Brigadier-General William Harry Verelst Darell CMG, DSO (23 January 1878 – 7 February 1954) was a British Army officer and

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who won the

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

Birth and education

Darell was born in

Earley Earley is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Along with the neighbouring town of Woodley, the Office for National Statistics places Earley within the Reading/Wokingham Urban Area; for the purposes of local ...

, the second son of Sir Lionel Darell, 5th Baronet. The Darell family derived its fortune from service in the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in the late eighteenth century. Darell 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 went on to

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

where in a brilliant career he won the Sword of Honour.

Military career

Darell was commissioned into the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 8 September 1897, and promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 18 January 1899. He served in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

through 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 ...

1899–1902; where he took part in operations in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

(April to May 1900), the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

(May to June 1900, July to November 1900) and

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

; and was present at several major battles, including at Belmont, Enslin and

Modder River The Modder River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Riet River that forms part of the border between the Northern Cape and the Free State provinces. The river's banks were the scenes of heavy fighting in the beginning of the S ...

(November 1899),

Magersfontein The MagersfonteinMisspelt "Maaghersfontein" in some British texts ( ) battlefield is a site of the Battle of Magersfontein (11 December 1899), part of the Second Boer War in South Africa. The battlefield is located at south of Kimberley, South Af ...

(December 1899), Poplar Grove and

Driefontein Driefontein is the Driefontein Mine in the West Witwatersrand Basin (West Wits) mining field. The West Wits field was discovered in 1931 and commenced operations with Venterspost Gold Mine in 1939. In 1952, the West Driefontein mine is opened. I ...

(March 1900), Vet River, Zand River, Johannesburg, Pretoria and

Diamond Hill Diamond Hill is a hill in the east of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The name also refers to the area on or adjacent to the hill. It is surrounded by Ngau Chi Wan, San Po Kong, Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan. Its northeast is limited by the ridge. It is pr ...

(June 1900), Bergendal and Komatipoort (August 1900). From July 1901 he was signaling officer to a Mobile column. Following the end of the war, he return to the United Kingdom in August 1902. Darell entered the Staff College in 1913 and on the outbreak of

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 ...

in August 1914 was posted as a major to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, where as deputy assistant adjutant-general he helped to execute the deployment of the BEF to France. When he went to war it was as deputy adjutant and quartermaster general of 7th Division and he was promoted assistant adjutant and quartermaster general of 3rd Division on 3 July 1915. He was awarded the DSO in 1915. His final promotion was to DA&QMG of IV Corps on 24 December 1916 when he succeeded W. L. White, who was twenty-two years his senior. Darell held the post for the rest of the war. He was mentioned in despatches in 1917 Darell remained in the army after the war becoming Colonel on 1 October 1920, with seniority from 1 January 1919. He was Deputy Director of Mobilisation and Recruiting at the War Office in 1920 and Assistant Adjutant-General, War Office, in 1921. After commanding 1st Battalion

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG), is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infantry regiments in the British Army. The regiment has parti ...

from 1924 to 1928, he retired from the Army in 1929.

Sporting achievements

Darell was an eminent

single scull A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to minimi ...

er, competing for the Household Brigade Boat Club. In 1906 he was runner-up to

Harry Blackstaffe Henry Thomas "Harry" Blackstaffe (28 July 1868 – 22 August 1951) was a British rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics. Blackstaffe was born in Islington, London, and became a butcher. He was a long-standing member of Vesta Rowing ...

in the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley. In 1907 he won the Diamond Sculls beating

Alexander McCulloch Alexander McCulloch (25 October 1887 – 5 September 1951) was a British rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics. Biography McCulloch was born at Melbourne, Australia, the son of George McCulloch. His father, who was born in Scotland, m ...

and competed in the

Wingfield Sculls The Wingfield Sculls is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake. The race is between single scullers and is usually on the Saturday three to four weeks before the Sc ...

Freemasonry

Darell was a prominent and senior

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 ...

of his generation. He was initiated in the Studholme Lodge No 1591 on 24 March 1899, aged 21. He was passed to the second degree in the same lodge on 26 May 1899, and raised to the third degree in Argonauts Lodge No 2243 on 20 October 1899. Very unusually, just a month after his raising he became a founder member of the Lodge of Assistance No 2773, becoming the

Worshipful Master In Craft Freemasonry, sometimes known as Blue Lodge Freemasonry, every Masonic lodge elects or appoints Masonic lodge officers to execute the necessary functions of the lodge's life and work. The precise list of such offices may vary between the j ...

of that lodge in 1905. Darell went on to join a large number of other lodges, many of them of prominent position within English Freemasonry, including: the Royal Somerset House & Inverness Lodge No 4, one of the founding lodges of the world's first

Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...

in 1717; Foxhunters Lodge; Old Etonian Lodge; Household Brigade Lodge; Bard of Avon Lodge; and Royal Alpha Lodge, membership of which is at the personal invitation of the Grand Master. In 1937 he was appointed Assistant Grand Master (the third most senior position) in the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron T ...

, also serving from 1942 as

Provincial Grand Master Provincial Grand Master (abbreviated PGM or PrGM), sometimes called District Grand Master or Metropolitan Grand Master, is a fraternal office held by the head of a Provincial Grand Lodge, who is directly appointed by the organisation's Grand Master ...

for Warwickshire. He also held senior positions in most of the additional

Masonic bodies There are many organisations and orders which form part of the widespread fraternity of Freemasonry, each having its own structure and terminology. Collectively these may be referred to as Masonic bodies, Masonic orders or appendant bodies (or ...

Personal life

Darell married Eva Jeffie Bainbridge, daughter of

Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge (5 December 1845 – 12 May 1911) was an English mining consulting engineer, philanthropist and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1895 to 1900. Life Bainbridge was born in the village of ...

, MP for

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

. Their son William Oswald Darell succeeded to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

Death

Darell died aged 76 and was buried at

Saul, Gloucestershire Saul is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Fretherne with Saul, in the Stroud district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. In 1881 the parish had a population of 597. On 24 March 1884 the parish was abolished to form ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darell, William 1878 births 1954 deaths People educated at Eton College Coldstream Guards officers Irish Guards officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I English male rowers People from Wokingham People from Stroud District Younger sons of baronets Sportspeople from Gloucestershire