Major Sir Schomberg Kerr McDonnell, (22 March 1861 – 23 November 1915)
[McDONNELL, Hon. Sir Schomberg Kerr’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016;] was a
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 ...
officer, politician, and civil servant, who was for a number of years
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.
Background
Kerr McDonnell was born at
Glenarm
Glenarm () is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the North Channel coast north of the town of Larne and the village of Ballygalley, and south of the village of Carnlough. It is situated in the civil parish of Tickmacrevan a ...
in County Antrim the youngest son of ten children to
Mark McDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim
Earl of Antrim is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of Ireland and both times for members of the MacDonnell family, originally of Scottish origins.
History
The MacDonells of Antrim descended from Sorley Boy MacDo ...
(1814–1869), by his wife Jane Emma Hannah Macan (ca. 1825–1892). His paternal grandfather
Lord Mark Kerr (1776–1840) was a descendant of the
Marquess of Lothian
Marquess of Lothian is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, which was created in 1701 for Robert Kerr, 4th Earl of Lothian. The Marquess of Lothian holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Lothian (created 1606), Earl of Lothian (created again 1 ...
, whose wife
Charlotte McDonnell (1779–1835) was the
Countess of Antrim in her own right, hence the change of surname for their descendants.
He 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 at
University College, Oxford
University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...
. Whilst at Oxford he became a
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
in the
Apollo University Lodge
Apollo University Lodge No 357 is a Masonic Lodge based at the University of Oxford aimed at past and present members of the university. It was consecrated in 1819, and its members have met continuously since then.
University of Oxford
Membershi ...
, a
Masonic lodge
A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...
for students and former students of the university.
Political career
In 1888 Kerr McDonnell was appointed
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister,
Lord Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...
, and served as such while he was in office until 1892, and again from 1895 to 1902 (with a short interval while he fought in South Africa in 1900). He also served as private secretary to Lord Salisbury while he was Leader of the Opposition from 1892 to 1895. In failing health, Lord Salisbury resigned as Prime Minister in July 1902, and Kerr McDonnell received a non-political appointment, as Secretary to the
Office of Works
The Office of Works was established in the England, English Royal Household, royal household in 1378 to oversee the building and maintenance of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department forces within the Office of W ...
,
a position he held until 1912. It was the duty of this department to look after the royal palaces, and the position brought him into close contact with the royal family.
Kerr McDonnell was a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the London Volunteer Regiment. Taking leave from his work for the Prime Minister, he took an active commission with the newly raised
City of London Imperial Volunteers
The City of London Imperial Volunteers (CIV) was a British corps of volunteers during the Second Boer War.
After the outbreak of the Second Boer War in October 1899, volunteer corps were established in most counties of the United Kingdom to prov ...
in late 1899. This corps was raised and equipped by the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
for service during 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 ...
, left for South Africa in January 1900, and returned in October the same year.
Honours
Kerr McDonnell was appointed a Companion of the
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...
(CB) in 1892, for his service to the outgoing Prime Minister. He was promoted to a Knight Commander (KCB) of the Order in the
1902 Coronation Honours
The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...
list published on 26 June 1902, and received the knighthood in a private audience with King
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
on 2 August, during the King's convalescence on board
HMY ''Victoria and Albert''. He was appointed a Commander of the
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
(CVO) in 1901, and promoted to Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) in the order in the
1911 Coronation Honours
The Coronation Honours 1911 for the British Empire were announced on 19 June 1911, to celebrate the coronation of George V which was held on 22 June 1911.
The honours were covered in the press at the time, including in ''The Times'' on 20 June 19 ...
list.
Ha was a
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
(FSA).
Death
McDonnell served as Chief Intelligence Officer for the London District from the outbreak of 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 ...
until early 1915 but was then sent to
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, as a
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in command of the 5th battalion
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...
.
He died of wounds sustained on 21 November on
Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient around Ypres in Belgium was the scene of several battles and an extremely important part of the Western front during the First World War.
Ypres district
Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. ...
on 23 November 1915.
He is buried in
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. After Tyne Cot, it is the second largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces i ...
in Belgium, grave reference II-A-7.
A memorial was erected in his memory in Dalness in
Argyllshire
Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
to a design by Sir
Robert Lorimer
Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Gothi ...
and
Robert Matthew
Sir Robert Hogg Matthew, OBE FRIBA FRSE (12 December 1906 – 2 June 1975) was a Scottish architect and a leading proponent of modernism.
Early life & studies
Robert Matthew was the son of John Fraser Matthew (1875–1955) (also an archite ...
.
[Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Robert Lorimer]
Family
He was married in 1913, to Ethel Henry Davis, daughter of Major Alexander H. Davis.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonnell, Schomberg Kerr
1861 births
1915 deaths
Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath
Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Younger sons of earls
Principal Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister
British Army personnel of World War I
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders officers
British military personnel killed in World War I
Burials at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
People from Glenarm
Military personnel from County Antrim