Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford
Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford KP MVO (born October 18, 1864 in Dublin , Ireland , † August 21, 1915 on the Gallipoli Peninsula ) was a British general in the First World War .
Life
Thomas Pakenham, was the son of General William Lygon Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford . During the First World War he was Brigadier General Commander of the 2nd (South Midland) Brigade of the 2nd Mounted Division, a unit of the mounted militia ( Yeomanry ).
The division was stationed in Egypt during the war , but was relocated as dismounted infantry to reinforce the British troops to Suvla on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli , where the Allies had landed to force the breakthrough to Constantinople.
On August 21, 1915, the brigade formed the reserve during the Battle of Scimitar Hill . Pakenham carried out a successful attack with her on the summit of Scimitar Heights, in which he was killed.
Since the British had to vacate the conquered summit in the course of further fighting and the front line could not be moved forward until the evacuation of the Allied troops in December, Pakenham's body could not be recovered. It was only three years after the armistice that the bodies could be recovered, but no longer identified, although Pakenham had the family crest with the motto "Gloria Virtutis Umbra" tattooed on his chest while he was still alive.
On his gravestone in Green Hill Cemetery in Suvla are the words: "Believed to be buried in this cemetery" - probably buried in this cemetery .
progeny
His sons from his marriage to Lady Mary Julia Child-Villiers (1877-1933), a daughter of Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey , were Edward Arthur Henry Pakenham, 6th Earl of Longford (1902-1961), a well-known Theater director and playwright, and the politician and social reformer Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford (1905-2001).
His daughter Violet was married to the well-known writer Anthony Powell .
Web links
- Brig. Gen. Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford, on thepeerage.com , accessed August 20, 2015.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| William Pakenham |
Earl of Longford 1887-1915 |
Edward Pakenham |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pakenham, Thomas, 5th Earl of Longford |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pakenham, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British general in World War I. |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 18, 1864 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dublin |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 21, 1915 |
| Place of death | Gallipoli Peninsula |