George Crespigny Brabazon Vivian, 4th Baron Vivian (21 January 1878 – 28 December 1940) was a British soldier from the

Vivian family Vivian may refer to: *Vivian (name), a given name and also a surname Places * Vivian, Louisiana, U.S. * Vivian, South Dakota, U.S. * Vivian, West Virginia, U.S. * Vivian Island, Nunavut, Canada * Ballantrae, Ontario, a hamlet in Stouffville, On ...

who served with distinction in both the

Second Anglo-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 an ...

and

World War I 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 ...

Early life

He was born at

Connaught Place, London Connaught Place is an area in the Bayswater area of the City of Westminster (a London Borough). The nearest London Underground station to Connaught Place is Marble Arch which is a few minutes to the East near Marble Arch walking past the site ...

, on 21 January 1878 to

Hussey Vivian, 3rd Baron Vivian Hussey Crespigny Vivian, 3rd Baron Vivian, (19 June 1834 – 21 October 1893) was a British diplomat from the Vivian family. Background Born at Connaught Place, London, Vivian was the eldest son of Charles Vivian, 2nd Baron Vivian, and was edu ...

and Louisa Duff. He 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 ...

where he rowed in the VIII and was elected into

Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

. Succeeding to the title in October 1893, at the age of 15, he 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 ...

in February 1900. He subsequently joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and was commissioned a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

officer as second lieutenant in the

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regim ...

on 14 March 1900.

Military career

Lord Vivian served with considerable distinction in the

Battle of Elands River

On 17 September 1901, Smuts' commando encountered the

in the vicinity of

Tarkastad Tarkastad is a Karoo semi-urban settlement situated on the banks of Tarka River in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Tarkastad is on a plain to the north of the Winterberg mountain range on the R61 between Cradock and Komani and only thr ...

. Smuts realised that the Lancers' camp was their one opportunity to re-equip themselves with horses, food and clothing. A fierce fight, subsequently to be known as the Battle of Elands River, took place with the Lancers being caught in a cross-fire and suffering heavy casualties. Stunned by the onslaught, the remaining Lancers put up a white flag.

Deneys Reitz Deneys Reitz (3 April 1882 – 19 October 1944), son of Francis William Reitz, was a Boer soldier who fought in the Second Boer War for the Boer Republics against the British Empire. After a period of exile in French Madagascar he returned to ...

, a younger commando member, encountered Captain Victor Sandeman, the Lancers' commander, and Vivian, who was his

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

, among the wounded. In his book ''Commando'',

, one of the Boers, recounts how Vivian pointed out his bivouac tent and told him it would be worth his while to take a look at it. /Soon, Reitz, who had been wearing a grain-bag and using an old

Mauser Mauser, originally the Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik, was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols was produced beginning in the 1870s for the German armed forces. In the late 19th and ...

rifle with only two rounds of ammunition left, was dressed in a

tunic and riding

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's ...

and armed with a Lee-Metford sporting rifle.Commando. Deneys Reitz. London 1929. No ISBN Reitz reports that he met Lord Vivian again in London in 1935, on excellent terms.No Outspan. Deneys Reitz. Faber and Faber, London, 1943. No ISBN. Thomas Pakenham, in his introduction to the 1983 Jonathan Ball edition of ''Commando'', reports a more elaborate story. In this touching account, Vivian overcomes Reitz's reluctance to take Vivian's possessions, and presents Reitz's original rifle to him in London in 1943. As Vivian died in 1940 this is impossible.

Later military service

Recovering from wounds received in the battle, Vivian returned to the United Kingdom in December 1901. He later served in the First World War, being appointed to the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

in 1918. Among his medals were the

, the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, and the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. He was appointed aide-de-camp to King

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. He is popularly referred to as the Knight King (, ) or Soldier King (, ) in Belgium in reference to his role during World War I ...

. He was also awarded the Ordre de Leopold with Palm, Officer.

Marriages and children

On 1 August 1903 Vivian married former Gaiety Girl Barbara Cicely Fanning (who was to marry three further times). They had two children: *

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Daphne Winifred Louise Vivian (11 July 1904 - 5 December 1997) * Anthony Crespigny Claude Vivian, 5th Baron Vivian (4 March 1906 - 24 June 1991) They divorced in 1907. The co-respondent was Alfred Curphey. Lord Vivian was married secondly on 5 January 1911 to Nancy Lycett Green (died 6 May 1970), daughter of Sir Edward Lycett Green, 2nd Baronet. They also had two children:Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3393 * Hon Ursula Vanda Maud Vivian (16 June 1912 - 11 November 1984) * Hon Douglas David Edward Vivian (16 January 1915 - 27 July 1973) He died on 28 December 1940, aged 62.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vivian, George 4th Baron Vivian Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom People educated at Eton College 1878 births 1940 deaths Military personnel from the City of Westminster British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I 17th Lancers officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Deputy lieutenants of Cornwall British Yeomanry officers

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...