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 ...

Sir William Bromley-Davenport, (21 January 1862 – 6 February 1949) was a British soldier, footballer and Conservative politician. He fought with distinction in both the Second Boer War and the First World War. An MP from 1886 to 1906, he held political office under Arthur Balfour as Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1903 to 1905.

Background and education

Bromley-Davenport was the son of William Bromley Davenport and his wife Augusta Elizabeth Campbell, daughter of Walter Campbell, of

Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...

. He was educated at Eton and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

.Brief biography of Sir William Bromley-Davenport
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Footballing career

Bromley-Davenport played football for Oxford University and Old Etonians. He represented England on two occasions in March 1884, against Scotland and Wales respectively. A centre-forward, he scored two goals in the game against Wales.

Political and military career

Bromley-Davenport was elected Member of Parliament for

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

in the July 1886 general election. He was appointed 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

Staffordshire Yeomanry The Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) was a unit of the British Army. Raised in 1794 following Prime Minister William Pitt's order to raise volunteer bodies of men to defend Great Britain from foreign invasion, the Staffordshir ...

on 30 December 1891, and received the honorary rank of

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 ...

on 28 February 1900. While an MP, he fought in the Second Boer War with the Imperial Yeomanry, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in November 1900. At the end of 1901, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

. He served in the Conservative administration of Arthur Balfour as Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1903 to 1905 and was a Civil Member of the Army Council from 1904 to 1905. However, he lost his seat in the House of Commons in the 1906 Liberal landslide. During the First World War Bromley-Davenport commanded the 22nd Mounted Brigade of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force with the rank of

from 1916 to 1917. He was also Assistant Director of Labour from 1917 to 1918. Between 1920 and 1949 he held the honorary post of Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire. He was made a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) in 1918, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1919 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1924.

Personal life

Bromley-Davenport's seat was Capesthorne Hall,

. He died unmarried in February 1949, aged 87.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bromley-Davenport, William 1862 births 1949 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Deputy Lieutenants of Cheshire English footballers England international footballers Oxford University A.F.C. players British Army cavalry generals of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Lord-Lieutenants of Cheshire Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 Imperial Yeomanry officers Association football forwards British sportsperson-politicians