Sir Nigel Edward Strutt DL TD (18 January 1916 – 28 January 2004) was the chairman of the

Strutt & Parker Strutt & Parker is one of the largest property consultancies in the UK with a network of 60 offices, 10 in prime central London. It was founded in 1885, by the partnership of two friends, Hon. Edward Gerald Strutt and Charles Alfred Parker. In 20 ...

(Farms) Ltd firm of agricultural property consultants,

land agent Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts. Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the landed gentry, supervising the farming of the prop ...

s and farm managers. He farmed in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

and Suffolk. He was a Deputy Lieutenant for Essex from 1954, and

High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the ...

in 1966. He was offered of a peerage but declined it, as had his great-great-grandfather, Joseph Holden Strutt.

Early life

Strutt was the youngest son of Captain Edward Jolliffe Strutt and his wife Amelie (née Devas). His grandfather, Hon. Edward Gerald Strutt, was the fifth son of

John James Strutt, 2nd Baron Rayleigh John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, and younger brother of

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning physicist,

John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, (; 12 November 1842 – 30 June 1919) was an English mathematician and physicist who made extensive contributions to science. He spent all of his academic career at the University of Cambridge. Amo ...

. His great-uncle was a founder member of the Order of Merit; his grandfather was an early Companion of Honour. The Strutts can trace their ancestry to a miller from Essex who died in 1694. They became stalwart members of the shire gentry, and several members of the family sat in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

from the 18th century. Nigel's great-great-grandfather, Joseph Strutt, was an MP for 40 years and colonel of several regiments of Essex militia. He was offered a peerage, but suggested that the title be conferred on his wife instead, so Lady Charlotte Strutt became Baroness Rayleigh. Strutt was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He showed interest in farming, and attended

Wye College bio sciences -> social sciences -> business school Pictures of OLT, Old Hall,Cloister, Parlour --> The College of St Gregory and St Martin at Wye, commonly known as Wye College, was an education and research institution in the village of Wye ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Career

Strutt joined the

Essex Yeomanry The Essex Yeomanry was a Reserve unit of the British Army that originated in 1797 as local Yeomanry Cavalry Troops in Essex. Reformed after the experience gained in the Second Boer War, it saw active service as cavalry in World War I and as ar ...

in 1937, and moved to Africa to become an honorary aide-de-camp to the governor of Northern Rhodesia. He joined the Essex Yeomanry

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link r ...

on 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 opposi ...

. He served as a

forward observation officer An artillery observer, artillery spotter or forward observer (FO) is responsible for directing artillery and mortar (weapon), mortar shooting, fire onto a target. It may be a ''forward air controller'' (FAC) for close air support (CAS) and spo ...

in North Africa and was severely wounded in 1941 near

Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. ...

, in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

, losing his right eye. After recovering from his injuries, he was offered a staff position as an ADC in Palestine, but asked to be returned to his regiment instead. However, before he could rejoin his comrades, he was captured by a German patrol and sent to a

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

in northern Italy. In Camp 41, near

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

, he shared a room with Edward Tomkins and Pat Gibson, all three becoming firm friends. He was

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be ...

at Tomkins's wedding in 1955. Strutt was repatriated in 1943 on medical grounds and in exchange for a German prisoner. He kept his

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

, rejoining the Essex Yeomanry after the war and was later awarded the

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer Officer's Decoration when the Te ...

. After the war, Strutt became a farmer, living for the remainder of his life in a farmhouse in

Terling Terling (pronounced Tar-ling) is a village and civil parish in the county of Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, th ...

. He farmed in

and Suffolk, through two family firms, Lord Rayleigh's Farms and Strutt & Parker Farms. The farms produced wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, peas and sugar beet, with herds of Friesian cattle at

and

Lavenham Lavenham is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is noted for its Guildhall, Little Hall, 15th-century church, half-timbered medieval cottages and circular walks. In the mediev ...

producing two million gallons of

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

per annum.

Later life

Strutt was a member of the National Economic Development Council for Agriculture, and chairman of the Advisory Council for Agriculture and Horticulture from 1973-80. He was president of the

Country Landowners' Association The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is a membership organisation for owners of land, property and businesses in rural England and Wales. It was until quite recently called the Country Landowners' Association. Membership CLA members ...

from 1967-9, president of the British Friesian Cattle Society in 1974-5, and president of the

Royal Agricultural Society of England The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840. RASE is bas ...

in 1982-3. He became a fellow at Wye College in 1970, and was Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers in 1976-7. He received the Massey Ferguson Award in 1976, and received honorary degrees from Cranfield University and

Essex University The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Ess ...

. Strutt became a Deputy Lieutenant for Essex in 1954 and in 1966 he was

. He was knighted in 1972. Like his ancestor, Joseph Strutt, he was offered of a peerage, but declined. Strutt had an apartment in The Albany, and was a member of

Brooks's Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world. History In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...

. He enjoyed outdoor activities, such as walking, game shooting, and skiing. He never married.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strutt, Nigel 1916 births 2004 deaths People from Terling Alumni of Wye College Royal Horse Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II British World War II prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Italy Deputy Lieutenants of Essex High Sheriffs of Essex

Nigel Nigel ( ) is an English language, English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is commonly found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walte ...

Essex Yeomanry officers