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Gerald Wellesley Married Dorothy Violet Ashton F | |||||||||||
| Arthur Valerian Wellesley [CFT #14580] Born: 1915-Jul-2 Died: 2014 |
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| d Stratfield Saye House, Hampshire Wellington was born in Rome, Italy, on 2 July 1915, the son of Lord Gerald Wellesley, future 7th Duke of Wellington, by his wife Dorothy Violet, daughter of Robert Ashton. He had one younger sister, the socialite Lady Elizabeth Clyde, whose son became the actor and musician Jeremy Clyde. At the time of Wellington's birth, his father Gerald was the third son of the 4th Duke of Wellington, with little prospect of succeeding to the family's estates and titles. Wellington was 28 when his first cousin Henry, the 6th Duke, was killed in action aged 31 while serving in Italy during the Second World War. Wellington's father then became the 7th Duke, and Wellington himself came to be known by the courtesy title Marquess of Douro. He was known by this moniker between 1943 and 1972, when he became 8th Duke upon the death of his father. He attended Eton before going up to New College, Oxford. Wellington was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Territorial Army in 1936, and was commissioned with the same rank (on probation) in the British Army Reserve in 1939. In 1940, he was given a full commission as a second lieutenant in the Royal Horse Guards Regiment, with the service number 68268. He served in the Second World War with the 1st Household Cavalry Regiment in the Middle East and Italy, during which time he was awarded the Military Cross, and promoted to the war substantive rank of captain. Following the war, the 1st Household Cavalry Regiment disbanded, and he returned to Royal Horse Guards, where he was promoted to lieutenant in 1946, and advanced to the rank of captain later that year. He received successive promotions to major in 1951, and to lieutenant colonel in 1954, rising to command of his regiment. Seeing service in Cyprus between 1956 and 1958, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1958. He then moved to the Household Cavalry Regiment, which he began commanding in 1959. Promoted to colonel in 1960, he commanded the 22nd Armoured Brigade (1960–1961), served as Commander, Royal Armoured Corps in the I(BR) Corps of the British Army of the Rhine, and became defence attaché to Spain in 1964. He retired from the Army in 1968 and was granted the honorary rank of brigadier. Wellington was appointed the Colonel-in-Chief of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1974, making him the only non-royal Colonel-in-Chief. After its absorption into the Yorkshire Regiment, he was appointed Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the new regiment. He was also Deputy Colonel of The Blues and Royals and an Honorary Colonel of the 2nd Battalion, Wessex Regiment. |
1: 1945 Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesleyc H 2: 1949 Richard Wellesleyc W 3: 1951 (Caroline) Jane Wellesleyc 4: 1954 John Wellesleyc W 5: 1956 James Wellesleyc W | ||||||||||
| 5 Children | |||||||||||
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