James Bryan George Hennessy, 2nd Baron Windlesham (4 August 1903 – 16 November 1962) was a British
peer and decorated
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 ...
officer.
Biography
James Bryan George Hennessy was the first son of
George Hennessy, 1st Baron Windlesham. 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 ...
and the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
He was commissioned into 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 ...
as a
second lieutenant on 30 August 1923.
He served in the
Grenadier Guards during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, before retiring from the army in 1948 with the rank of
brigadier
Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
.
He joined 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 1953, having succeeded as
Baron Windlesham on the death of his father. As for his politics, he was described as a "
Liberal Peer of Conservative leanings".
He was killed in a helicopter crash at sea off the coast of
St David's Head, Wales on 16 November 1962: his body was not recovered.
He was succeeded by his son (
David Hennessy, 3rd Baron Windlesham).
In recognition of his service during the Second World War, he was awarded the
Croix de Guerre (with palm) and made a Commander of the
Order of Leopold II by Belgium,
and made a Commander of the
Order of George I by Greece.
Personal life
Lord Windlesham was married twice. Firstly, he married Angela Duggan, daughter of Julian Duggan and Angela Casey, on 6 June 1929. The couple had four children, three daughters, and a son, David, later 3rd Baron Windlesham.
He married, secondly, Pamela Joan Kennedy, daughter of Francis Kennedy, on 25 March 1957.
Arms
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windlesham, James Hennessy, 2nd Baron
1903 births
1962 deaths
Grenadier Guards officers
Liberal Party (UK) hereditary peers
British recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)
Commanders of the Order of George I
Commanders of the Order of Leopold II
People educated at Eton College
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Barons Windlesham
British Army brigadiers
British Army personnel of World War II
Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents in the United Kingdom
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1962