Lord George Wellesley
{{Short description|Recipient of the Military Cross (1889–1967)}}
{{for|his cousin the admiral|George Wellesley}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Lord George Wellesley
| image = Lady and Lord George Wellesley in 1918.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Lord and Lady George Wellesley in 1918
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1889|07|29|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{death date and age|1967|07|31|1889|07|29|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| placeofburial =
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = British Army
Royal Flying Corps
Royal Air Force
| serviceyears = 1909–1919
1939–1954
| rank = Squadron Leader
| unit =
| commands =
| battles = First World War
Second World War
| awards = Military Cross
Mentioned in Despatches
| relations =
| laterwork =
}}
Lord George Wellesley {{post-nominals|size=100%|MC}} (29 July 1889 – 31 July 1967) was an English soldier and airman.
Biography
Wellesley was born on 29 July 1889, the son of Colonel Lord Arthur Wellesley (later the 4th Duke of Wellington), and Kathleen Emily Bulkeley Williams. His great-grandfather was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.
Wellesley was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire. He was Managing Director of Coxeter and Son plc. He was commissioned a second lieutenant (on probation) in the Grenadier Guards on 3 February 1909 and was confirmed in his rank on 1 February 1911.{{London Gazette|issue=28220|page=830|date=2 February 1909}}{{London Gazette|issue=28462|page=857|date=3 February 1911}} He was promoted to lieutenant on 15 September 1912, and was appointed a flying officer in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) on 30 June 1914.{{London Gazette|issue=28658|page=7942|date=29 October 1912}}{{London Gazette|issue=28870|page=6398|date=14 August 1914}} He was promoted to flight commander on 11 December 1914, with the temporary rank of captain, and was appointed an instructor at the Central Flying School of the RFC on 19 December.{{London Gazette|issue=29015|page=10922|date=22 December 1914}}{{London Gazette|issue=29052|supp=y|page=894|date=26 January 1915}} He fought in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, where he was mentioned in despatches in June 1916. He was appointed a squadron commander on 1 July 1916, with the permanent rank of captain and the temporary rank of major.{{London Gazette|issue=29687|page=7483|date=28 July 1916}} He was decorated with the Military Cross in 1916.
On 19 November 1910 Wellesley rescued 20 year old May Haviland from an attempted suicide when she threw herself into the Thames from Putney Bridge with two six pound weights attached to her neck.West London Observer 25/11/1910
Wellesley married Louise Nesta Pamela FitzGerald, the widow of his older brother Richard, in New York, on March 12, 1917.{{cite news |title=Lord Wellesley Weds A Wellesley. Youngest Son of the Duke of Wellington Quietly Marries His Brother's Widow. In St. Thomas's Chapel. Bridegroom, Here on a Mission for His Government, Is a Captain of Grenadier Guards |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1917/03/13/archives/lord-wellesley-weds-a-wellesley-youngest-son-of-the-duke-of.html |quote=A marriage of international interest was solemnized yesterday in this city when Lord George Wellesley, youngest son of the Duke of Wellington and Louise Nesta Pamela Wellesley, widow of Richard Wellesley, a brother of the bridegroom, were married in the chapel of St. Thomas's Church. The Rev. Dr. Ernest M. Stires officiated. |newspaper=New York Times |date=13 March 1917 }}
She was the daughter of Sir Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Baronet, and Amelia Catherine Bischoffsheim. Richard, a Captain in the Grenadier Guards, was killed in action on October 29, 1914.
Wellesley was appointed a wing commander in the RFC, with the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel, on 1 October 1917.{{London Gazette|issue=30496|supp=y|page=1348|date=25 January 1918}} He gained the rank of squadron leader in 1939 in the service of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR). He fought in the Second World War between 1939 and 1945. He was decorated with the Royal Humane Society Medal. He relinquished his commission in the RAFVR on 10 February 1954, retaining the rank of squadron leader.{{London Gazette|issue=40281|supp=y|page=5380|date=17 September 1954}}
After the death of his first wife on 21 February 1947, Wellesley married secondly Jean McGillivray, daughter of John McGillivray and Jane Ann Stuart, on 25 November 1955. He had a son, Richard, with his first wife.
Wellesley died on 31 July 1967.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellesley, George}}
Category:Royal Flying Corps officers
Category:People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire
Category:Recipients of the Military Cross
Category:British Army personnel of World War I
Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War I
Category:Royal Air Force squadron leaders
Category:Younger sons of dukes
Category:Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II