Herbrand Charles Alexander

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Sculpture in Mons Town Hall commemorating the liberation of the city by the 5th Royal Irish Lancers
Coat of arms of the Earls of Caledon

Hon. Herbrand Charles Alexander DSO (born November 28, 1888 - † May 6, 1965 ) was a British officer, rider and horse breeder. He fought in the First and Second World Wars .

Life

Herbrand Charles Alexander was born the second son of James Alexander , the fourth Earl of Caledon and Lady Elizabeth Graham Toler. He was the older brother of Field Marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis . He spent his childhood in his parents' Caledon Castle . He got his education at the well-known and respected Harrow School . In January 1908 he began his training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and then joined the 5th Royal Irish Lancers as an officer . His appointment as Second Lieutenant took place on January 8, 1909. On March 1, 1910 he was promoted to Lieutenant . In 1912 he won the Kildare Hunt Cup as a rider . In order to take part in this race, he waived the ticket for the RMS Titanic's maiden voyage , which had been booked for him.

During the " Curragh Incident " he offered, together with Hubert Gough , on March 20, 1914, his resignation if his regiment should be relocated to Ulster , in the event of unrest there. This incident is noteworthy as it was one of the few situations since the English Civil War where elements of the British military openly intervened in politics.

Herbrand Charles Alexander fought with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers in World War I and was mentioned three times ( Mentioned in dispatches ). He fought in the battle of Mons . In the Battle of St. Quentin he led a patrol to Remigny on August 28, 1914 to carry out reconnaissance tasks. He was cut off from his own lines by the destruction of the bridges. Messengers were sent to inform Alexander that he was in danger of being surrounded. He managed to successfully lead his men back to his own lines and avoid capture, despite being surrounded by Uhlans . On January 1, 1915, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for "exceedingly good work in action and in reconnaissance, since the commencement of the war". He fought in the Battle of Cambrai . On June 25, 1918, he was promoted to captain . On the morning of November 11, 1918, he led the 5th Royal Irish Lancers in the retaking of Mons and was barely missed by a shell that exploded near him an hour before the armistice. At the same time, George Edwin Ellison of the 5th Royal Irish Lancers was killed. He was the last British soldier to die in World War I.

Herbrand Charles Alexander became Irish champion in 1922. In the same year he got a license as a trainer and trained some famous jockeys .

Herbrand Charles Alexander participated in World War II in various uses. Among other things, he was adjutant to the Norwegian King Haakon VII. After the occupation of Norway by the German Wehrmacht in 1940, he went into exile in England and became a symbol of national resistance against the German occupation. In 1941 Herbrand Charles Alexander became Temporary Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian Imperial Force . On March 14, 1945 he became Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Armored Corps .

Herbrand Charles Alexander married Millicent Meredyth in 1919, the only daughter of Sir Henry Meredyth, 5th Baronet. The son Denis comes from the marriage . He became the sixth Earl of Caledon when Eric Alexander, 5th Earl of Caledon , Herbrand's older brother, died childless in 1968. The marriage with Millicent was divorced in 1927. Herbrand Alexander married Ada Kate Bellew, the granddaughter of Edward Bellew , the 2nd Baron Bellew, in 1937 .

Alexander was very successful as a horse breeder. The stallion Windy City comes from his breeding , which in 1951, with a rating of 142, was the second highest horse of the "Timeform Rating". To date, only six horses have been ranked higher.

His success as a rider earned him the nickname "Firebrand". It was under this title that his great-granddaughter Lady Jane Alexander wrote his memoir Firebrand, The Life and Times of Herbrand Alexander .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The London Gazette, January 26, 1909
  2. ^ The London Gazette, May 6, 1910
  3. ↑ Lady Jane Alexander: Firebrand, The Life and Times of Herbrand Alexander , Daletta Press, 2010, p. 54
  4. ↑ Lady Jane Alexander: Firebrand, The Life and Times of Herbrand Alexander , Daletta Press, 2010, p. 1
  5. ↑ Ciaran Byrne: The Harp and Crown, the History of the 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers, 1902-1922 . P. 36 ff
  6. ↑ Ciaran Byrne: The Harp and Crown, the History of the 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers, 1902-1922 . P. 60.
  7. ↑ Sir O'Moore Creagh: The Distinguished Service Order Savannah Publications; 1st Edition edition (December 1978)
  8. ^ The London Gazette, March 9, 1945
personal data
SURNAME Alexander, Herbrand Charles
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British officer
DATE OF BIRTH November 28, 1888
DATE OF DEATH May 6, 1965