Arnold Allan Cecil Keppel, 8th Earl of Albemarle, (1 June 1858 – 12 April 1942), styled Viscount Bury from 1891 to 1894, was a British military officer, courtier and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. Earl Of Albemarle Vanity Fair 1894-10-04

Life and political career

Lord Albemarle was the eldest son of

William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle Lieutenant-Colonel William Coutts Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle, , MP, ADC (15 April 1832 - 28 August 1894), styled Viscount Bury between 1851 and 1891, was a British soldier and politician. He served in the British Army before entering Parliam ...

, and his wife Sophia Mary, daughter of Sir Allan Napier McNab, 1st Baronet, a Canadian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, and was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. In 1892 he was returned to

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

, a seat he held until 1894 when he succeeded his father in the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

.''Burke's'': Albemarle. Lord Albemarle served in the Conservative administrations of

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...

and

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...

as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

(government whip in the House of Lords) between 1922 and 1924. He was elected a

Fellow of the Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

(FZS) in July 1902.

Military career

He was commissioned as a Sub-lieutenant in the part-time

Dorset Militia The Dorset Militia was an auxiliary military force in the county of Dorsetshire in South West England. From their formal organisation as Trained Bands in 1558 until their final service as the Special Reserve, the Militia regiments of the county ...

in 1877 and the following year transferred to the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

as a Second lieutenant. He

resigned Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

his commission in 1883.''Army List'', various dates. In 1892 he took over his father's position as Lieutenant-Colonel of the 12th Middlesex (Civil Service) Rifle Volunteer Corps, retaining the command until 1901. After the

outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...

of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

in October 1899, a corps of imperial volunteers from London was formed in late December 1899. The corps included infantry, mounted infantry, and artillery divisions and was authorized with the name

City of London Imperial Volunteers The City of London Imperial Volunteers (CIV) was a British corps of volunteers during the Second Boer War. History After the outbreak of the Second Boer War in October 1899, volunteer corps were established in most counties of the United Kingdom ...

(CIV). It proceeded to South Africa in January 1900, returned in October of the same year, and was disbanded in December 1900. Lord Albemarle was appointed in charge of the infantry division of the CIV on 3 January 1900, with the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Army, and served as such until the corps was disbanded. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

, received the

Queen's South Africa Medal The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...

with four clasps, and was in 1900 appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) for his services in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. He received the honorary rank of Lt-Col in the Army. Albemarle was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 4th (2nd Norfolk Militia) Battalion, Norfolk Regiment in 1900 and of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the regiment (later 5th Bn Norfolks in the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

) in 1906. He commanded the Norfolk Volunteer Infantry Brigade with the rank of Brigadier-General from 1901 to 1906. He was awarded both the

Volunteer Decoration The Volunteer Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was instituted in 1892 as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force. Award of the decoration was discontinued in the United Kingdom ...

(VD) and the

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer O ...

(TD) He was an Aide-de-Camp to both

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

and

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

, and was appointed a

Member of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(MVO) in July 1901, advanced to a Knight Commander (KCVO) of the same Order in 1909, and promoted to the Grand Cross (GCVO) of the order in 1931. He is credited with sculpting the statue of the two drummer boys from

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

's story '' The Drums of the Fore and Aft'' that now stands in

Woodbridge, Suffolk Woodbridge is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is up the River Deben from the sea. It lies north-east of Ipswich and around north-east of London. In 2011 it had a populat ...

.Recording Archive for Public Sculpture in Norfolk and Suffolk, Ref 373.
/ref>

Family

Lord Albemarle married Lady Gertrude Lucia Egerton (1861–1943), daughter of

Wilbraham Egerton, 1st Earl Egerton Wilbraham Egerton, 1st Earl Egerton (17 January 1832 – 16 March 1909) was an English Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician from the Egerton family. He sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons fro ...

, in 1881. They had four sons and one daughter: * Walter Egerton George Lucian (1882–1979); married firstly in 1909 Lady Judith Sydney Myee Wynn-Carington (1889–1928), daughter of the 1st and last Marquess of Lincolnshire; they had five children. He married secondly in 1931 Diana Cicely Grove (1909–2013); they had one daughter. * Arnold Joost William (1884–1964); married firstly, in 1921, Doris Lilian Carter, they divorced in 1938. He married secondly, in 1938, Annie Margaret Blanche Purnell. He married thirdly, in 1952, Mildred Rodber. He had no children from any of his marriages. * Rupert Oswald Derek (1886–1964); married in 1919 (annulled in 1921) Violet Mary de Trafford, without issue. * Elizabeth Mary Gertrude Lucia Sophia (1890–1986); married Sir Torquhil Matheson, 5th Baronet, and they had two sons. * Albert Edward George Arnold (1898–1917); killed in action in the

Battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies of World War I, Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front (World Wa ...

near

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

, Belgium. He died unmarried. Albemarle died in

Quidenham Quidenham is a small rural village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 576 in 183 households at the 2001 census,

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, on 12 April 1942, aged 83, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

Notes

References

* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. * Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * *
www.thepeerage.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Albemarle, Arnold Keppel, 8th Earl of 1858 births 1942 deaths British Army personnel of the Second Boer War City Imperial Volunteers officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Albemarle, Arnold Keppel, Earl of Dorset Militia officers Arnold 8 Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion Arnold Keppel, 8th Earl of Albemarle Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Norfolk Militia officers People educated at Eton College Scots Guards officers Albemarle, Arnold Keppel, Earl of Albemarle, E8