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William Onslow, 6th Earl of Onslow

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The Right Honourable
The Earl of Onslow
KBE MC CStJ TD DL
Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Lords
Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard
In office
November 1951 – October 1960
Prime MinisterWinston Churchill
Anthony Eden
Harold Macmillan
Preceded by The Lord Archibald
Succeeded by The Lord Newton
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
10 June 1945 – 3 June 1971
Hereditary peerage
Preceded byThe 5th Earl of Onslow
Succeeded byThe 7th Earl of Onslow
Personal details
Born11 June 1913
Died3 June 1971
(aged 57)
Political partyConservative
Liberal
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1936; div. 1962)​

Nina Sturdee
ChildrenMichael Onslow, 7th Earl of Onslow
Lady Teresa Waugh
Parent(s)Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow
Violet Bampfylde
EducationWinchester College
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
For other people named William Onslow, see William Onslow (disambiguation).

William Arthur Bampfylde Onslow, 6th Earl of Onslow, KBE, MC, CStJ, TD, DL (11 June 1913 – 3 June 1971), known as Viscount Cranley until 1945, was a British peer, politician and army officer.[1][2]

Onslow was the eldest son of Richard William Alan Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow and Violet Marcia Catherine Warwick Bampfylde, daughter of Coplestone Bampfylde, 3rd Baron Poltimore, and was educated at Winchester College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1][2]

Military career

[edit]

From Sandhurst Onslow was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Life Guards in 1934,[3] and promoted to lieutenant in 1938.[4] During the Second World War he transferred to 4th County of London Yeomanry, winning the Military Cross as a captain and temporary major for his actions on 19 and 23 November during Operation Crusader in the Western Desert. The citation describes how on 19 November he continued fighting his tank after it had been immobilised, and on 23 November, led two troops of tanks into battle standing on his scout car waving the tanks on with his handkerchief; the award was gazetted on 12 February 1942.[5][6] As an acting lieutenant-colonel, he commanded the regiment in the Battle of Villers-Bocage during the Normandy Campaign in 1944. His unit was attacked by Michael Wittmann of the Waffen SS who attacked with six tanks. He was subsequently captured by the Germans and was a prisoner of war until the end of the war.[2] In 1961 he published an account of his war service, Men and Sand.[2][7]

Politics

[edit]

Politically, Onslow was a Conservative and was co-opted to the London County Council to represent Putney in 1940. He held the seat at the council election in 1946, remaining a member of the body until 1949.[1][2][8] From 1949 to 1952 he was a member of Surrey County Council.[1]

In 1945 he succeeded to his father's titles, and a place in the House of Lords, and was Assistant Chief Conservative Whip in the house from 1951 to 1960.[1][2] He subsequently left the party, joining the Liberals in 1965.[2]

Lord Onslow was appointed a Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John on 8 July 1947,[9] and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 31 October 1960.[10] He was also a Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey, resigning on 13 April 1962.[11]

Territorial Army

[edit]

Onslow continued in part-time service with the Territorial Army after the war, now with 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), and was promoted to substantive lieutenant-colonel on 1 May 1947.[12] He was promoted brevet colonel on 21 March 1950,[13] awarded the Territorial Efficiency Decoration on 21 April 1950,[14] and transferred to the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers on 4 July 1951.[15] He was appointed Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard on 5 November 1951,[16] and Honorary Colonel of 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) on 21 June 1956.[17] As Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard he took part in the funeral of King George VI,[18] and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[19]

Family

[edit]

On 4 August 1936, Onslow married Pamela Louisa Eleanor Dillon, only daughter of Eric Dillon, 19th Viscount Dillon. They had two children:

Onslow divorced his wife in 1962 and remarried, to Nina Edith Jo Sturdee (who died in 2006), later that year.

He died in 1971 aged 57 and was succeeded by his only son.[2] His grandchildren include Daisy and Alexander Waugh[21]

References

[edit]
  • "Article Preview Government Gives Task to Labor M.P. – Cranley, in Tour of 30 Underground Caverns, Finds Health Menaced". The New York Times. 6 January 1941. p. 3. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
  1. ^ a b c d e "ONSLOW, 6th Earl of". Who Was Who. December 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Obituary: Earl of Onslow". The Times. 5 June 1971. p. 12.
  3. ^ "No. 34020". The London Gazette. 2 February 1934. p. 754.
  4. ^ "No. 34632". The London Gazette. 6 June 1939. p. 3780.
  5. ^ "Recommendations for Honours and Awards (Army)—Image details—Cranley, The Viscount" (fee usually required to view pdf of full original recommendation). DocumentsOnline. The National Archives. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  6. ^ "No. 35452". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 February 1942. p. 704.
  7. ^ Men and Sand. OCLC 12043719 – via WorldCat.
  8. ^ "The New L.C.C. Labour Gains in a Low Poll". The Times. 9 March 1946. p. 2.
  9. ^ "No. 38010". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 July 1947. p. 3133.
  10. ^ "No. 42185". The London Gazette. 4 November 1960. p. 7460.
  11. ^ "No. 42660". The London Gazette. 27 April 1962. p. 3412.
  12. ^ "No. 38065". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 September 1947. p. 4236.
  13. ^ "No. 39274". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1951. p. 3612.
  14. ^ "No. 38889". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 April 1950. p. 1928.
  15. ^ "No. 39274". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1951. p. 3613.
  16. ^ "No. 39377". The London Gazette. 6 November 1951. p. 5790.
  17. ^ "No. 40785". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 May 1956. p. 3026.
  18. ^ "No. 39575". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 1952. p. 3352.
  19. ^ "No. 40020". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 November 1953. p. 6230.
  20. ^ Daily Telegraph, obituary of Auberon Waugh, published 18 January 2001
  21. ^ The Peerage, entry for Auberon Waugh
Political offices
Preceded by Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
1951–1960 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Colonel of the 3rd/4th County
of London Yeomanry
1956–1961 		Succeeded by
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Baron Cranley
1945–1971 		Succeeded by
Baron Onslow
1945–1971
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Earl of Onslow
1945–1971
Member of the House of Lords
(1945–1971) 		Succeeded by
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