Henry Elwes

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Henry Elwes
Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire
In office
17 February 1992 –24 October 2010
Personal details
Born (1935-10-24) October 24, 1935 (age 89)
Education Eton College
Occupation Politician, public servant

Sir Henry William George Elwes KCVO KStJ JP DL (born 24 October 1935) is a retired British politician and public servant. He served as a District and County Councillor in Gloucestershire for 32 years and was Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire between 1992 and 2010.

Contents

Early life

Elwes was born on 24 October 1935. [1] [2] He was educated at Eton College, a public boys boarding school in Eton near Windsor, Berkshire. [3]

Military service

As part of National Service, Elwes was commissioned in the Scots Guards as a second lieutenant on 4 December 1954. He was given the service number 438925. [4] He transferred to the Army Emergency Reserve of Officers on 24 June 1956 as a second lieutenant with seniority from 4 December 1954. [5] This ended his active service. Also on 24 June 1956, he was granted the acting rank of lieutenant with seniority from 31 May 1956. [5] He moved to the Regular Army Reserve of Officer (Class III) on May 27, 1959, keeping his seniority and assuming the confirmed rank of lieutenant [6]

Career

Elwes was a member of Cirencester Rural District Council from 1959 to 1974. In 1971, he joined Gloucestershire County Council. He served as Vice-Chairman of the council from 1976 to 1983 and in 1991, and Chair from 1983 to 1985. He retired from politics in 1991. [2]

Elwes is the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire. His appointment was announced in March 2012, [7] and he was installed in October 2012. [8]

Personal life

Elwes married Carolyn Cripps in 1962. [9] They live in Colesbourne Park, (known as 'England's Greatest Snowdrop Garden'), an estate owned by his family since 1600. [10] The botanist Henry John Elwes is his great-grandfather. [11]

Elwes suffered serious injuries when he fell three floors through a building he was inspecting. His life was saved by Great Western Air Ambulance Charity and he subsequently made an excellent recovery. [12]

Carolyn Elwes died on 23rd December 2022, following a stroke. [13]

Honours

He was nominated for High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1976 [14] and 1977. [15] He was appointed High Sheriff for 1979, [16] having been nominated for that year in 1978. [17] On 24 May 1982, he was commissioned a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Gloucestershire. [18] He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Queen Elizabeth II's personal representative in the county of Gloucestershire, on 17 February 1992. [19] He served as the first Warden of the Honourable Company of Gloucestershire in 2008-9 and was subsequently granted the title Warden Emeritus. [20]

In April 1992, he was appointed Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ). [21] In the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO). [22]

References

  1. ↑ "ELWES, Sir Henry (William George)". Who's Who 2013. A & C Black. November 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Sir Henry Elwes, KCVO". People of Today Online. Debrett's. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "UWE awards honorary degree to Henry Elwes Esq". University of the West of England. 10 November 2006. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "No. 40403". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 February 1955. p. 839.
  5. 1 2 "No. 40821". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1956. p. 3882.
  6. ↑ "No. 41742". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 1959. p. 3995.
  7. ↑ "New Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor announced" (PDF). Alumni News. University of Gloucestershire. March 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "University Installs new Chancellor" (PDF). Alumni News. University of Gloucestershire. October 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "Henry Elwes; Lord-Lieutenant for Gloucestershire". Cotswold Life. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sir Henry Elwes reflects on time as Lord-Lieutenant". BBC News. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "Sir Henry and Lady Elwes". Colesbourne Gardens LLP. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "We didn't know whether he would have survived the 30ft fall". Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. 19 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  13. ↑ Mean, Ian; Norris, Phil (25 December 2022). "Lady Carolyn Elwes dies as husband Sir Henry Elwes pays tribute". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  14. ↑ "No. 47099". The London Gazette . 23 December 1976. p. 17200.
  15. ↑ "No. 47383". The London Gazette . 18 November 1977. p. 14510.
  16. ↑ "No. 47795". The London Gazette . 16 March 1979. p. 3547.
  17. ↑ "No. 47701". The London Gazette . 30 November 1978. pp. 14345–14346.
  18. ↑ "No. 49004". The London Gazette . 8 June 1982. p. 7571.
  19. ↑ "No. 52841". The London Gazette . 20 February 1992. p. 2983.
  20. ↑ "The Company Description". The Honourable Company of Gloucestershire. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  21. ↑ "No. 52881". The London Gazette . 1 April 1992. p. 5813.
  22. ↑ "No. 59090". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 2009. p. 3.
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