Captain Claude Champion de Crespigny, DSO (11 September 1873 – 18 May 1910) was a British soldier and

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

player.

Early life

He was the eldest, and

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

, of nine children born to the former Louisa Margaret McKerrall, and Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 4th Baronet (1847–1935), who went bankrupt in 1881. His paternal grandparents were

Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 3rd Baronet Sir Claude William Champion de Crespigny, 3rd Baronet, (25 June 1818 – 11 August 1868) was an English people, English first-class cricketer and British Army officer. The son of Augustus James Champion de Crespigny, he was born at Mayfair in ...

, the first-class cricketer and British Army officer, and the former Mary Tyrell (a daughter of

Sir John Tyrell, 2nd Baronet Sir John Tyssen Tyrell, 2nd Baronet (21 December 1795 – 19 September 1877), of Boreham House, near Chelmsford, Essex, was an English Conservative Party politician. Family Tyrell was the eldest son of Sir John Tyrell, 1st Baronet and Sarah Tyss ...

). His paternal grandparents were Robert McKerrall, Emily Pauline Staveley. Claude was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

Career

He joined 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 ...

when he was commissioned a

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 ...

in the

2nd Life Guards The 2nd Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 2nd Troop of Horse Guards and 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated ...

on 3 July 1895, and was promoted to

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 5 August 1896. He served in the

Second 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 Sout ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

from 1899 to 1900, and was twice wounded in action and twice recommended for 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 ...

for acts of immense bravery. Though he never received this decoration, he was appointed a

Companion of the Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typic ...

(DSO) for his services in South Africa in November 1900. Following the war, he received the substantive rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in his regiment on 12 January 1902, then served in West Africa in 1903. He later became the Aide-de-Camp to the

Viceroy and Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

Sporting

Claude was a member of a very sporting family and was a successful

player, he was selected for the

Hurlingham Club The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive private social and athletic club located in the Fulham area of London, England. Founded in 1869, it has a Georgian-style clubhouse set in of grounds. It is a member of the Association of London Clubs. Histo ...

team that traveled to compete in America in 1910. He won the Roehampton Cup in 1907 and 1908. It was said that he "can hunt like a hound, swim like a fish, run like a hare, and box like

Jeffries Jeffries is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adam Jeffries (b. 1976), American actor * Ben Jeffries (b. 1980), Australian rugby league footballer * Bill Jeffries (b. 1945), former New Zealand politician * Charles Jeffries (186 ...

Personal life

In 1904, he served as best man at the wedding of

Herbert Spender-Clay Herbert Henry Spender-Clay, PC CMG DL JP (4 June 1875 – 15 February 1937) was an English soldier and Conservative Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1910 to 1937. Early life Herbert Henry Spender-Clay was born on 4 June ...

(who attended Eton at the same time as Crespigny) to heiress Pauline Astor, the eldest daughter of

William Waldorf Astor William Waldorf "Willy" Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (31 March 1848 – 18 October 1919) was an American-British attorney, politician, businessman (hotels and newspapers), and philanthropist. Astor was a scion of the very wealthy Astor family of ...

(later 1st

Viscount Astor Viscount Astor, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1917 for the financier and statesman William Waldorf Astor, 1st Baron Astor. He had already been created Baron Astor, of ...

). On 18 May 1910 Claude committed suicide age 37, and was found dead by the roadside at

King's Cliffe King's Cliffe (variously spelt Kings Cliffe, King's Cliff, Kings Cliff, Kingscliffe) is a village and civil parish on Willow Brook, a tributary of the River Nene, about northeast of Corby in North Northamptonshire. The parish adjoins the count ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. Claude had arrived at King's Cliffe from London the night before and upon his arrival, had "set out to walk in the direction of

Apethorpe Hall Apethorpe Palace (pronounced ''Ap-thorp'', formerly known as "Apethorpe Hall", "Apethorpe House", "Apthorp Park" or "Apthorp Palace" ) in the parish of Apethorpe, Northamptonshire, England, is a Grade I listed country house dating back to the ...

, the residence of Leonard Brassey and Lady Violet Brassey, where he had been an occasional visitor." The physician and coroner concluded that a temporary madness may have been caused by influenza and repeated heavy falls whilst playing polo. His younger brother, Claude Raul, became the fifth Baronet upon their father's death in 1935.

References

Notes Sources

External links

Claude Champion de Crespigny (1873–1910)
at

Art UK Art UK is a cultural, education charity in the United Kingdom, previously known as the Public Catalogue Foundation. Since 2003, it has digitised more than 220,000 paintings by more than 40,000 artists and is now expanding the digital collection t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crespigny, Claude Champion De English polo players Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British Life Guards officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War 1910 deaths 1873 births People educated at Eton College Suicides by firearm in England British military personnel who committed suicide Younger sons of baronets 1910 suicides