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 ...

Wykeham Stanley Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis (4 March 1892 – 4 January 1982), was a British peer, cavalry officer and amateur

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er. He served 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 ...

and was later prominent in public life in the county of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, holding a range of public offices. He played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

for

Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ken ...

, captaining the side between 1926 and 1928 and succeeded his father Fiennes Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis as Baron Cornwallis in 1935.

Early life and education

Cornwallis was born at Linton Park in Linton in

, the second son of Fiennes Cornwallis and his wife Mabel Leigh. He was educated at

Ludgrove School Ludgrove School is an English independent school, independent boys' Preparatory school (UK), preparatory boarding school. Ludgrove was founded in 1892 at Ludgrove Hall in Middlesex by the Old Etonian sportsman Arthur Dunn. Dunn had been employed ...

, where he captained the cricket team, and 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 ...

before going on to the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

.Lewis P (2014) ''For Kent and Country'', pp. 136–141. Brighton: Reveille Press. His father was Member of Parliament for

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

and later became Chairman of

Kent County Council Kent County Council is a county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Kent in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes the Unitary authorities of England, unitary auth ...

. The hereditary title of Baron Cornwallis was created for him in 1927.

Military career

Cornwallis entered the

in 1910 after taking the Army qualifying exam at

He was appointed as second lieutenant in the

Royal Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the Army of Scotland that became a regiment of the British Army in 1707 upon the Union of Scotland and England, continuing until 1971 when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of ...

in September 1911 and promoted to

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 ...

in 1912. He has been described as being "passionate about horses" and won a number of regimental trophies. In the years before the

he was stationed at

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. At the start of World War I, the Greys mobilised and immediately departed for France, arriving on 17 August 1914.Lewis ''

Op. cit. ''Op. cit.'' is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase ' or ''opere citato'', meaning "the work cited" or ''in the cited work'', respectively. Overview The abbreviation is used in an endnote or footnote to refer the reader to a cited work, standing ...

'', pp. 52–54. Cornwallis served with A squadron initially, first engaging the enemy on 22 August near

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

. He fought in the

Battle of Mons The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (World War I), British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies of World W ...

and the subsequent retreat, during which his horse, White Knight, was killed. In mid-September 1914 Cornwallis was wounded whilst advancing at the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne () was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated after the First Battle of the ...

. He was evacuated to England, rejoining his unit in December. During 1915 Cornwallis was trained in the use of

trench mortar ''Minenwerfer'' ("mine launcher" or "mine thrower") is the German name for a class of short range mine shell launching mortars used extensively during the First World War by the Imperial German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engine ...

s and was appointed Bombing Officer. He saw action at the

Battle of Neuve Chapelle The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915) took place in the First World War in the Artois region of France. The attack was intended to cause a rupture in the German lines, which would then be exploited with a rush to the Aubers Ridge an ...

in March and at the

Second Battle of Ypres The Second Battle of Ypres was fought from 22 April – 25 May 1915, during the First World War, for control of the tactically-important high ground to the east and the south of the Flanders, Flemish town of Ypres, in western Belgium. The ...

in April. In early 1916 the Greys were serving near

Vermelles Vermelles () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Vermelles is situated southeast of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D39, D75 and D943 roads and by the banks ...

when Cornwallis was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

for leading bombing arrangements whilst under heavy fire following the explosion of a mine at the front line. He was promoted to acting

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 late 1916 and later saw action in the Battle of Arras in 1917 before taking command of C squadron after its commanding officer was wounded. In the autumn of 1917, Cornwallis was attached to 5th Cavalry Brigade headquarters, with his promotion to captain being confirmed on Christmas Day 1917. In July 1918 he was promoted to General Staff Officer Third Grade and served as a staff officer for the remainder of the war. After the Armistice, he served with the General Staff in Belgium and was appointed as aide de camp to Field Marshal Haig before being

Mentioned in Dispatches 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 ...

in July 1919. After the war, Cornwallis was an instructor at Sandhurst. He retired from the army in 1924, joining the Army Reserve. He succeeded his father as honorary colonel of the Thames and Medway Heavy Brigade, Royal Artillery, holding the appointment from 25 September 1937''Army List''. until its disbandment in 1956, and was then Hon Col of 5th Battalion,

The Buffs The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

, between 1957 and 1967 and its successor, 8th Battalion, The Queen's Regiment, from 1967 to 1968.

Cricket career

Cornwallis was serving under Field Marshal Haig when he played in a charity cricket match, taking a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

. He was later invited by C. H. B. Marsham to play for

against

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

in the 1919 County Championship. Cornwallis, who had not played cricket since school, initially laughed off the invitation but was told by Haig to accept – being told it was "one of those things you have got to say you have done once, Cornie".Quoted in Lewis ''

'' p. 140. He took a wicket in the match and went on to play several more times for Kent in 1919. Cornwallis played

fairly regularly for Kent between 1919 and 1923 as well as making one appearance for the

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 ...

in 1920.Stanley Cornwallis
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-05-17. He was capped by Kent in 1923 and captained the side after his retirement from the Army between 1924 and 1926, playing much more regularly during this period. In total he made 105 first-class appearances for the county, taking 117 wickets. Cornwallis was 27 when he made his first-class debut for Kent and, although he was "a genuinely fast bowler" his body was unable to withstand the rigours of consistent bowling.Cornwallis, The Right Hon. Wykeham Stanley
Obituaries in 1982, ''

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...

'', 1983. Retrieved 2017-05-17. During his three years as Kent captain he was only able to bowl 560 overs, although his leadership abilities were strong enough to see the county to top-five finishes in the

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

in each season. He was also considered a "good field" although "not normally regarded as a batsman". His highest score of 91, his only half-century, was made against

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

in 1926. This was his final year as captain and his last playing first-class cricket. He remained associated with Kent and was President of both the county club and MCC in 1948.

Public life

Cornwallis played a prominent role in public life in

throughout his life. He became a Justice of the Peace in 1926 and succeeded his father as Baron Cornwallis in 1935, his older brother having died in 1921 during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

. He was Chairman of

between 1935 and 1936 and

County Alderman An alderman is a member of a 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, denoting a high-ranking mem ...

for Kent in 1936. In 1944 he became

Lord Lieutenant of Kent This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. Since 1746, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Kent. Lords Lieutenant of Kent * Sir Thomas Cheney 1551 – 1558 * William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham 3 July ...

, a role he held until 1972, and became the first Pro Chancellor of the

University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...

. The Cornwallis family were closely associated with

Freemasonry 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 ...

in Kent. Cornwallis succeeded his father as

Provincial Grand Master Provincial Grand Master (abbreviated PGM or PrGM), sometimes called District Grand Master or Metropolitan Grand Master, is a fraternal office held by the head of a Provincial Grand Lodge, who is directly appointed by the organisation's Grand Maste ...

of Kent in 1935 until the county was divided into East and West Kent in 1973. He then served as Provincial Grand Master of East Kent until his death in 1982.History of East Kent Freemasonry
East Kent Freemasons. Retrieved 2017-05-17. The organisation's main charity is named after the Cornwallis family and was established following the death of the first Baron in 1935.Introduction to the charity
The Cornwallis East Kent Freemasons' Charity. Retrieved 2017-05-17. Cornwallis' son, Fiennes Neil Wykeham Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, was Pro Grand Master of

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic Grand Lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron ...

between 1982 and 1992.A eulogy to Rt Hon Lord Cornwallis, OBE, DL
''Freemasonry Today'', 2010-06-09. Retrieved 2017-05-17. Cornwallis was appointed

Knight 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 ...

(KBE) in 1945 and

Knight 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 ...

(KCVO) in 1968. He was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Civil Law by the University of Kent and became a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. He was also decorated with the award of the Knight Commander,

Order of Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known as ''White Knights'' t ...

of Denmark.

Family

Cornwallis was the second son of Fiennes Cornwallis and his wife Mabel Leigh. His oldest brother, Captain Fiennes Wykeham Mann Cornwallis, was killed by the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

in 1921 at the Ballyturin House Ambush near

Gort Gort ( or ) is a town of around 2,800 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 road (Ireland), R458 and R460 ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

during the

.Ballyturin (or Ballyturn) Ambush, Gort, Galway
newspaper report identified as being from the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'', 1921-05-17, The Auxiliaries website. Retrieved 2017-05-16. His younger brother, Oswald Cornwallis, served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during the First and Second World Wars and played

a few times for the

.Cornwallis, Captain Oswald Wyckham
Obituaries in 1974, ''

'', 1975. Retrieved 2017-05-16. He also played one match for

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

in 1921 against

with the two brothers on opposing sides. The news of their older brother's death came during the match and both brothers were given leave to miss the majority of the match.Capt Fiennes Wykeham Mann Cornwallis MC
Unidentified contemporary newspaper report published on The Cairo Gang website. Retrieved 2017-05-16.Isaacs V (2000

CricInfo ESPNcricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a Sports journalism, sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including Liveblogging, liveblogs and sco ...

, 2000-04-30. Retrieved 2017-05-16. In 1917 Cornwallis returned to England from the Western Front to marry his first wife Cecily Etha Mary Walker, daughter of Captain Sir James Heron Walker, 3rd Baronet Walker of Sand Hutton at St Margaret's Church, Westminster. The couple had two children, Rosamond Cornwallis (15 May 1918 – 3 September 1960) and Fiennes Neil Wykeham Cornwallis (1921–2010). Their son succeeded Cornwallis as the Third Baron Cornwallis in 1982. Cecily died in 1943 and Cornwallis married Lady Esme Walker in 1948. His second wife was the daughter of Montmorency d'Beaumont and widow of Sir Robert James Milo Walker, 4th Baronet Walker of Sand Hutton. They had no children. Esme died in 1969. Cornwallis sold Linton Park in 1938.Linton Park

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

. Retrieved 2017-05-17. He died at his home Ashurst Park near

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

, where he had lived since 1970, in 1982 aged 89.Ashurst Park, Speldhurst
Kent Gardens Trust, 2009. Retrieved 2017-05-17.

References

*Kidd, Charles; Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornwallis, Wykeham Cornwallis, 2nd Baron 1892 births 1982 deaths Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Lord-lieutenants of Kent People educated at Eton College People from the Borough of Maidstone Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Royal Scots Greys officers Recipients of the Military Cross British Army personnel of World War I English cricketers Kent cricketers Kent cricket captains British Army cricketers Wykeham Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club Military personnel from Kent Academics of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Barons Cornwallis People educated at Ludgrove School Cricketers from Kent 20th-century English sportsmen