Herbert Dixon Asquith (11 March 1881 – 5 August 1947) was an English poet, novelist, and lawyer.
Nicknamed "Beb" by his family, he was the second son of
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...
, British
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
, with whom he is sometimes confused, and the younger brother of
Raymond Asquith
Raymond Herbert Asquith (6 November 1878 – 15 September 1916) was an English barrister and eldest son of British prime minister H. H. Asquith. A distinguished Oxford scholar, he was a member of the fashionable group of intellectuals known as ...
.
Asquith was greatly affected by his service with the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
in
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 ...
.
His poems included "The Volunteer" and "The Fallen Subaltern", the latter being a tribute to fallen soldiers. His poem "Soldiers at Peace" was set to music by
Ina Boyle
Ina Boyle (8 March 1889 – 10 March 1967) was an Irish composer. Her compositions encompass a broad spectrum of genres and include choral, chamber and orchestral works as well as opera, ballet and vocal music. While a number of her works, incl ...
. His novels include the best-selling ''Young Orland'' (set during and after the First World War), ''Wind's End'', ''Mary Dallon'', and ''Roon''.
In 1910, he married
Lady Cynthia Charteris, who was also a writer. She was the eldest daughter of
Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss
Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and 7th Earl of March DL (25 August 1857 – 12 July 1937), styled Lord Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was a British Conservative politician.
Early life
He was the fifth but eldest surviving son of The 1 ...
, and his wife,
Mary Constance Wyndham
Mary Constance Charteris, Countess of Wemyss and March (''née'' Wyndham; 3 August 1862 – 29 April 1937), styled Lady Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was an English society hostess and an original member of The Souls, an exclusive social and intell ...
.
They had three sons.
References
External links
*
Profile
1881 births
1947 deaths
Military personnel from London
English barristers
Presidents of the Oxford Union
Younger sons of earls
Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
British Army personnel of World War I
Royal Artillery officers
Herbert Asquith
English World War I poets
20th-century English male writers
People from Hampstead
20th-century English poets
20th-century English novelists
English male poets
English male novelists
20th-century English lawyers
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