Sir Walter Alexander Leith, 1st Baronet MC (24 September 1869 – 9 November 1956) was a British benefactor. Leith was the son of Walter Leith, of

Ashby de la Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch, sometimes spelt Ashby de la Zouch () and shortened locally to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The town is near to the Derbyshire and Staffordshire ...

, Leicestershire, and Walmer Court,

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 ...

and was educated at

Windlesham House School Windlesham House School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 13 on the South Downs, in Pulborough, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory schoo ...

, Harrow and Brasenose College, Oxford. Afterwards he was the director of a colliery and several iron companies. He served as a lieutenant colonel 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 ...

with the

Northumberland Hussars The Northumberland Hussars was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, transferred to the Royal Artillery for the duration of the Second World War. It was disbanded as an independent Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when the strength of t ...

and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

for his part in the Gallipoli campaign. In 1919 he was created a Baronet. Leith was

High Sheriff of Northumberland This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries ...

in 1923 and later a Deputy Lieutenant of that county. He presented the ''Gosforth Cup'' to Newcastle Racecourse in 1951. His seat was at Greycourt, near Riding Hall, Hexham. A leading member of the

Conservative and Unionist Party The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the Two-party system, two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. ...

in the north of England, in 1929 Leith persuaded the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

to make a three-day visit to the County Durham and

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

coal-fields, where at the time many miners were suffering from unemployment.HRH the Duke of Windsor, ''A King's Story: the Memoirs of H.R.H. the Duke of Windsor, K.G.'' (Cassell & Co., 1951), pp. 226–228 Leith died in November 1956, aged 87, when the baronetcy became extinct.

References

* ''Archaeologia Aeliana, or Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity'' Ed CH Hunter Blair. Society of Antiquarians Newcastle upon Tyne 1943 p 64 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leith, Alexander 1869 births 1956 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom High Sheriffs of Northumberland Deputy Lieutenants of Northumberland People educated at Windlesham House School People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford