Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Wilfred Dallas Cairns, 4th Earl Cairns, CMG, DL (28 November 1865 – 23 October 1946) was a peer of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and a

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

officer.

Life

Born in 1865, he succeeded as the 4th

Earl Cairns Earl Cairns is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1878 for the prominent lawyer and Conservative politician Hugh Cairns, 1st Baron Cairns. He was Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain in 1868 and from 1874 to 188 ...

on the death of his older brother,

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

, in 1905. He bought and restored

Farleigh House Farleigh House, or Farleigh Castle, sometimes called Farleigh New Castle, is a large English country house in the county of Somerset, formerly the centre of the Farleigh Hungerford estate. Much of the stone to build it came from the nearby Farlei ...

Farleigh Hungerford Farleigh Hungerford () is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in the Mendip District, Mendip district, in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset, Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366 road, A366, between Trow ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and lived there for most of the second half of his life.

Military career

Cairns was commissioned an officer in

The Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

, and served in the 3rd battalion. After retiring, he was on 9 February 1898 appointed a major of the 5th (

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

) battalion, previously the Queen's Own Royal Tower Hamlets Light Infantry (2nd Tower Hamlets Militia), based in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

in the East End of London. Following the outbreak of 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 ...

, Cairns volunteers for service when his militia regiment was embodied in 1900. After peace was declared in May 1902, he left South Africa on board the SS ''Bavarian'' and arrived in the United Kingdom the following month.

Marriage and family

On 12 July 1894, Cairns married Olive Cobbold, daughter of the former MP for Ipswich,

John Patteson Cobbold John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

. Together they had six children, four daughters and two sons. Their eldest daughter, Hester, married Robert Bourne, the rower and politician. She served as vice-chairman of the Conservative Party. Their second daughter, Ursula, married

John Roland Abbey Major John Roland Abbey (23 November 1894 – 24 December 1969) was an English book collector and high sheriff. Early life He was the eldest of three sons of William Henry Abbey, a brewer, and was named John Rowland before dropping the 'w'. ...

. Their third daughter, Sheila, married Major Charles Holroyd of the Rifles. Their youngest daughter,

Katharine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

, was a Senior Commander in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. Their elder son Hugh, Viscount Garmoyle, was killed on active service during World War II, leaving their second son, David, as heir to the Earldom.

References

*
Military career

External links

* Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Deputy Lieutenants of Somerset Rifle Brigade officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 1865 births 1946 deaths Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst London Regiment officers People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire {{UK-earl-stub