Sir Dudley Evelyn Bruce McCorkell, MBE,

KStJ The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

, JP, DL, (22 February 1883 – 30 May 1960) was a Mayor of Derry (1929–35), Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry (1957–60) and ''ex officio'' member of the

Senate of Northern Ireland The Senate of Northern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. Powers In practice the Se ...

Career

McCorkell was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

and Pembroke College,

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, where he won a

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

for hockey; playing for two seasons. At the outbreak of

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 ...

, McCorkell offered himself for active service but his offer was declined on medical grounds. He devoted his time to the British

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

Society and the Order of St. John where he served as Director for

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

and

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

during the war. In 1918, he was invested as an MBE for his work during the war. He was a Knight of Justice of the Order of St. John. In 1917 he was made a Justice of the Peace of the County, he was High Sheriff of County Londonderry from 1925–26 and was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for County Londonderry in 1926. Like his grandfather, Bartholomew McCorkell JP, he was elected as Mayor of Derry from 1929 and served in that capacity until 1934. He also served as an ''ex officio'' member of the

and in that capacity he attended the Ottawa Conference on Trade in 1932. He was

Knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1933. McCorkell, along with his nephew Colonel Sir Michael McCorkell who succeeded him, served as Harbour Board Commissioners and as Chairmen of Wm. McCorkell, who operated the McCorkell Line. He was appointed Vice Lieutenant of County Londonderry in 1953 and from 1957, until his death, McCorkell served as Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry. Sir Dudley was also the first President of the Derry Horticultural Society.

Derry City F.C.

He was chairman of Derry City F.C.

Amelia Earhart

While McCorkell was Mayor of Derry,

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

completed her first solo transatlantic flight when she landed in Ballyarnett, County Londonderry. As Mayor and the landowner, McCorkell welcomed Earhart after her successful flight.

Family

The

McCorkell McCorkell is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Aileen McCorkell, founder of the Derry Branch of the Red Cross *David McCorkell (born 1955), Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim (from 2019) *Dudley McCorkell, Sir Dudley McCorkell (188 ...

family, originally from Scotland, are from the

Clan McCorquodale Clan McCorquodale is a Scottish clan, recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, though without a Scottish clan chief, chief so recognised. The last chief of the clan died in the 18th century. Because the clan does not have a recognised chief, it ...

and are a

sept A sept () is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used both in Scotland and in Ireland, where it may be translated as Irish , meaning "progeny" or "seed", and may indicate the descendants of a person ...

Clan Gunn Clan Gunn () is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan associated with lands in northeastern Scotland, including Caithness, Sutherland and, arguably, the Orkney Isles. Clan Gunn is one of the oldest Scottish Clans, being descended from t ...

. McCorkell's great grandfather William McCorkell set up the McCorkell Line in 1778; the family shipping business. McCorkell was a descendant of The Earls of Longford and

King Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. McCorkell, who was knighted in 1933, was married to Helen Elizabeth Usher; the couple had one son and three daughters. His son Lt. Francis Dudley Pakenham McCorkell served in the 2nd Battalion

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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was killed in action on the 6 August 1944 at the age of 21. He is buried in the St. Charles de Percy War Cemetery in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. Colonel Sir Michael McCorkell was his nephew. McCorkell lived in the family home at Ballyarnett, County Londonderry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCorkell, Dudley 1883 births 1960 deaths Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge High sheriffs of County Londonderry Knights Bachelor Lord-lieutenants of County Londonderry Mayors of Derry Members of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Senate of Northern Ireland 1929–1933 Members of the Senate of Northern Ireland 1933–1937 People educated at Shrewsbury School Ulster Unionist Party members of the Senate of Northern Ireland