Brigadier-General Sir Ernest Makins, (14 October 1869 – 18 May 1959) was a British military officer and Conservative Party politician.

Military career

Makins was the eldest son of Henry F. Makins. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 1st (Royal) Dragoons on 23 January 1892, was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 31 August 1893, and to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 2 February 1898. 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 ...

between 1899 and 1902, where he took part in the Relief of Ladysmith, including the battles of Colenso (15 December 1899), Spion Kop (20–24 January 1900), Vaal Krantz (5–7 February 1900), and the Tugela Heights and Pieter's Hill (14–27 February 1900). In the following months he took part in operations in Natal March to June, and in the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

until November 1900.Hart´s Army list, 1903 He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

on 10 September 1901, and appointed a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(DSO) for his service during the war. After peace was declared in May 1902, Makins left South Africa on board the SS ''Bavarian'' and arrived in the United Kingdom the following month. He was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 3 September 1902, and received the insignia of the DSO from King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

following troop inspections on 4 November 1902. Makins, who in February 1910 was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and June 1913 to colonel, fought in 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 ...

, where he was also mentioned in despatches. He was appointed commander of the 6th Cavalry Brigade in September 1914. On 11 May 1915 he was promoted to temporary brigadier general and succeeded Charles James Briggs as commander of the 1st Cavalry Brigade. He was colonel of the 1st Royal Dragoons between 1931 and 1946.

Honours

(DSO; 1902) * Companion, Order of the Bath (CB; 1917) *

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(KBE; 1938)

Political career

He was elected at the 1922 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Knutsford division of Cheshire, and held the seat until he retired from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

at the 1945 general election.

Family

Makins married at Christ Church,

Lancaster Gate Lancaster Gate is a mid-19th century development in the Bayswater district of central London, immediately to the north of Kensington Gardens. History It consists of two long terraces of houses overlooking the park, with a wide gap between t ...

on 31 January 1903 to Maria Florence Mellor (ca. 1877 – 11 August 1972), third daughter of James R. Mellor, King′s Coroner and Master of the Crown Office. Their children were: * Sir Roger Mellor Makins, 1st Baron Sherfield, KCMG (1904–1996) * Guy Herbert Makins (5 July 1906 – 17 September 1923) * Major Geoffrey Henry Makins (19 October 1915 – 4 September 1944) :One of Sir Ernest Makins' grandsons, by his eldest son, was Christopher J. Makins (1942—2006), a British-American diplomat

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Makins, Ernest 1869 births 1959 deaths 1st The Royal Dragoons officers Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), ...

People from Kensington People from Knutsford UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 People educated at Winchester College British Army brigadiers British Army cavalry generals of World War I