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Michael Bowes-Lyon (British Army officer)

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The Honourable
Michael Bowes-Lyon
JP DL
Born(1893-10-01)1 October 1893
St Paul's Walden, Hertfordshire, England
Died1 May 1953(1953-05-01) (aged 59)
Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England
Other namesMickie Bowes-Lyon
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford
Spouse
Elizabeth Cator
​
(m. 1928)​
Children
Parents
RelativesQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (sister)
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1914–1921
RankLieutenant Colonel
UnitRoyal Scots
Battles / warsWorld War I

Michael Claude Hamilton Bowes-Lyon (1 October 1893 – 1 May 1953) was a British nobleman. A British Army officer during World War I, he was a prisoner of war at Holzminden. He was an elder brother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and maternal uncle of Queen Elizabeth II.

Biography

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Bowes-Lyon was born on 1 October 1893, the fifth son and eight child of Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis, later 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. Nicknamed Mickie, he was educated at Eton College. He later studied at Magdalen College, Oxford.[1][2][3]

During World War I, Bowes-Lyon served in France in The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment).[4][5][6] He was reported missing in action on 28 April 1917. Three weeks later, his family discovered he had been captured after being wounded.[7] He was held as a prisoner of war at Holzminden prisoner-of-war camp for the rest of the war.[8] He relinquished his commission in 1921.[9]

After the war, Bowes-Lyon was a justice of the peace and deputy lieutenant of Bedfordshire.[10][11] He resided at Gastlings near Biggleswade.[12]

In 1928, Bowes-Lyon married Elizabeth Margaret Cator (1899–1959), daughter of John Cator, at St George's, Hanover Square.[6][13] Cator had been a bridesmaid at his sister Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Albert, Duke of York, in 1923.[14] They had two sons and twin daughters:

Bowes-Lyon died of asthma on 1 May 1953 at his home in Biggleswade.[3] His health had never fully recovered from being a prisoner of war.[17] He was buried in the churchyard of Glamis Parish Church.

In later life, following the death of his brother, the 15th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, he was heir presumptive to his nephew, the 16th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Bowes-Lyon predeceased him and the earldom was inherited by his eldest son, Fergus, in 1972. His younger children received the title and precedence of the children of an earl by royal warrant of precedence in 1974.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Forbes, Grania (1999). My Darling Buffy: The Early Life of The Queen Mothe. Headline Book Publishing. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-7472-7387-5.
  2. ^ Debrett’s Illustrated Peerage. 1943. pp. 973–974.
  3. ^ a b "We Remember Hon. Michael Claude Hamilton Bowes-Lyon". Lives of the First World War. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  4. ^ "No. 28879". The London Gazette. 25 August 1914. p. 6698.
  5. ^ "No. 29050". The London Gazette. 26 January 1915. p. 806.
  6. ^ a b "Kin of Queen Mother Elizabeth Dies at 59". The Spokesman-Review. 2 May 1953. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  7. ^ Shawcross, William (2009). Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: The Official Biography. Macmillan. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-4050-4859-0.
  8. ^ Vickers, Hugo (2006). Elizabeth: The Queen Mother. Random House. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-09-947662-7.
  9. ^ "No. 32460". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 September 1921. p. 7370.
  10. ^ "No. 39079". The London Gazette. 28 November 1950. p. 5951.
  11. ^ "No. 39906". The London Gazette. 7 July 1953. p. 3744.
  12. ^ "Gastlings House". Bedford Borough Council. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Wedding of Michael Bowes-Lyon to Betty Cator". British Pathé. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Royalty Attends Picturesque Wedding". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 3 February 1928. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Earl of Strathmore Is Dead; A Cousin of Queen Elizabeth". The New York Times. 19 August 1987. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Lady Mary Colman, cousin of the Queen and dedicated supporter of Norfolk good causes – obituary". The Telegraph. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Albemarle Bowes Lyon, veteran Coutts banker and favourite nephew of the Queen Mother – obituary". The Telegraph. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  18. ^ "No. 46210". The London Gazette. 15 February 1974. p. 2073.
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