitzGeorge transferred from the 37th Regiment of Foot to become ensign in the
Rifle Brigade.
While serving in the Rifle Brigade, he was stationed in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
with the 1st Battalion for five years, from 1865 to 1870.
On 14 July 1869, he was promoted to a
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
in the Rifle Brigade.
In 1870, FitzGeorge was appointed
aide-de-camp to General
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala,
Commander-in-Chief of India and served in this position from 1870 until 1875.
While in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, he was part of the suite that accompanied
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) during his visit there from September 1875 until May 1876.
FitzGeorge was promoted to
captain in the Rifle Brigade in November 1877,
and on 20 March 1878, he transferred as a captain to the
11th Hussars, which were then stationed at
Colchester Garrison
Colchester Garrison is a major garrison located in Colchester in the county of Essex, Eastern England. It has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by Legio XX ...
.
He served with the 11th Hussars at
Aldershot Garrison,
Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow
Cavalry Barracks is a former British Army installation located north of Hounslow Heath in Hounslow, west London. Hounslow was one of 40 new barracks established around the country in the wake of the French Revolution, to guard against the dual t ...
, and
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
.
While FitzGeorge was stationed at Aldershot, his regiment was ordered to embark for service at the
Cape of Good Hope following the outbreak of the
First Boer War
The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...
.
However, this order was cancelled soon after, and he missed his first and only opportunity for active service.
In July 1881, FitzGeorge was promoted to
major in the 11th Hussars.
He became extra aide-de-camp to
Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Alison, 2nd Baronet, who was in command of troops at Aldershot Garrison on 1 December 1883.
FitzGeorge served Alison for two years.
In May 1886, he was promoted to
lieutenant colonel in the 11th Hussars.
The Duke of Cambridge appointed FitzGeorge to serve as his
equerry-in-waiting and private secretary on 11 August 1886.
In 1888, he attained the
military rank
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...
of
brevet colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
in the 11th Hussars.
While his father continued to reside officially at Gloucester House,
his mother lived at nearby 6 Queen Street, which FitzGeorge inherited, along with all of its furniture, following her death in 1890.
By 1895, he had moved into Gloucester House to live with his father and manage his affairs.
When the Duke of Cambridge relinquished his role as
Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, later Commander-in-Chief, British Army, or just the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), was (intermittently) the professional head of the English Army from 1660 to 1707 (the English Army, founded in 1645, was succ ...
on 1 November 1895, FitzGeorge was reverted to half-pay, as he was no longer private secretary to the commander-in-chief position.
However, he continued to serve as his father's private secretary and equerry.
FitzGeorge retired from the military on 1 November 1900.
As equerry to the Duke of Cambridge, FitzGeorge accompanied his father as an attendant to significant British royal engagements, including: the funeral of his grandmother,
Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, on 13 April 1889;
the wedding of his cousin Princess Mary of Teck and
Prince George, Duke of York, at
Chapel Royal,
St James's Palace, on 6 July 1893;
the funeral of his aunt, Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, at
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...
, on 3 November 1897;
and the funeral and funeral procession for his uncle
Francis, Duke of Teck, at St George's Chapel, Windsor, on 27 January 1900.
His father served as the head of the British Army as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces from 1856 to 1895, spanning most of FitzGeorge's military career.
Regarding his career in the British Army, FitzGeorge remarked, "Throughout my life, I found my parentage rather a hindrance than a help."
He said that his father was so concerned with being accused of favouritism that when FitzGeorge was up for an appointment against another officer, the other officer received the appointment.
Following his many travels throughout his military career, FitzGeorge claimed to have hunted every type of
big-game in the world.
Later life
The Duke of Cambridge died on 17 March 1904, and FitzGeorge and his brother Adolphus travelled by carriage in his funeral procession.
Despite being the sons of the Duke of Cambridge, royal protocol relegated them to the ninth carriage in the procession, following the
British royal family, official mourners, and foreign diplomats.
Following their father's death, FitzGeorge and Adolphus became active in civic and charitable activities in London. FitzGeorge was appointed the same year Knight Commander in the Royal Victorian Order (K.C.V.O.).
In December 1904, they were involved with the development of a
golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...
on their father's
Coombe estate in
Kingston Hill.
The Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
had granted the estate to their father.
In 1911, FitzGeorge and his brother served on an honorary committee for the Ancient Art Exhibition at
Earls Court
Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...
in the summer of that year.
He and Adolphus also attended the dedication of an extension of the
Wimbledon and Putney Commons
Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon, southwest London. There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common, which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Commons totalling 46 ...
in July 1911.
FitzGeorge and Adolphus continued a longstanding family tradition of distributing gifts of blankets and flannels to the employees of the former Duke of Cambridge's Coombe estate at
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
.
When the FitzGeorge family's Coombe estate was sold in December 1932, it consisted of over between Kingston Hill and
New Malden
New Malden is an area in South West London, England. It is located mainly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton, and is from Charing Cross. Neighbouring localities include Kingston, Norbiton, Raynes ...
, and included three golf courses: Coombe Hill, Coombe Wood, and Malden.
FitzGeorge was also engaged in several business pursuits. He served as the executive chairman of the Cobalt Townsite Silver Mining Company of Canada, which had a silver mine in
Cobalt, Ontario, during the
Cobalt silver rush.
By the company's first annual meeting in December 1907, its mine had already shipped of ore carrying of silver.
He also served as the chairman for the Casey Cobalt Mining Company.
In November 1913, the brothers were named as
godparents
In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...
(along with their cousin Queen Mary) to their great-nephew
Victor FitzGeorge-Balfour, and attended his
christening at
Savoy Chapel
The King's Chapel of St John the Baptist in the Precinct of the Savoy, also known as the King's Chapel of the Savoy, is a church in the City of Westminster, London. Facing it are 111 Strand, the Savoy Hotel, the Institution of Engineering and T ...
.
FitzGeorge-Balfour was the son of FitzGeorge's niece, Mabel Iris FitzGeorge and her husband Robert Shekelton Balfour.
On 1 February 1924, FitzGeorge sustained injuries in a
vehicle accident in Kingston Hill while being driven in a
taxicab
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choi ...
.
The accident occurred after the driver became ill and lost control of the vehicle, causing it to turn over onto a sidewalk.
FitzGeorge was wounded by broken glass in the accident.
By 1933, FitzGeorge served as the president of the National Health League, an organization that claimed a membership of approximately 2,000 British physicians.
The league was organised after ten years of planning, and in July 1933, it took issue publicly with the
British Medical Association and with
germ theory as the sole cause of disease.
The National Health League contended that
environmental factors also played a role in illness, emphasised the importance of
preventive healthcare
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
and accused the British medical establishment of operating for profit.
At a meeting of health experts, FitzGeorge claimed that the British Army rejected 75 per cent of recruits for having preventable medical conditions.
Death
FitzGeorge remained active into his later years and continued to play
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
past the age of 80.
He resided at 6 Queen Street in Mayfair until near his death.
He died on 30 October 1933, at age 86, at a nursing home at 31
Queen's Gate
Queen's Gate is a street in South Kensington, London, England. It runs south from Kensington Gardens' Queen's Gate (the edge of which gardens are here followed by Kensington Road) to Old Brompton Road, intersecting Cromwell Road.
The street ...
in
South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
, London.
He was the last surviving son of the Duke of Cambridge,
and the last surviving member of the suite that accompanied King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) to India.
FitzGeorge never married.
At 86, he would have been one of the
longest-living members of the British royal family, had he been recognized with the title and style of a male-line descendant of
George III.
His funeral was held on 2 November 1933.
The first part of the funeral service was held at Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, with the permission of King George V.
King George and Queen Mary were represented by
Edward Colebrooke, 1st Baron Colebrooke
Edward Arthur Colebrooke, 1st Baron Colebrooke, (12 October 1861 – 28 February 1939), known as Sir Edward Colebrooke, Bt, from 1890 to 1906, was a British Liberal politician and courtier. He served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlem ...
;
Edward, Prince of Wales by his equerry Lieutenant Colonel
Piers Legh;
Prince Albert, Duke of York by Lieutenant Colonel
Dermot McMorrough Kavanagh; and
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn by Lieutenant Colonel
Sir Malcolm Donald Murray.
FitzGeorge was
interred
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
at
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...
in
Kensal Green, London.
Honours
On 17 December 1895, Queen Victoria appointed FitzGeorge a
Companion of the Order of the Bath.
On 28 March 1896, she sanctioned the publication of members of the
Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, in which FitzGeorge was named as an
Esquire of the order.
After King Edward VII assumed the
British throne
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Baili ...
in 1901, the Duke of Cambridge requested that FitzGeorge and his brothers be given the rank of a
British peer
The peerages in the United Kingdom are a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various noble ranks, and forming a constituent part of the British honours system. The term '' peerage'' can be used both coll ...
's younger sons.
King Edward did not honour this request;
however, he did confer the honour of
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on FitzGeorge and his brother Adolphus the day after their father's funeral on 23 March 1904.
Ancestry
References
Bibliography
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External links
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National Portrait Gallery: Sir Augustus Charles Frederick FitzGeorge
{{DEFAULTSORT:FitzGeorge, Augustus
1847 births
1933 deaths
11th Hussars officers
19th-century British Army personnel
20th-century English businesspeople
British mining businesspeople
British nonprofit executives
Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery
Businesspeople from London
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Equerries
Esquires of the Order of St John
Augustus FitzGeorge
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Illegitimate children of British princes
Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Military personnel from London
People from Mayfair
People from South Kensington
Rifle Brigade officers
Secretaries
British Army generals