Sir William Peter Bulmer (20 May 1920 – 28 November 2012) was

Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire The office of Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire was created on 1 April 1974. *Kenneth Hargreaves: 1 April 1974 – 1978 (previously Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, West Riding Lieutenant since 1970) *Sir William Bulmer (businessma ...

from 1978 to 1985. Having escaped from a

POW camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, an ...

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 ...

he went on to become managing director of the family business, Bulmer & Lumb, between 1963 and 1985. He has been described as 'a leading figure in the textile industry'.

Early life

Bulmer was born on in

Cullingworth Cullingworth is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, it is west of Bradford and south of Keighley. The surrounding countryside is mainly ...

near

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, the son of

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and Florence Buller. He was educated at

Bradford Grammar School Bradford Grammar School (BGS) is a co-educational private day school located in Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Entrance is by examination. For the sixth form admission is based on GCSE results. The school gives means-tested ...

, a

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

Frizinghall Frizinghall is a district in the Heaton ward of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, lying north of the city centre close to the town of Shipley, itself a part of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District along with such other nearby towns ...

, Bradford, and

Wrekin College Wrekin College is a private co-educational boarding and day school located in Wellington, Shropshire, England. It was founded by Sir John Bayley in 1880. It is now co-located with a preparatory school, The Old Hall School, founded by 1835 ...

, a public school in

Wellington, Shropshire Wellington is a market town and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It is situated northwest of Telford and east of Shrewsbury, near the western terminus of the M54 motorway. The summit of The Wrekin lie ...

. While at Wrekin College, he reached the rank of Cadet

Company Quartermaster Sergeant : Company quartermaster sergeant is a military rank or appointment. Canada A company quartermaster sergeant (CQMS) in the Canadian Forces is the non-commissioned officer in a Company (military unit), company who is in charge of supplies. The CQM ...

in the school's

Officer Training Corps The University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), also known as the Officers' Training Corps (OTC), are British Army reserve units, under the command of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which recruit exclusively from universities and focus on ...

. He then attended Bradford Technical College on a two-year course in textile subjects.

Military service

On 10 June 1939, Bulmer was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

's supplementary reserve of officers. He transferred to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers on 10 June 1949 in the rank of

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 ...

Honours and decorations

On 15 December 1942, it was noted in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'' that Bulmer had been

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 ...

'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East during the period November, 1941, to April, 1942'. On 3 August 1944, it was noted in

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'', known generally as ''The Gazette'', is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, i ...

that Bulmer had been further Mentioned in Despatches 'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field'. He was awarded the Army Emergency Reserve Decoration (ERD) in 1996. It was announced in the 1974 Queen's Birthday Honours, that he was to be honoured as a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

'for services to export'. On 17 July 1974, he was knighted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

. In December 1978, he was appointed Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ). On 26 March 1974, he was appointed

High Sheriff of West Yorkshire The High Sheriff of West Yorkshire is a current High Sheriff title which has existed since 1974, the holder is changed annually every March. For around 1,000 years the entire area of Yorkshire was covered by a single Sheriff of Yorkshire. After th ...

for a year. On 30 September 1977, he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for the

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

. On 5 April 1978, he was appointed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulmer, William 1920 births 2012 deaths People educated at Bradford Grammar School People educated at Wrekin College Royal Artillery officers World War II prisoners of war held by Germany World War II prisoners of war held by Italy Knights Bachelor Knights of the Order of St John Businesspeople from Yorkshire Lord-lieutenants of West Yorkshire High sheriffs of West Yorkshire British Army personnel of World War II British World War II prisoners of war 20th-century English businesspeople Businesspeople awarded knighthoods