George Vere Arundel Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway, (24 March 1882 – 27 March 1943) was a British politician. He served as the fifth Governor-General of New Zealand from 1935 to 1941.

Early life and family

George Vere Arundell Monckton-Arundell Galway was born on 24 March 1882. His parents were

George Monckton-Arundell, 7th Viscount Galway George Edmund Milnes Monckton-Arundell, 7th Viscount Galway, CB (18 November 1844 – 7 March 1931) was a British Conservative politician and courtier. Biography Galway was the son of George Monckton-Arundell, 6th Viscount Galway, and his wife ...

and Vere Gosling. He had one sibling: Violet Frances Monckton-Arundell (14 May 1880 – 24 October 1930). He received his education at a preparatory school in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

before attending

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

(1895–1900) and Christ Church College,

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

(1900–1904). He read Modern History and graduated with Bachelor of Arts and took the Master of Arts subsequently (this degree at Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin is an elevation in rank and not a postgraduate qualification). Viscount Galway married Lucia Margaret White, daughter of the 3rd Baron Annaly, in 1922. They had four children: Mary Victoria Monckton (born 1924), Celia Ella Vere Monckton (1925–1997), Isabel Cynthia Monckton (born 1926) and Simon George Robert Monckton-Arundell (1929–1971). Viscount Galway succeeded his father to the family's Irish peerage in 1931.

Military career

Monckton-Arundell was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

in the Nottinghamshire (Sherwood Rangers) Yeomanry on 1 January 1900, and 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 11 June 1902. In 1904, he joined the First Life Guards, the senior regiment of 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 Gurkha ...

that makes up the

Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment sta ...

, where he rose to the rank of

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 ...

. During the First World War he was appointed as

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

and quartermaster general. He was of the Royal Artillery (1933–35). In 1933 he was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) until 1935, when he relinquished it on appointment as Governor-General of New Zealand. Upon retirement from his post as governor-general he returned as Colonel Commandant of the HAC until his death. He was also appointed Honorary Colonel of the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (later 42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion,

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

) in 1933.

Political ambitions

In 1910, Monckton-Arundell attempted to follow his father into the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

. He contested the Scarborough constituency in the

January January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the ...

and

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the last of seven months to have a length of 31 days. December got its name from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was ori ...

elections of 1910, but was unsuccessful both times.

Governor-General of New Zealand

Viscount Galway was

Governor-General of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the Viceroy, viceregal representative of the Monarchy of New Zealand, monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 ...

from 12 April 1935 to 3 February 1941. His military background made an impression with cabinet ministers of the time. His term was twice extended because of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Viscount Galway and his wife received numerous gifts during his time as governor-general. Some were returned to New Zealand around the time of the sale of the family house Serlby Hall, and were donated to the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring f ...

in 1980.

George Monckton-Arundell, photographed by Herman John Schmidt

Galway was a freemason. During his term as governor-general, he was also Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand. In the

1937 Coronation Honours The 1937 Coronation Honours were awarded in honour of the coronation of George VI. Royal Honours Order of the Thistle * The Queen Royal Victorian Chain * The Queen * Queen Mary * Clive, Baron Wigram Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) * The Queen ...

, he was appointed a member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

Later years and death

Upon his return to England, Galway held the honorary post of Deputy

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibilit ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

under the 7th Duke of Portland. He died suddenly on 27 March 1943 in Blyth.

Arms

References

External links

*
Short biography
by the office of the Governor-General , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Galway, George Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount 1882 births 1943 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Governors-General of New Zealand Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the British Empire British Life Guards officers Deputy Lieutenants of Nottinghamshire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand Freemasons Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom