Bertrand Stewart (December 1872 – 12 September 1914) worked as a solicitor in London and was also a military officer in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry, he fought in the

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

and 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 ...

. In between the two wars he volunteered to spy on German naval actions. He was famously arrested in Germany on 2 August 1911 and sentenced to four years in prison. Stewart and another British spy, Captain Trench, were pardoned and released by the German Kaiser as a present to Ernest Augustus the Duke of Brunswick when Augustus married the Kaiser's daughter,

Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia (; 13 September 1892 – 11 December 1980) was the only daughter and youngest child of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. Through her father, Victoria Louise was a great-g ...

. He died fighting off a German attack near the River Vesle during the Battle of the Marne.

Early life

Stewart went to school at Eton (Durnford's House). He then went up to

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, leaving in 1892. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1897 and joined the firm of Markby, Stewart & Co., of Coleman Street, London.

Military career and spycraft

When the Boer War started, Bertrand joined the West Kent as a private. He fought in British operations at Cape Colony, Orange River Colony, and the Transvaal. In 1906 he became an officer in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry. In 1911, Stewart volunteered to spy on Germany while he pretended to be a tourist. He was arrested after receiving a code book from a turned German double agent. Stewart had accomplices but was the only one arrested in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

. He was then trying to gain information about the defences of the East Frisian islands and the Weser estuary. Stewart was tried by the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of the Empire at

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

on 31 January 1912. After four days, he was found guilty and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in the Glatz Fortress. Stewart and another British spy, Captain Trench, were pardoned and released by the

German Emperor The German Emperor (, ) was the official title of the head of state and Hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the abdicati ...

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

as a present to Ernest Augustus the Duke of Brunswick when Augustus married the Kaiser's daughter,

. (They married on 24 May 1913). Stewart was annoyed at his capture and sued the British government for £12,500 for damage to his health. Some consider Stewart to have been a fantasist.Bertrand Stewart
, Christ Church, Oxford University. Retrieved 23 September 2014 When the Great War started, he was quickly given a position in the Intelligence Department on the Staff of Major General Allenby. During the Battle of the Marne, in the opening months of the war, his unit was facing fierce German attacks when he grabbed a rifle and went to help the men at the front lines. He was found dead by a future author and member of the same unit, Frederick Coleman, near the River

Vesle The Vesle () is the river on which the city of Reims stands. It is a fourth order river of France and a left-bank tributary of the Aisne. It is long, and rises in the ''département'' of Marne through which it flows for most of its course. Geog ...

Notes

References

* * - Total pages: 544 * - Total pages: 160 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Bertrand 1872 births 1914 deaths People from Belgravia British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British military personnel killed in World War I 20th-century spies People convicted of spying Incarcerated spies British people imprisoned in Germany British people imprisoned abroad Recipients of German royal pardons Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry officers People educated at Eton College World War I spies for the United Kingdom 20th-century English lawyers 19th-century English lawyers Military personnel from the City of Westminster British Army personnel of World War I