Brigadier-General Sir Robert Gordon Gilmour, 1st Baronet, (27 February 1857 – 24 June 1939), born Robert Gordon Wolrige Gordon (he changed his name in 1887), was a British army officer and Captain of the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a per ...

Biography

Gilmour joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

when he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

on 25 January 1878. He served in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...

in 1879, was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 1 July 1881, and served in the Sudanese campaign 1884–85. Promotion to captain followed on 23 July 1890, and to major on 25 August 1896. He served in the 2nd Battalion of the regiment in South Africa during the

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

1900–1902. For his service in the war, he received the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(DSO) on 29 November 1900, and was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB) in the October 1902 South African honours list. Following his return to the United Kingdom, he was promoted

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

on 28 October 1902, and appointed in command of the 2nd battalion, Grenadier Guards. He served as

Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod The Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, established in 1687. Office holders from 1714 *1714–1761: Sir Thomas Brand *1762–1787: Robert Quarme *1787–1800: Matthew ...

(Order of the Thistle) from 1917 until his death. He was also a JP and DL. He was later a Captain of the

, and was on 29 July 1926 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 14t ...

, of Liberton and Craigmillar in the County of Midlothian. From 1897 to 1938, he served as a member of the ruling council of the influential

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

conservationist group the

Cockburn Association The Cockburn Association (Edinburgh's Civic Trust) is one of the world's oldest architectural conservation and urban planning monitoring organisations, founded in 1875. The Scottish judge Henry Cockburn (1779–1854) was a prominent campaigner t ...

. He lived in Inch House a large 17th-century house on the south side of Edinburgh.''Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1911-12''. He was born Robert Gordon Wolrige in 1857, became Robert Gordon Wolrige Gordon in 1864, Robert Gordon Gordon Wolrige in 1873 and added the name Gilmour on succeeding to the estates of his great uncle, W L Gilmour of Craigmillar.

Family

Gilmour married on 19 October 1889 Lady Susan Lygon (24 May 1870 – 28 January 1962), 2nd daughter of the 6th Earl of Beauchamp. They had four children: *Sir John Little Gilmour, 2nd Bt. (1899–1977) *Mary Gilmour (1890-1978), married Sir Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugessen *Margaret Gilmour (b.1892), married Dugdale *Grizel Gilmour (1894–1975) who married in 1919 Hon Arthur Oswald James Hope (1897–1958), who became 2nd

Baron Rankeillour Baron Rankeillour, of Buxted in the County of Sussex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1932 for the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician James Hope, 1st Baron Rankeillour, James Fitzalan Hope. He was ...

in 1949.

Lady Susan Gordon Gilmour

Lady Susan Gordon Gilmour (24 May 1870 – 28 January 1962) was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1936 " r services in connection with the Queen's Institute of District Nursing in Scotland." She died in 1962, aged 91.

References

1857 births 1939 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army brigadiers Members of the Royal Company of Archers Grenadier Guards officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Scottish justices of the peace British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War {{UK-baronet-stub