Claude Champion de Crespigny
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11 September 1873
Louisa Margaret McKerrall
Claude Champion de Crespigny | |
|---|---|
,_DSO.jpg) Portrait of Capt Champion de Crespigny by Isobella M. Sutton | |
| Born | Claude Champion de Crespigny 11 September 1873 |
| Died | 18 May 1910 (aged 36) |
| Education | Eton College |
| Parent(s) | Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 4th Baronet Louisa Margaret McKerrall |
| Relatives | Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 3rd Baronet (grandfather) |
Captain Claude Champion de Crespigny, DSO (11 September 1873 – 18 May 1910) was a British soldier and polo player.
He was the eldest, and heir apparent, of nine children born to the former Louisa Margaret McKerrall,[1] and Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 4th Baronet (1847–1935), who went bankrupt in 1881.[2]
His paternal grandparents were Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 3rd Baronet, the first-class cricketer and British Army officer, and the former Mary Tyrell (a daughter of Sir John Tyrell, 2nd Baronet).[3] His paternal grandparents were Robert McKerrall, Emily Pauline Staveley.[4]
Career
He joined the British Army when he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 2nd Life Guards on 3 July 1895, and was promoted to lieutenant on 5 August 1896.[6]
He served in the Second Boer War in South Africa from 1899 to 1900, and was twice wounded in action and twice recommended for the Victoria Cross for acts of immense bravery.[7][8] Though he never received this decoration, he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his services in South Africa in November 1900.[9]
Following the war, he received the substantive rank of Captain in his regiment on 12 January 1902,[10][11] then served in West Africa in 1903.[5]
He later became the Aide-de-Camp to the Viceroy and Governor-General of India George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston.[5]
Sporting
Claude was a member of a very sporting family and was a successful polo player, he was selected for the Hurlingham Club team that traveled to compete in America in 1910.[12] He won the Roehampton Cup in 1907 and 1908.[13] It was said that he "can hunt like a hound, swim like a fish, run like a hare, and box like Jeffries."[14]
