Major Sir Edward Seymour, (10 February 1877 – 28 February 1948) 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 courtier. Seymour was the third son of Leopold Richard Seymour and Mary Hubbard Sturgis; his paternal grandfather was

George Hamilton Seymour Sir George Hamilton Seymour (21 September 1797 – 2 February 1880) was a British diplomat. Seymour was the son of Lord George Seymour and his wife Isabella, daughter of Rev. George Hamilton. In 1831 he married Gertrude, daughter of Henry Tre ...

, a grandson of a

Duke of Somerset Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

of the

Seymour family Seymour, Semel or St. Maur, is the name of an English family in which several titles of nobility have from time to time been created, and of which the Duke of Somerset is the head. Origins The family was settled in Monmouthshire in the 13th cen ...

. He commissioned into a

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

battalion of the East Surrey Regiment where he advanced 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 ...

, but transferred to the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

as a second lieutenant on 28 July 1897. He saw active service in the Nile Expedition in 1898 during the Mahdist War, and was promoted to lieutenant in the regiment on 15 February 1899. Serving in South Africa during 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 South ...

from 1900 to 1902; he took part in operations in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

April to May 1900, and operations in the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

in May 1900, including the action at Biddulphsberg that month, where he was wounded. Following the end of the war in June 1902, he returned with a large contingent of the guards regiments on board the SS ''Lake Michigan'', which arrived in Southampton in October 1902. In 1904 he was seconded for service on the Staff. In 1908 Seymour left the army and became Comptroller in the household of

Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont (later Duchess of Albany; 17 February 1861 – 1 September 1922) was a member of the British royal family by marriage. She was the fifth daughter and child of George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, ...

. He rejoined the regular army following 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 ...

and was re-granted a commission in the Grenadier Guards on 19 August 1914. During the war he was Mentioned in Dispatches and awarded 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, ty ...

. In 1923 he was appointed as an equerry to

Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of ...

, serving in the role until 1925. He was Comptroller to

Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom Princess Victoria (Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary; 6 July 1868 – 3 December 1935) was the fourth child and second daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and the younger sister of King George V. Early life and education Victoria A ...

between 1925 and 1935, and held the office of Extra Equerry to

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

in 1935. Seymour was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the

1934 New Year Honours The 1934 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were an ...

. He then served as an Extra Equerry to Edward VIII in 1936 and to

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

from 1937 to his death in 1948. In 1905 Seymour married Lady Blanche Frances Conyngham, daughter of Henry Conyngham, 4th Marquess Conyngham, with whom he had a son and a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Edward 1877 births 1948 deaths British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Companions of the Distinguished Service Order East Surrey Regiment officers English courtiers Equerries Grenadier Guards officers Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire