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 sub ...

Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Lord Settrington (26 January 1899 – 24 August 1919) was a British aristocrat and heir to the dukedoms of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon. A lieutenant 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 ...

during

World War I 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 ...

and the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, he was killed during the North Russia intervention.

Early life

Four generations of the Dukes of Richmond

Charles Gordon-Lennox was born on 29 January 1899 at 67

Cadogan Square Cadogan Square () is a residential square in Knightsbridge, London, that was named after Earl Cadogan. Whilst it is mainly a residential area, some of the properties are used for diplomatic and educational purposes (notably Hill House School). ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, to Lord Settrington and his wife, Hilda Brassey. Since his elder brother died in infancy in 1895, Charles was heir to the dukedoms of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon, as well as the French dukedom of Aubigny. He was an illegitimate descendant of King Charles II and

Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth (5 September 1649 – 14 November 1734) was a mistress of Charles II of England. Early life Louise was the daughter of Guillaume de Penancoët, Seigneur de Kéroualle (d. 1690) ...

. From the death of his great-grandfather, the 6th Duke of Richmond, in 1903 he held the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

Lord Settrington. Charles was raised at Molecomb House, a house on the family's

Goodwood Estate Goodwood may refer to: Events * Goodwood Festival of Speed, a motorsport event in the United Kingdom * Glorious Goodwood, a horseracing event in the United Kingdom * Goodwood Revival, a historical motorsport event in the United Kingdom Places a ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

. In 1903, at the age of four, he attended the ninth birthday party of Prince Edward of Wales, the future King Edward VIII and later Duke of Windsor. In 1911, he was his grandfather's page at the

coronation of King George V The coronation of George V and his wife Mary as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and as Emperor and Empress of India, took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Thursday 22 June 1911. This was the second of fou ...

. His grandfather, the 7th Duke of Richmond, carried the Sceptre with Dove. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and 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 infantry a ...

Military service

World War I

On 26 October 1916, Settrington received a commission in the Irish Guards with the rank of

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. He was later raised to the rank of

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 sub ...

on 22 July 1917. Prior to being deployed, his girlfriends included

Joyce Barbour Joyce Barbour (1901–1977) was an English actress. She was the wife of the actor Richard Bird (actor), Richard Bird. Barbour was born in Birmingham on 27 March 1901 the daughter of Horace and Miriam Barbour, her father was an assurance cle ...

and

Faith Celli Faith Celli (27 November 1888 – 16 December 1942), born Dorothy Faith Standing, was an English actress, particularly associated with the plays of J. M. Barrie and A. A. Milne. She had a 20-year career from 1907, after which she retired from the ...

, to the disapproval of his mother. On 13 April 1918, after three days under heavy enemy artillery fire, Settrington went missing in action during the

Battle of Hazebrouck Hazebrouck (, nl, Hazebroek, , vls, Oazebroeke) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France. It was a small market town in Flanders until it became an important railway junction in the 1860s. West Flemish was the usual language until ...

. He had been captured by the Germans and remained a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

until the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

. He return to England in December 1918.Murland, p. 167.

Russian Civil War

After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, the Allies intervened in the

on the side of the White movement. Bored with civilian life, Settrington volunteered with the 45th Battalion of the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

and was deployed to North Russia as part of the North Russia intervention. On 10 August 1919, British troops advanced to the Northern Dvina, southeast of Arkhangelsk, and attacked the Bolshevik positions. They captured the villages of Sludka and Lypovets. That evening, the company, with the 16th Company of D Platoon as the rear, attempted to link up with the main Allied force, burdened with villagers, wounded and over 500 released prisoners. On the morning of 11 August, the company was crossing a makeshift bridge over the Sheika River. They came under enemy fire and Settrington was shot in the chest, falling into the river. Settrington, along with three other soldiers, were pulled from the river by

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

, an action for which he was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

Death and legacy

Settrington died of his injuries in

Berezniki Kydzakar, also known as Berezniki ( koi, Кыдззака́р, russian: Березники́), is the second largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Perm Krai, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Kama River, in the Ural ...

, Severnaya Oblast, on 24 August 1919 at the age of 20. He was buried in the Imperial War Graves Commission's

Archangel Allied Cemetery The Archangel Allied Cemetery is a military cemetery in Archangel, Russia, that is under the management of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Amongst the buried is Charles Gordon-Lennox, Lord Settrington, Samuel George Pearse, an Australian s ...

. A memorial service was held in

at the

Guards' Chapel, Wellington Barracks The Royal Military Chapel, commonly known as the Guards' Chapel, is a British Army place of worship that serves as the religious home of the Household Division at the Wellington Barracks in Westminster, Greater London. Completed in 1838 in the sty ...

. Settrington was considered the first love of

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

, the future Queen Mother. Upon his death, Lady Elizabeth called him "my only true friend", writing: "I was not shy about him and he was so delightful. It's terrible, and his family just adored him. He was completely unique and always said what he thought ..Charlie was the only one I could talk to in a completely natural and simple way - he was dear to me, and I miss him very much". A memorial plaque to Settrington and his father was erected in the Church of St Mary and St Blaise,

Boxgrove Boxgrove is a village, ecclesiastical parish and civil parish in the Chichester District of the English county of West Sussex, about north east of the city of Chichester. The village is just south of the A285 road which follows the line of the R ...

, near Goodwood.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Settrington, Charles Gordon-Lennox, Lord 1899 births 1919 deaths Military personnel from London People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Irish Guards officers Royal Fusiliers officers British Army personnel of World War I British World War I prisoners of war British Army personnel of the Russian Civil War British military personnel killed in action Burials at Archangel Allied Cemetery British courtesy barons and lords of Parliament