Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Sir Gilbert John Acland-Troyte, (4 September 1876 – 27 April 1964) of

Huntsham Court Huntsham Court is a Grade II* listed country house in Huntsham, Devon, England. Built in 1868–70, it was designed in the Tudor Gothic style by Benjamin Ferrey for Charles Troyte. It was then the home of his son and local MP, Sir Gilbert Acl ...

, near Tiverton, Devon, was a British soldier and

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician.

Background

He was the third son of Colonel Charles Arthur William Troyte of Huntsham Court, by his wife Katherine Mary Walrond, daughter of

Sir John Walrond, 1st Baronet Sir John Walrond Walrond, 1st Baronet (1 March 1818 – 23 April 1889), of Bradfield House, Uffculme in Devon (known as John Walrond Dickinson until 22 April 1845), was a British Conservative Party politician. Origins He was born on 1 March 1818 ...

of Bradfield House, Uffculme, Devon. Acland-Troyte 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

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

Career

Military

Acland-Troyte was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Volunteer Battalion,

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

on 11 November 1896. He transferred to the regular army with appointment as second lieutenant in the 4th battalion,

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

on 8 February 1899, and fought with his battalion 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 ...

one year later, where he 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 25 January 1900, and was later dangerously wounded. He was with his regiment in

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

between 1903 and 1904 and was afterwards promoted to lieutenant. He rose to captain by 1905, for services to the Colonial Office. During 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 ...

, Acland-Troyte was mentioned in despatches seven times. He was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General in the beginning of 1915 and was promoted to major in September. In 1916 Acland-Troyte was decorated with 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, typ ...

and in 1917 was made a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG). After the war he received the French

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

in January 1919 and retired as brevet lieutenant-colonel a few months later. At the outbreak 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 ...

he was reactivated and in 1940 joined the Home Guard.

Political

Acland-Troyte contested unsuccessfully the parliamentary seat of Tiverton in a by-election in 1923 and in the following general election. He was however successful the next year and was elected MP for Tiverton in 1924, which seat he held until 1945.

Retirement

Following his retirement from politics he was knighted and in 1946 accepted the office of Master of the Tiverton Foxhounds which he fulfilled until 1950. He was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and alderman of Tiverton. In 1937 he was elected president of the Country Landowners Association, which post he left after two years.

Marriage

On 12 October 1909 he married Gwladys Eleanor Quicke (d.1968), daughter of Ernest Henry Godolphin Quicke of Newton House,

Newton St Cyres Newton St Cyres is a village, civil parish former manor and former ecclesiastical parish in Mid Devon, in the English county of Devon, located between Crediton and Exeter. It had a population of 562 at the 2011 Census. The village is part of ...

, Devon.Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 15th Edition, ed. Pirie-Gordon, H., London, 1937, pp.2290-1, pedigree of Acland-Troyte of Huntsham Court; pp.1875-6, pedigree of Quicke of Newton St Cyres

Death

Acland-Troyte died in 1964, childless and was survived by his wife for four years. He is buried at

All Saints' Church, Huntsham All Saints' Church, Huntsham is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England. It is in the small village of Huntsham, about to the north-east of Tiverton. It is part of the Hukeley Mission group of parishes, which also includes St ...

in Devon.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Acland-Troyte, Gilbert 1876 births 1964 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel of the Third Somaliland Expedition Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) King's Royal Rifle Corps officers People educated at Eton College UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 Devonshire Regiment officers