Erskine Nicolson, 3rd Baron Carnock
British peer and sailor (1884-1982)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erskine ("Eric")[1] Arthur Nicolson, 3rd Baron Carnock DSO, JP (26 March 1884 – 2 October 1982),[2] styled The Honourable from 1916 until 1952, was a British peer and sailor.
Erskine Arthur Nicolson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 March 1884 |
| Died | 2 October 1982 (aged 98) |
| Education | Royal Naval College, Dartmouth |
| Known for | British peer and sailor |
| Predecessor | Frederick Archibald Nicolson |
| Successor | David Nicolson |
| Spouse |
Katharine Frederica Albertha
(m. 1919; died 1982) |
| Children |
|
| Parents |
|
| Awards |  Legion of Honour - Knight (1916) |
Background and education
Born in Athens, Nicolson was the second son of Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock, at that time chargé d'affaires at the British legation.[2] His mother was Mary Catharine, the daughter of Archibald Rowan-Hamilton, a soldier in the 5th Dragoon Guards.[2] In 1952, Nicolson succeeded his older brother Frederick as Baron Carnock.[2] A third brother was the author Harold Nicolson.[2] When James Lees-Milne was writing his biography of Harold Nicolson, he visited Lord Carnock, at this point in his mid-nineties and living in a Devon nursing home; he "opined that Harold was a liar and a coward and not worth a biography".[3]
Military career
Nicolson entered the Royal Navy and was educated at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, called HMS Britannia.[4] In 1912, he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy for his participation in the British rescue mission after the 1908 Messina earthquake.[5] He went to the Royal Naval Staff College in 1913 and afterwards became a war staff officer in a light cruiser squadron, fighting in the First World War.[4] For his services in France, Nicolson was appointed a knight of the Legion of Honour on 15 September 1916.[6]
After the war he was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order in 1919[7] and received also the Order of St Anne of Russia.[4] He retired as a commander in 1924[8] and was nominated a Justice of the Peace for the county of Devon.[4]
Family
On 9 October 1919, Nicolson married Katharine Frederica Albertha, eldest daughter of Henry Lopes, 1st Baron Roborough.[9] They had three children, one daughter and two sons.[9] His wife died in 1968 and Nicolson survived her until 2 October 1982.[10] He was succeeded in the barony by his older son David Nicolson, 4th Baron Carnock.[10]