Sir William Peter Bulmer (20 May 1920 – 28 November 2012) was Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire from 1978 to 1985. Having escaped from a

POW 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. ...

during

World War II 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 opposing ...

he went on to become managing director of the family business, Bulmer & Lumb, between 1963 and 1985. He has been described as 'a leading figure in the textile industry'.

Early life

Bulmer was born on in

Cullingworth Cullingworth is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, it is west of Bradford and south of Keighley. The surrounding countryside is mainly ...

near Bradford, the son of

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

and Florence Buller. He was educated at

Bradford Grammar School Bradford Grammar School (BGS) is a co-educational independent day school located in Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Entrance is by examination, except for the sixth form, where admission is based on GCSE results. The school ...

, a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Frizinghall Frizinghall is a district in the Heaton ward of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, lying north of the city centre close to the town of Shipley, itself a part of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District along with such other nearby towns ...

, Bradford, and

Wrekin College Wrekin College is an independent co-educational boarding and day school located in Wellington, Shropshire, England. It was founded by Sir John Bayley in 1880 and is known as ‘The School in the Garden’ owing to its extensive grounds a ...

, a public school in

Wellington, Shropshire Wellington is a market town in Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It is situated 4 miles (6 km) northwest of central Telford and 12 miles (19 km) east of Shrewsbury. The summit of The Wrekin lies 3 miles southwest of the town. The ...

. While at Wrekin College, he reached the rank of Cadet

Company Quartermaster Sergeant Company quartermaster sergeant is a military rank or appointment. Canada A company quartermaster sergeant (CQMS) in the Canadian Forces is the non-commissioned officer in a company who is in charge of supplies. The CQMS also serves as the depu ...

in the school's

Officer Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

. He then attended Bradford Technical College on a two-year course in textile subjects.

Military service

On 10 June 1939, Bulmer was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

's supplementary reserve of officers. He transferred to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers on 10 June 1949 in the rank of captain.

Honours and decorations

On 15 December 1942, it was noted in the '' London Gazette'' that Bulmer had been Mentioned in Despatches 'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East during the period November, 1941, to April, 1942'. On 3 August 1944, it was noted in

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'' is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are ...

that Bulmer had been further Mentioned in Despatches 'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field'. He was awarded the Army Emergency Reserve Decoration (ERD) in 1996. It was announced in the 1974 Queen's Birthday Honours, that he was to be honoured as a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

'for services to export'. On 17 July 1974, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. In December 1978, he was appointed Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ). On 26 March 1974, he was appointed High Sheriff of West Yorkshire for a year. On 30 September 1977, he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for the

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

. On 5 April 1978, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulmer, William 1920 births 2012 deaths People educated at Bradford Grammar School People educated at Wrekin College Royal Artillery officers World War II prisoners of war held by Germany World War II prisoners of war held by Italy Knights Bachelor Knights of the Order of St John Businesspeople from Yorkshire Lord-Lieutenants of West Yorkshire High Sheriffs of West Yorkshire British Army personnel of World War II British World War II prisoners of war 20th-century English businesspeople