George Vere Arundel Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway, (24 March 1882 – 27 March 1943) was a British politician. He served as the
fifth Governor-General of New Zealand from 1935 to 1941.
Early life and family
George Vere Arundell Monckton-Arundell Galway was born on 24 March 1882. His parents were
George Monckton-Arundell, 7th Viscount Galway
George Edmund Milnes Monckton-Arundell, 7th Viscount Galway, CB (18 November 1844 – 7 March 1931) was a British Conservative politician and courtier.
Biography
Galway was the son of George Monckton-Arundell, 6th Viscount Galway, and his wife a ...
and
Vere Gosling.
He had one sibling: Violet Frances Monckton-Arundell (14 May 1880 – 24 October 1930).
He received his education at a preparatory school in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
before attending
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 ...
(1895–1900) and
Christ Church College,
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
(1900–1904). He read Modern History and graduated with Bachelor of Arts and took the Master of Arts subsequently (this degree at Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin is an elevation in rank and not a postgraduate qualification).
Viscount Galway married Lucia Margaret White, daughter of the
3rd Baron Annaly, in 1922. They had four children: Mary Victoria Monckton (born 1924), Celia Ella Vere Monckton (1925–1997), Isabel Cynthia Monckton (born 1926) and
Simon George Robert Monckton-Arundell (1929–1971).
Viscount Galway succeeded his father to the family's Irish peerage in 1931.
Military career
Monckton-Arundell 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
Nottinghamshire (Sherwood Rangers) Yeomanry
The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY) was a British Yeomanry regiment. In 1967 it was amalgamated with other units to form the Royal Yeomanry (RY), a light cavalry regiment of the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve. Originally raised as t ...
on 1 January 1900, and 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 11 June 1902. In 1904, he joined the
First Life Guards, the senior regiment of 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 ...
that makes up the
Household Cavalry
The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment st ...
, where he rose to the rank of
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 ...
. During the First World War he was appointed as
adjutant general
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
and
quartermaster general. He was of the Royal Artillery (1933–35). In 1933 he was appointed
Colonel Commandant of the
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...
(HAC) until 1935, when he relinquished it on appointment as Governor-General of New Zealand. Upon retirement from his post as governor-general he returned as Colonel Commandant of the HAC until his death.
He was also appointed
Honorary Colonel of the
7th (Robin Hood) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (later 42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion,
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
) in 1933.
Political ambitions
In 1910, Monckton-Arundell attempted to follow his father into the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
. He contested the
Scarborough constituency in the
January
January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the ...
and
December
December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the last of seven months to have a length of 31 days.
December got its name from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was or ...
elections of 1910, but was unsuccessful both times.
Governor-General of New Zealand
Viscount Galway was
Governor-General of New Zealand
The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and li ...
from 12 April 1935 to 3 February 1941. His military background made an impression with cabinet ministers of the time. His term was twice extended because of 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 ...
.
Viscount Galway and his wife received numerous gifts during his time as governor-general. Some were returned to New Zealand around the time of the sale of the family house
Serlby Hall
Serlby Hall is a grade I listed 18th century mansion and estate in Nottinghamshire, England, located 7 miles north-east of Worksop.
It is constructed of red brick and ashlar with a hipped slate roof. It is built in two storeys with a nine bay f ...
, and were donated to the
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...
in 1980.
Galway was a freemason. During his term as governor-general, he was also Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand. In the
1937 Coronation Honours, he was appointed a member of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
.
Later years and death
Upon his return to England, Galway held the honorary post of Deputy
Lord Lieutenant
A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...
of
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
under the
7th Duke of Portland. He died suddenly on 27 March 1943 in
Blyth.
Arms
References
External links
*
Short biographyby the office of the Governor-General
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galway, George Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount
1882 births
1943 deaths
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Governors-General of New Zealand
Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
British Life Guards officers
Deputy Lieutenants of Nottinghamshire
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
New Zealand Freemasons
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom