Brigadier-General John Townshend St Aubyn, 2nd Baron St Levan, (23 September 1857 – 10 November 1940),St Levan, 2nd Baron, (John Townshend St Aubyn)." WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 1 December 2007. Oxford University Press. known as Hon. John Townshend St Aubyn from 1866 to 1908, was a British

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

officer and peer.

Background and early life

St Aubyn was born at

Balls Park Balls Park in Hertford is a Grade I Listed mid-17th-century house. The estate and house are set in over 63 acres of parkland which is listed Grade II on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The estat ...

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a Ford (crossing), ford on ...

, in 1857, the eldest son of John St Aubyn (1829–1908), a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

Member of Parliament who was raised to the peerage as

Baron St Levan Baron St Levan, of St Michael's Mount in the County of Cornwall, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 4 July 1887 for the former Member of Parliament Sir John St Aubyn, 2nd Baronet, becoming John St Aubyn, 1st B ...

in 1887. His paternal grandfather Sir Edward St Aubyn (1799–1872) had been created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of

St Michael's Mount St Michael's Mount (, meaning "Hoarfrost, hoar rock in woodland") is a tidal island in Mount's Bay near Penzance, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The island is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish and is linked to the town of Marazion ...

, Cornwall, in 1866. The St Aubyn family had owned the castle and chapel on the St Michael's Mount since approximately 1650. His mother was Lady Elizabeth Clementina Townshend (1834–1910), daughter of

John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend Rear Admiral John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend (28 March 1798 – 10 September 1863), known as John Townshend until 1855, was a British nobleman, peer, politician, and naval commander. Townshend was the son of Lord John Townshend, younger ...

(1798–1863) by his wife Elizabeth Jane née Crichton-Stuart (d. 1877). St Aubyn was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

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 ...

Career

St. Aubyn was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

on 19 October 1878, and was promoted to a

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 ...

on 1 July 1881. He served in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

for several years during the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War (; 1881–1899) was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese, led by Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided One"), and the forces of the Khedivate of Egypt, initially, and later th ...

; he was Aide-de-camp (ADC) to General Sir

Redvers Buller General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, (7 December 1839 – 2 June 1908) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He served as Commander-in-Chief ...

during the

Suakin Expedition The Suakin Expedition was either of two British-Indian military expeditions, led by Major-General Sir Gerald Graham, to Suakin in Sudan, with the intention of destroying the power of the Sudanese military commander Osman Digna and his troops dur ...

in 1884, where he took part in the battles of El Teb (February 1884) and

Tamai The Battle of Tamai (or Tamanieh) took place on 13 March 1884 between a British force under Sir Gerald Graham and a Mahdist Sudanese army led by Osman Digna. Despite his earlier victory at El Teb, Graham realised that Osman Digna's force was ...

(March 1884), and for which 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 medal with clasp, and the bronze star. Taking part in the

Nile Expedition The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–1885), was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to Sudan to help the Egyptians withdraw their garr ...

1884–1886, he was ADC to Major-General Earle in 1883–1885 and after his death to General

Henry Brackenbury General Sir Henry Brackenbury, (1 September 1837 – 20 April 1914) was a British Army officer who was assistant to Garnet Wolseley in the 1870s and became part of his 'Ring' of loyal officers. He also wrote several books of military history ...

in 1885, and was present at the

Battle of Kirbekan The Battle of Kirbekan took place during the Mahdist War. It was fought February 10, 1885, when the British Nile Column, about 1,000 strong, under General Earle, stormed the heights of Kirbekan, which were held by a strong Mahdist force, and to ...

(February 1885), for which he was again mentioned in despatches and received claps to the medal.Hart's Army list, 1903 Transferring from Africa to Asia, he was ADC to Sir

William Des Vœux Sir George William Des Vœux (22 September 1834 – 15 December 1909) was a British colonial administrator who served as governor of Fiji (1880–1885), Newfoundland (1886–1887), and Hong Kong (1887–1891). Early life Des Vœux was born a ...

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...

, from 1889 to 1890, and was promoted

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 ...

on 1 July 1890 and brevet

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 ...

the following day. He was Military Secretary to

Lord Stanley of Preston Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby (15 January 1841 – 14 June 1908), known as Hon. Frederick Stanley until 1886 and Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886–1893, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served ...

Governor-General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the advice of his or her Ca ...

, from 1892 to 1893, and received the substantive rank of major on 25 October 1895. Both 2nd and 3rd battalions of the Grenadier Guards sent large contingents to serve in South Africa during 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 ...

(1899–1902). St Aubyn served in the 1st battalion, and was in command of a detachment from this battalion sent to reinforce the 3rd battalion in March 1900. He was promoted lieutenant colonel and appointed in command of the 3rd battalion Grenadier Guards from 6 July 1902, while still in South Africa. He was in charge of more than 1100 officers and men of the guards regiments which returned to the United Kingdom on board the SS ''Lake Michigan'' in October 1902, following the end of the war earlier that year. St Aubyn commanded the Grenadier Guards from 1904 to 1908, during which 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 1905, and retired from the regular army in 1908 after he inherited the barony from his father. In 1913 he accepted the Honorary Colonelcy of the Cornwall Royal Garrison Artillery, a

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 ...

unit.Whitaker's peerage, 1935 Following the outbreak of 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 temporary brigadier-general from October 1914 to September 1916, received the honorary rank of brigadier-general in January 1917, and served with British Expeditionary Force in France as Staff Lieutenant from July 1917 to March 1918. He was appointed 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 m ...

(CVO) in 1905, and 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) in the

1908 Birthday Honours The 1908 Birthday Honours for the British Empire were announced on 28 June, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (K ...

list. He also held the 2nd class of the Prussian

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

. St Aubyn was a Deputy Warden of the Stannaries, a Justice of the peace for Cornwall, and a Deputy Lieutenant for the county from 24 August 1887, and a Provincial Grand Master of Cornish Freemasons from 1918 until his death. He died on 10 January 1940. His barony and the estate at St. Michael's Mount was inherited by his nephew, Francis Cecil St Aubyn, son of his brother Hon. Arthur James Dudley Stuart St Aubyn (1867–1897).

Family

St Aubyn married first in 1892 Lady Edith Hilaria Edgcumbe (1862–1931), daughter of

William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe William Henry Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, GCVO, PC, DL (5 November 1833 – 25 September 1917), styled Viscount Valletort between 1839 and 1861, was a British courtier, Conservative politician, and Volunteer officer. Background Ed ...

. They had two daughters: *Hon. Marjory Katharine Elizabeth Alexandra St Aubyn (b. 1893); who married in 1919 Hon. John Holford Parker (1886–1955), son of

Albert Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley Albert Edmund Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley PC, DL, JP (11 June 1843 – 26 February 1905), styled Viscount Boringdon until 1864, was a British peer and Liberal, later Liberal Unionist politician. Background and education Morley was the son o ...

. They were the parents of

John Parker, 6th Earl of Morley John St. Aubyn Parker, 6th Earl of Morley (29 May 1923 – 20 September 2015) was a British peerage, peer, a professional soldier, and county dignitary. Morley was a staunch monarchist and royal servant. John Parker was born at Saltram Ho ...

*Hon. Hilaria Lily St. Aubyn (b.1894) Following her death, he married secondly in 1933 Julia Georgina Sarah Wombwell (d 1938), widow of the 2nd Earl of Dartrey, and daughter of

Sir George Orby Wombwell, 4th Baronet Sir George Orby Wombwell, 4th Baronet (23 November 1832 – 16 October 1913) was a British baronet. Early life Wombwell was born on 23 November 1832. He was the son of Sir George Wombwell, 3rd Baronet and educated at Eton College and Royal Mil ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Levan, John Townshend St Aubyn, 2nd Baron 1857 births 1940 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Deputy lieutenants of Cornwall English justices of the peace Grenadier Guards officers 2 John Townshend