Who am I ?.....

[spike10764]

No 5 in the "who am I"... series

A man who was described as a great sporting gentleman

I was a friend of the Kaiser, who formed a Battalion just after the outbreak of war and dressed my men in grey uniforms. (Although I was most associated with the colour yellow)

Just before the war I was present at a review of the German Fleet at the Kiel Canal.

[marina]

No 5 in the "who am I"... series

A man who was described as a great sporting gentleman

I was a friend of the Kaiser, who formed a Battalion just after the outbreak of war and dressed my men in grey uniforms. (Altough I was most associated with the colour yellow)

Just before the war I was present at a review of the German Fleet at the Kiel Canal.

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King Edward VII?

Marina

[ypres1418]

king of the Nederlands?

Mandy

[bernardmcilwaine]

elton john,watford football club,likes yellow,dressess his men in grey,blue,pink or any colour he likes bernard

[Sue Light]

Lord Lonsdale?

Sue

[Malcolm]

Lord Lonsdale? 

Sue

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Who dined with the Kaiser and several well known Generals and politicians in the Keswick Hotel ( then the Keswick Railway Hotel) in the Lake District in 1912 ( I think). His letter is framed and on the wall there.

Aye

Malcolm

[Sue Light]

And to add to this puzzle [sort of...] - for some time now I've been trying to connect Lord Lonsdale to Lt. Colonel Claude Lowther M.P. The latter was the owner of Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex, and the man who raised the 11th, 12th, and 13th Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment [Lowther's Lambs].

Now Lord Lonsdale's family name was Lowther, and they had various properties in present day Cumbria - Lowther Castle and Askham Hall are well known, and to put it simply, the Lonsdales were, over decades, 'big in politics.' Claude Lowther was member of parliament for Eskdale, Cumberland, and the combination of the surname and area seems to imply that there was a family connection between Claude and the 5th Earl in some way.

Perhaps I'm losing my touch [if I ever had one], but the most I can find out about Claude is that he was born Claude William Henry Lowther, on the Isle of Wight in 1872 or thereabouts.

Can anyone put me out of my misery and point me to the family connection between the two men. Paul [Reed] probably has the information at his fingertips, but an exact answer must be worth a donation to forum funds.

Thanks

Sue

[John_Hartley]

Sue

Or give Stuart Eastwood @ the Borders Museum in Carlisle a buzz.

Not surprisingly, he's a bit of a whizz on their Lonsdale Battalion - and the family stuff

John

[Terry_Reeves]

Sue

I don't know the connection but the following background material may help:

MP (Conservative) North Cumberland, 1910-1922. Born 1872, son of Captain Francis Lowther RN. Educated Rugby. Entered diplomatic service; served with the Imperial Yeomanry in South Africa 1900; ADC to Sir Charles Warren who recommended him for the VC for gallantry at the battle of Faber's Point. Captain in the Cumberland Yeomanry.

Died January 1929.

His WW1 history you already know of course.

Terry Reeves

[Sue Light]

Terry

Thanks so much - I shall buy you an extra fried egg for that! I've now found the family in the 1891 census [why couldn't I do that before?]. Son of Francis and Louise Lowther, living at 73 Pont Street, Chelsea. What's interesting is that Louise was born in Canada, and Francis was born in Italy and is given as 'Naturalised British Subject.' So it would appear that maybe he didn't start off as a Lowther at all. Perhaps he was 'adopted' in some way by the Lonsdales and took the surname - this sounds very interesting!

I've just found one more way to waste my time

Sue

[Sue Light]

John

Nearly forgot you - I was overcome with information

It seems that your suggestion might be an even better idea now - looking for cuckoos in the nest.

Sue

[Malcolm]

I am sure Lowther MP is on the Guest List at Keswick.

Aye

Malcolm

[Sue Light]

Malcolm

I think you're probably nearer than me - perhaps a detour while you're walking the dog?

Anyway, I've just tracked down Francis Lowther's naturalisation papers at the NA in 1866, so will be able to nail him soon!

Sue

[spike10764]

Lord Lonsdale? 

Sue

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Give that lady a cigar( a Lonsdale Cigar at that )

Yes it was Hugh Cecil Lowther,

5th Earl of Lonsdale, K.G., G.C.V.O,1857-1944 who was also known as the Yellow Earl for the colours his horses raced under. Bon viveur was not quite encompassing enough to describe him- more like a Wild Child of the nobility.

He had a type of cigar named after him, a boxing belt, was first president of the Automobile Club( colours- yellow...coincidence??). Built a castle for partying in, hunted, shot, gambled and womanised. He was known at the time as "Englands Greatest Sporting Gentleman" . The Kaiser had hunted at his family home Lowther Castle and I recall seeing a picture of him somewhere, at the Kiel Canal watching the launch of a ship of the German Fleet.

He was also the founder of the Lonsdale Battalion (11th Battn Border Regiment), in 1914, just after the outbreak of war, whose cap badge he designed, and whose original uniforms designed for him were hodden grey(obviously that could not last).

The rest, as they say is History.