George Edward John Mowbray Rous, 3rd Earl of Stradbroke, (19 November 1862 – 20 December 1947) was a British nobleman from

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

who served as a Territorial Army officer, as a junior government minister, and as the 15th

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of Monarchy of Australia, the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the premier of V ...

, Australia.Death of the 3rd Earl of Stradbroke
nla.gov.au; accessed 27 March 2014.''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953.

Early life

He was born on 19 November 1862, the only son and heir of

John Rous, 2nd Earl of Stradbroke John Edward Cornwallis Rous, 2nd Earl of Stradbroke (13 February 1794 – 27 January 1886) was a British soldier and nobleman. Biography He was the eldest son of the 6th Baronet and 1st Earl of Stradbroke. He joined the Army at the age of ...

. Under the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

of Viscount Dunwich, he was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

(

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

1884,

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

1890). He succeeded his father as the 3rd Earl of Stradbroke and owner of the family seat at Henham Park in

on 27 January 1886.

Career

Viscount Dunwich was commissioned

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the 1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers (which included Suffolk batteries) in 1882. He was promoted

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1884, and lieutenant colonel to command the unit in 1888. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the Volunteers on 26 June 1902, and was awarded 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 ...

on 15 August 1902. He was appointed an aide-de-camp to

King 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 his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list on 26 June 1902, serving until the King's death in 1910 when he was re-appointed by

King 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 his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

.''Army List'', various dates. When the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...

was replaced by 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 ...

on 1 April 1908, his unit was split up: Stradbroke became Honorary Colonel of the 1st East Anglian Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (TF) (which contained the Norfolk batteries), while remaining lieutenant colonel commanding the 3rd East Anglian (Howitzer) Brigade (which contained the Suffolk batteries). He led the 3rd East Anglian Brigade and its successor units on active service on the Western Front in Egypt and Palestine during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was awarded 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 ...

, appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1919 and a

Knight Commander 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, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

in 1920. After the war he remained Honorary Colonel of the Norfolk artillery brigade (now known as the 84th (East Anglian) Brigade) and from 18 May 1927 filled the same role with the Suffolk brigade (now the 103rd Suffolk Brigade) until it was split up, when he continued as Honorary Colonel of the 409th (Suffolk) Independent Anti-Aircraft Battery until its renewed merger with the Norfolk batteries to form the 78th (1st Anglian) Anti-Aircraft Regiment in 1938. He also served as chairman of the Suffolk Territorial Army Association and as president of the Council of the National Artillery Association. He finally retired from an active role with the Territorial Army and as ADC to the King in 1930.

Politics

Stradbroke was appointed as

in 1920 and held the position until 1926. He also served as

Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries was a junior ministerial office in the British government, serving under the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. The title changed to Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry o ...

from 1928 until the defeat of the 1924–1929 Conservative Government.

Scouting

As ''ex. officio'' the Chief Scout of Victoria as governor, Lord Stradbroke also sponsored the Victorian Scouting competition, the Stradbroke Cup. This event is still held every year and is immensely popular.

Freemasonry

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, Stradbroke was initiated to the craft in the Lodge of Prudence No. 388. After he became Worshipful Master of the Lodge, he was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Suffolk in October 1902, holding the position for forty-five years. Two years after being appointed Governor of Victoria, he was electe
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Victoria
He was also Provincial Grand Master of Mark Masons of East Anglia.

Public life

In addition to his political and military positions, Stradbroke held the office of Vice-Admiral of Suffolk, was Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk and a Justice of the Peace, and an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

and chairman of

East Suffolk County Council East Suffolk County Council was the county council of the administrative county of East Suffolk in east England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and acted as the governing authority for the county until it was amalgamated with West Suffo ...

. He was also president of the National Sea Fisheries Protection Association. Both the Earl and Countess were supporters of thoroughbred racing. While in Victoria they separately owned or leased several horses, notably Trice, trained for the Countess by Jack Holt.

Personal life

On 23 July 1898 Stradbroke married Helena Violet Alice Fraser (d. 1949), the daughter of Lieutenant General James Keith Fraser (a younger son of Lt.-Col. Sir James John Fraser, 3rd Baronet). As Countess of Stradbroke she was created a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1927. They had the following children: * Lady Pleasance Elizabeth Rous (1899–1986), who married Owen McKenna, son of Patrick McKenna, in 1923.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3766. * Lady Catherine Charlotte Rous (1900–1983), a Squadron Officer in the

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the British Royal Air Force during the World War II, Second World War. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 181,000 at its peak ...

. * Lady Betty Helena Joanna Rous (1901–1969), who married Maj. Douglas Beresford-Ash, son of Col. William Randal Hamilton Beresford-Ash and Lady Florence Browne (a daughter of the 5th Marquess of Sligo), in 1930. * John Anthony Alexander Rous, 4th Earl of Stradbroke (1903–1983), who married Barbara Grosvenor, daughter of Lt.-Col.

Lord Arthur Grosvenor Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are e ...

(a younger son of the

1st Duke of Westminster Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, (13 October 1825 – 22 December 1899), styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845, Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869, and known as The Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an ...

), in 1929. * William Keith Rous, 5th Earl of Stradbroke (1907–1983), who married Pamela Kay-Shuttleworth, a daughter of Hon. Edward Kay-Shuttleworth, in 1935. They divorced in 1940 and he married Mary April Asquith, daughter of Brig.-Gen. Hon.

Arthur Melland Asquith Brigadier General Arthur Melland Asquith, (24 April 1883 – 25 August 1939) was a senior officer of the Royal Naval Division, a Royal Navy land detachment attached to the British Army during the First World War. His father, H. H. Asquith, was ...

and Hon. Betty Manners (a daughter of the 3rd Baron Manners), in 1943. * Major Hon. George Nathaniel Rous (1911–1982), who married Joyce Harpur, daughter of Col. Charles Harpur, in 1949. * Major Hon. Peter James Mowbray Rous (1914–1997), who married Elizabeth Alice Mary Fraser, a daughter of Maj. Hon. Alastair Thomas Joseph Fraser (a son of the 13th Lord Lovat) and Lady Sibyl Grimston (a daughter of 3rd Earl of Verulam), in 1942. * Hon. Christopher Simon Rous (1916–1925), who died young. Lord Stradbroke died on 20 December 1947 and was succeeded by his eldest son,

John 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 E ...

. His widow, the Dowager Countess of Stradbroke, died in an accident on 14 April 1949.

Honours

In addition to the honours noted above, the Earl of Stradbroke was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in 1904 and a

Commander 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 ...

in 1906. He was a Knight of the Order of St John and held the Grand Cross of the Order of the Savior of Greece.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stradbroke, George Rous, 3rd Earl of 1862 births 1947 deaths British Army honorary colonels Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Royal Field Artillery officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Governors of Victoria (Australia) Lord-lieutenants of Suffolk Members of East Suffolk County Council People from Blythburgh British Army personnel of World War I Australian Freemasons Masonic grand masters People educated at Harrow School Military personnel from London 19th-century British Army personnel Territorial Force officers Volunteer Force officers Nobility from London