Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Marten Dunne (27 August 1864 – 23 February 1944) was a British

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

officer and

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.

Career

Dunne was the third son of Thomas Dunne of Gatley Park and Bircher Hall,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

and his wife, Harriet (née Russell). His maternal grandfather was General Sir Edward Lechmere Graves Russell of Ashford Hall,

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The t ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

. Following education at

Wellington College, Berkshire Wellington College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the village of Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,200 pupils, between the ages of 13 and ...

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 ...

, he received a commission as an officer in the

Border Regiment The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After service i ...

in 1884. He subsequently entered the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

, passing out of the institution in 1891. In 1896 his father died, and he resigned his commission. In 1899 he married Grace Daphne Rendel, daughter of Lord Rendel, former Liberal MP for

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...

. On the outbreak of 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 ...

in the same year, he volunteered to return to the army, becoming brigade major at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

. Following the war the couple moved to Gatley Park, an estate adjoining

Wigmore Castle Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle about from the village of Wigmore, Herefordshire, Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England. History Wigmore Castle was founded after the Norman conquest of England, Norman Conquest, probabl ...

. In 1905 Dunne unsuccessfully contested a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

Kingswinford Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census. The current economic focus ...

for the Liberals. In the following year a

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

was held, and he was elected to serve as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

. He was only an MP for one term: at the next general election in January 1910 he was defeated by his Conservative opponent. He was chosen as Liberal candidate for the Melton Division of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

at the next election in December, but was not elected. On the outbreak of 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 ...

, Dunne was appointed to the staff of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

. In 1915 he was transferred to

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, as part of the headquarters staff of the Western Command. He spent the latter part of the war on secondment to the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

. Following the war, he settled back into country life in Herefordshire, where he was appointed a deputy lieutenant on 15 January 1919. He was high sheriff of the county in 1922, and served as a county alderman on Herefordshire County Council, where he chaired the education committee.

Family

Dunne married in 1899 Hon. Grace Daphne Rendel (1868–1952), daughter and co-heir of Lord Rendel. Her elder sister was married to

Henry Gladstone, 1st Baron Gladstone of Hawarden Henry Neville Gladstone, 1st Baron Gladstone of Hawarden (2 April 1852 – 28 April 1935) was a British businessman and politician. He was the third son of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. Background and education Gladstone was the th ...

. They had two daughters and a son: * Sylvia Griselda Dunne (b1900). * Monica Clarice Dunne (b. 23 December 1902); married Colonel Cyril George Darby, MC, and had a daughter and a son Adrian Darby. * Philip Russell Rendel Dunne (28 February 1904 – 13 April 1965), who sat as

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

MP for Stalybridge and Hyde from 1935 to 1937. E M Dunne died in February 1944, aged 79. His widow died in 1952.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, Edward Marten 1864 births 1944 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 Border Regiment officers High Sheriffs of Herefordshire Deputy Lieutenants of Herefordshire British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley