Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Lord Settrington (26 January 1899 – 24 August 1919) was a British aristocrat and heir to the dukedoms of Richmond, Lennox and

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Gordon Heuck ...

. A lieutenant in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during

World War I 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 the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, he was killed during the

North Russia intervention The North Russia intervention, also known as the Northern Russian expedition, the Archangel campaign, and the Murman deployment, was part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War after the October Revolution. The intervention brought a ...

Early life

Four generations of the Dukes of Richmond

Charles Gordon-Lennox was born on 29 January 1899 at 67

Cadogan Square Cadogan Square () is a residential square in Knightsbridge, London, that was named after Earl Cadogan. Whilst it is mainly a residential area, some of the properties are used for diplomatic and educational purposes (notably Sussex House School ...

, London, to Lord Settrington and his wife, Hilda Madeline Brassey. Since his elder brother died in infancy in 1895, Charles was heir to the dukedoms of Richmond, Lennox and

, as well as the French dukedom of Aubigny. He was a descendant of King Charles II and his mistress

Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth (5 September 1649 – 14 November 1734) was a French mistress of King Charles II of England. She was also made Duke of Aubigny#Lennox_Dukes_of_Aubigny, Duchess of Aubigny in the p ...

. From the death of his great-grandfather, the 6th Duke of Richmond, in 1903 he held the

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

Lord Settrington. Charles was raised at Molecomb House, a house on the family's

Goodwood Estate Goodwood may refer to: Events * Goodwood Festival of Speed, a motorsport event in the United Kingdom * Glorious Goodwood, a horseracing event in the United Kingdom * Goodwood Revival, a historical motorsport event in the United Kingdom Places ...

in West Sussex. In 1903, at the age of four, he attended the ninth birthday party of Prince Edward of Wales, the future King Edward VIII and later Duke of Windsor. In 1911, he was his grandfather's page at the

coronation of King George V The coronation of George V and his wife, Mary, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Thursday 22 June 1911. This was the second of four such events held during the 20 ...

. His grandfather, the 7th Duke of Richmond, carried the Sceptre with Dove. He was educated 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 ...

and 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 ...

Military service

World War I

On 26 October 1916, Settrington received a

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

in the

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG) is one of the Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infant ...

with the rank of second lieutenant. He was later raised to the rank of lieutenant on 22 July 1917. Prior to being deployed, his girlfriends included

Joyce Barbour Joyce Barbour (27 March 1901 – 16 March 1977) was an English actress. She was the wife of the actor Richard Bird. Barbour was born in Birmingham on 27 March 1901 the daughter of Horace and Miriam Barbour, her father was an assurance cler ...

and

Faith Celli Faith Celli (27 November 1888 – 16 December 1942), born Dorothy Faith Standing, was an English actress, particularly associated with the plays of J. M. Barrie and A. A. Milne. She had a 20-year career from 1907, after which she retired from the ...

, to the disapproval of his mother. On 13 April 1918, after three days under heavy enemy artillery fire, Settrington went

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...

during the

Battle of Hazebrouck Hazebrouck (, , , ) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France. It was a small market town in Flanders until it became an important railway junction in the 1860s. West Flemish was the usual language until 1880, when French was taught a ...

. He had been captured by the Germans and remained a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

until the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed in a railroad car, in the Compiègne Forest near the town of Compiègne, that ended fighting on land, at sea, and in the air in World War I between the Entente and their las ...

. He returned to England in December 1918.Murland, p. 167.

Russian Civil War

After the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

, the Allies intervened in the

on the side of the

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

. Bored with civilian life, Settrington volunteered with the 45th Battalion of the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many war ...

and was deployed to North Russia as part of the

. On 10 August 1919, British troops advanced to the

Northern Dvina The Northern Dvina (, ; ) is a river in northern Russia flowing through Vologda Oblast and Arkhangelsk Oblast into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. Along with the Pechora River to the east, it drains most of Northwest Russia into the Arctic O ...

, southeast of

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

, and attacked the Bolshevik positions. They captured the villages of Sludka and Lypovets. That evening, the company, with the 16th Company of D Platoon as the rear, attempted to link up with the main Allied force, burdened with villagers, wounded and over 500 released prisoners. On the morning of 11 August, the company was crossing a makeshift bridge over the Sheika River. They came under enemy fire and Settrington was shot in the chest, falling into the river. Settrington, along with three other soldiers, were pulled from the river by

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

, an action for which he was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

Death and legacy

Settrington died of his injuries in

Bereznik Bereznik () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Arkhangelsk Oblast As of 2010, nineteen inhabited localities in Arkhangelsk Oblast bear this name. ;Urban localities *Bereznik, Vinogradovsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, a work ...

, Severnaya Oblast, on 24 August 1919 at the age of 20. He was buried in the

Imperial War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

's Archangel Allied Cemetery. A memorial service was held in London at the

Guards' Chapel, Wellington Barracks The Royal Military Chapel, commonly known as the Guards' Chapel, is a British Army place of worship that serves as the religious home of the Household Division at the Wellington Barracks in Westminster, Greater London. Completed in 1838 in the st ...

. Settrington was considered the first love of

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was also ...

, the future Queen Mother, a close friend of his sister, Lady Doris. Upon his death, Bowes-Lyon called him "my only true friend", writing: "I was not shy about him and he was so delightful. It's terrible, and his family just adored him. He was completely unique and always said what he thought ..Charlie was the only one I could talk to in a completely natural and simple way – he was dear to me, and I miss him very much". A memorial plaque to Settrington and his father was erected in the Church of St Mary and St Blaise,

Boxgrove Boxgrove is a village, parish, ecclesiastical parish and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Chichester (district), Chichester District of the English county of West Sussex, about north east of the city of Chichester. The village is ...

, near Goodwood.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Settrington, Charles Gordon-Lennox, Lord 1899 births 1919 deaths Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Irish Guards officers Royal Fusiliers officers British Army personnel of World War I British World War I prisoners of war British Army personnel of the Russian Civil War British military personnel killed in action Burials at Archangel Allied Cemetery British courtesy barons and lords of Parliament

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

North Russia intervention