Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Reginald Le Normand Brabazon, 13th Earl of Meath

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, DL (24 November 1869 – 10 March 1949), known as Lord Ardee from 1887 to 1929, was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

soldier. Brabazon was the eldest son of

Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath, (31 July 1841 – 11 October 1929) was an Irish politician and philanthropist. The Honourable Reginald Brabazon was born into an old Anglo-Irish family in London, the second son of William Brabazon, 11t ...

, and Lady Mary Jane Maitland. He married Lady Aileen May Wyndham-Quin, daughter of

Wyndham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, (12 February 1841 – 14 June 1926), styled Viscount Adare between 1850 and 1871, was an Anglo-Irish journalist, landowner, entrepreneur, sportsman and Conservative politician. ...

, and Florence Elizabeth Kerr, on 12 February 1908 at the

Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks The Royal Military Chapel, commonly known as the Guards' Chapel, is a British Army place of worship that serves as the religious home of the Household Division at the Wellington Barracks in Westminster, Greater London. Completed in 1838 in the sty ...

. Educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

, he was commissioned into the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

in 1889. He served 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 ...

from 1899–1902 and was decorated with the Queen's Medal, three clasps, and the King's Medal, two clasps. It was during this period that he conceived his version of a

water clock A water clock or clepsydra (; ; ) is a timepiece by which time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into (inflow type) or out from (outflow type) a vessel, and where the amount is then measured. Water clocks are one of the oldest time- ...

. He served again in 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 ...

, and was gassed in 1918 while commanding the 4th Guards Brigade. At the conclusion of his service, he had attained the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. His other vocation was gardening, and indeed the gardens at Killruddery House, the Meath family estate, now figure more highly in tourist books than the house itself. He was made a

in 1919 and died on 10 March 1949 aged 79 at Killruddery.

References

Reginald Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language. Etymology and history The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...