George Edward John Mowbray Rous, 3rd Earl of Stradbroke, (19 November 1862 – 20 December 1947) was a British nobleman from

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...

who served as a Territorial Army officer, as a junior government minister, and as the 15th

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and t ...

, Australia.Death of the 3rd Earl of Stradbroke
nla.gov.au; accessed 27 March 2014.''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953.

Early years

He was born on 19 November 1862, the only son and heir of

John Rous, 2nd Earl of Stradbroke John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Under the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some con ...

of Viscount Dunwich, he was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (sc ...

and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a 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 college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

(

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

1884,

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

1890). He succeeded his father as the 3rd Earl of Stradbroke and owner of the family seat at Henham Park in

on 27 January 1886.

Military career

Viscount Dunwich was commissioned

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers The 1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers was a unit of Britain's Volunteer Force raised in the County of Norfolk in 1859 as a response to a French invasion threat. It became part of the Territorial Force in 1908 and served under various designations ...

(which included Suffolk batteries) in 1882. He was promoted

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

in 1884, and

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 colon ...

to command the unit in 1888. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge ...

in the Volunteers on 26 June 1902, and was awarded the

Volunteer Decoration The Volunteer Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was instituted in 1892 as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force. Award of the decoration was discontinued in the United Kingdom ...

on 15 August 1902. He was appointed an aide-de-camp to

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list on 26 June 1902, serving until the King's death in 1910 when he was re-appointed by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

.''Army List'', various dates. When the Volunteer Force was replaced by the

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 ...

on 1 April 1908, his unit was split up: Stradbroke became Honorary Colonel of the 1st East Anglian Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (TF) (which contained the Norfolk batteries), while remaining lieutenant colonel commanding the 3rd East Anglian (Howitzer) Brigade (which contained the Suffolk batteries). He led the 3rd East Anglian Brigade and its successor units on active service on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

in Egypt and Palestine during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He was awarded the

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer Officer's Decoration when the T ...

, appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1919 and a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

in 1920. After the war he remained Honorary Colonel of the Norfolk artillery brigade (now known as the 84th (East Anglian) Brigade) and from 18 May 1927 filled the same role with the Suffolk brigade (now the 103rd Suffolk Brigade) until it was split up, when he continued as Honorary Colonel of the 409th (Suffolk) Independent Anti-Aircraft Battery until its renewed merger with the Norfolk batteries to form the 78th (1st Anglian) Anti-Aircraft Regiment in 1938. He also served as chairman of the Suffolk Territorial Army Association and as president of the Council of the National Artillery Association. He finally retired from an active role with the Territorial Army and as ADC to the King in 1930.

Politics

Stradbroke was appointed as

in 1920 and held the position until 1926. He also served as

Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries was a junior ministerial office in the British government, serving under the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. The title changed to Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of ...

from 1928 until the defeat of the 1924–1929 Conservative Government.

Scouting

As ''ex. officio'' the Chief Scout of Victoria as governor, Lord Stradbroke also sponsored the Victorian Scouting competition, the Stradbroke Cup. This event is still held every year and is immensely popular.

Freemasonry

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, Stradbroke was initiated to the craft in the Lodge of Prudence No. 388. After he became Worshipful Master of the Lodge, he was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Suffolk in October 1902, holding the position for forty-five years. Two years after being appointed Governor of Victoria, he was electe
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Victoria
He was also Provincial Grand Master of Mark Masons of East Anglia.

Public life

In addition to his political and military positions, Stradbroke held the office of Vice-Admiral of Suffolk, was Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk and a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the s ...

, and an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members ...

and chairman of

East Suffolk County Council East Suffolk County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of East Suffolk in east England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and acted as the governing authority for the county until it was amalgamated with West Suf ...

. He was also president of the National Sea Fisheries Protection Association. Both the Earl and Countess were supporters of thoroughbred racing. While in Victoria they separately owned or leased several horses, notably Trice, trained for the Countess by Jack Holt.

Family

Helena Violet Alice Fraser (died 14 April 1949), daughter of Lieutenant General James Keith Fraser, married Stradbroke on 23 July 1898. As Countess of Stradbroke she was created a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1927. They had the following children: *Lady Pleasance Elizabeth Rous (born 11 May 1899 – died 1 September 1986) *Lady Catherine Charlotte Rous (born 5 May 1900 – died 19 September 1983) *Lady Betty Helena Joanna Rous (24 April 1901 – 4 November 1969) * John Anthony Alexander Rous, 4th Earl of Stradbroke (1 April 1903 – 1983) * William Keith Rous, 5th Earl of Stradbroke (10 March 1907 – 1983) *Major Hon. George Nathaniel Rous (5 April 1911 – 1982) *Major Hon. Peter James Mowbray Rous (23 January 1914 – 17 May 1997), married Elizabeth Alice Mary Fraser on 24 June 1942 and had issue *Hon. Christopher Simon Rous (3 January 1916 – 22 February 1925)

Death

The 3rd Earl of Stradbroke died on 20 December 1947 and was succeeded by his eldest son. His widow, the Dowager Countess of Stradbroke, died in an accident on 14 April 1949.

Honours

In addition to the honours noted above, the Earl of Stradbroke was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregiv ...

in 1904 and a

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

in 1906. He was a

Knight of the Order of St John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

and held the Grand Cross of the Order of the Savior of Greece.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stradbroke, George Rous, 3rd Earl of 1862 births 1947 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Royal Artillery officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Governors of Victoria (Australia) Lord-Lieutenants of Suffolk Members of East Suffolk County Council People from Blythburgh British Army personnel of World War I Australian Freemasons Masonic Grand Masters People educated at Harrow School