George Charles Patrick Bingham, 6th Earl of Lucan MC (24 November 1898 – 21 January 1964), known as Lord Bingham from 1914 to 1949, was an

Irish peer The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisio ...

, British soldier and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician.

Early life

Pat Lucan was the eldest son of the 5th Earl of Lucan and his wife, Violet Sylvia Blanche, daughter of J. Spender Clay. 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 at 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 career

He entered 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 ...

and was commissioned as 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 ...

into the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

, 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 ...

. Remaining in the army, he attended 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 ...

. He was a

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 of ...

and commanded the 1st Battalion of the regiment from 1940 to 1942 during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. From 1942 to 1945 he was Deputy Director for Ground Defence in the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

House of Lords

He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1949 and took his seat on the

benches in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. Lord Lucan served under

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Mini ...

Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a UK Government post usually held by the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords. The present Captain is The 9th Earl of Courtown, who was appointed to the position in ...

(Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords) from 1950 to 1951 and as

Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations The Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations was a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom Government from 1947 until 1966. The holder was responsible for assisting the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations in dealing with B ...

in 1951. Between 1954 and 1964 he was Chief Opposition Whip in the House of Lords.

Marriage and children

Lord Lucan was married on 23 December 1929 to Kaitlin Elizabeth Anne Dawson, daughter of Captain Edward Stanley Dawson, second son of

Richard Dawson, 1st Earl of Dartrey Richard Dawson, 1st Earl of Dartrey KP (7 September 1817 – 12 May 1897), styled the Hon. Richard Dawson until 1827 and the Lord Cremorne from 1827 to 1866, was an Anglo-Irish Liberal, and later Liberal Unionist, politician. Life Dartrey was ...

. They had two sons and two daughters: * Lady Jane Bingham (born 13 October 1932) m. 1960 James Driscol Griffin and had one daughter, three sons. *

Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British peer who disappeared after being suspected of murder. He was an Anglo-I ...

(born 18 December 1934, disappeared November 1974), and had three children, Frances,

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

, and Camilla. * Lady Sarah Bingham (born 5 September 1936) m. 1958 William Gibbs and had three daughters, one son. * Hugh Bingham (24 April 1939 – July 2018, South Africa) Lucan died on 21 January 1964, aged 65 resident at 11 Hanover House, Regents Park, London. His free assets were sworn by the

Dowager A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property—a "dower"—derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchy, monarchical and aristocracy, aristocratic Title#Aristocr ...

Lady Lucan, who died in 1985, as £53,479.''Probate Calendars of England and Wales of 1964'' p.974 His stake in family settled land was sworn by Coutts to be a further £41,000. These sums were . His widow retained few assets on her death and her estate was sworn for probate in 1986 as £115,376 (), when she lived at her son-in-law's vicarage.''Probate Calendars of England and Wales of 1986'' p.5197 He was succeeded in the earldom and a managed share in the settled estates by his eldest son, who made great gambling losses, was legally presumed to have murdered his children's nanny and suddenly disappeared from the scene in 1974.

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *
History of the Bingham family

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucan, George Bingham, 6th Earl of 1898 births 1964 deaths British Army personnel of World War II British Army personnel of World War I Coldstream Guards officers

Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Labour Party (UK) hereditary peers Ministers in the Attlee governments, 1945–1951 People educated at Eton College Recipients of the Military Cross Bingham Baronets, of Castlebar