Allen Algernon Bathurst, Lord Apsley, DSO, MC, TD, DL (3 August 1895 – 17 December 1942) was a

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 Gur ...

officer and Conservative Party politician.

Early life

Apsley was the eldest son of

Seymour Bathurst, 7th Earl Bathurst Seymour Henry Bathurst, 7th Earl Bathurst, CMG, TD, JP, DL (21 July 1864 – 21 September 1943) was a British nobleman, soldier and newspaper owner.''Who's Who'' (1903) Adam & Charles Black, London''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage ...

and his wife Lilias Margaret Frances ''née'' Borthwick, daughter of

Algernon Borthwick, 1st Baron Glenesk Algernon Borthwick, 1st Baron Glenesk JP (27 December 1830 – 24 November 1908), known as Sir Algernon Borthwick, Bt, between 1887 and 1895, was a British journalist and Conservative politician. He was the owner of the '' Morning Post'' (which ...

. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating BA hons.''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953.

Military career

During

World War I 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 served overseas with the

Royal Gloucestershire Hussars The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars was a volunteer yeomanry regiment which, in the 20th century, became part of the British Army Reserve. It traced its origins to the First or Cheltenham Troop of Gloucestershire Gentleman and Yeomanry raised ...

. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant in April 1916, acting

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 June 1917, receiving a substantive promotion to lieutenant from the same date, and to substantive captain in 1918. He was awarded the

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

(MC) and

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, typi ...

(DSO) for his actions in Egypt:

Political and business career

He was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

(MP) for

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

in 1922, holding the seat until 1929. He then stood for Bristol Central in 1931, and held the seat until his death in 1942. In 1923 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the "

County of Gloucester Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of G ...

, and of the City and County of the City of Gloucester, and the City and County of the City of Bristol." During this time, he was

Parliamentary Private Secretary A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the H ...

to: the

Under-Secretary of State for the Overseas Trade Department Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a Secretary (title), secretary (person in charge). It is used in the Executive (government), executive branch of government, with different meaning ...

1922–24, the Minister of Transport 1925-29 and the

Minister for Co-ordination Defence Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government ...

1936. He had also been President of the

UK Pilot's Association The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

in 1925 and sometime chairman of Western Airways,

Western Air Transport Company Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and a director of Morning Post. Lord and Lady Apsley published a book called ''The Amateur Settlers'' in 1929 recounting their escapades and adventures travelling through in the Northern Territory of Australia. They had many encounters, including with local aborigines, in which detailed descriptions reveal their social attitudes and behaviour. He remained a member of the Territorial Army between the wars, and 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 ...

(TD) in 1929, promoted to

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

major in 1930, and promoted to substantive major in 1938. During

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he served overseas again, with the

Arab Legion The Arab Legion () was the police force, then regular army of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate, in the early part of the 20th century, and then of independent Jordan, with a final Arabization of its command taking place in 19 ...

(1941–42).

Marriage

On 27 February 1924, Lord Apsley had married Viola Meeking (who succeeded him as MP for Bristol Central) and they had two sons: Henry Allen John (1927–2011) and George Bertram (1929–2010). As Lord Apsley predeceased his father, the latter's earldom later passed to Lord Apsley's eldest son, Henry.

Death

Lord Apsley was a passenger on a

Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its orig ...

of No. 138 Squadron RAF when it crashed on take-off from Malta, killing all on board. Apsley was buried with the other victims at

Kalkara Naval Cemetery The Kalkara Naval Cemetery (or Capuccini Naval Cemetery) is a cemetery in Kalkara in the South Eastern Region of Malta. The main entrance to the cemetery is at the junction of Triq Santa Rokku and Triq San Leonardu. The cemetery is divided into ...

Kalkara Kalkara ( mt, Il-Kalkara) is a village in the South Eastern Region of Malta, with a population of 3,014 as of March 2014. The name is derived from the Latin word for lime (Calce), and it is believed that there was a lime kiln present there sinc ...

References

External links

Lord Apsley8
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Apsley, Allen Bathurst, Lord 1895 births 1942 deaths People educated at Eton College Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies British Army personnel of World War I Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Military Cross UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 Bathurst Deputy Lieutenants of Gloucestershire Royal Gloucestershire Hussars officers Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Heirs apparent who never acceded British courtesy barons and lords of Parliament Allen Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Malta Royal Armoured Corps officers