Charles Clements, 5th Earl of Leitrim
Encyclopedia
Charles Clements, 5th Earl of Leitrim (23 June 1879 – 9 June 1952), styled Viscount Clements until 1892, was an Irish
nobleman.
Clements was the only son of Robert Clements, 4th Earl of Leitrim, whom he succeeded in 1892. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford
. Leitrim was commissioned a second lieutenant
in the 5th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) on 9 February 1898 and promoted to lieutenant
on 7 December. He joined the 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers
as a second lieutenant
to fight in the Boer War
. While serving with the 13th Imperial Yeomanry
, Leitrim was captured at Lindley
. He was promoted lieutenant in the 9th Lancers on 5 July 1901 but resigned his commission on 21 June 1902 after the close of the war.
Leitrim married Violet Lina Henderson on 22 October 1902, the daughter of Robert Henderson, a director of the Bank of England
and father of the ambassador Nevile Henderson
. He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of the City of Londonderry
in 1904.
Leitrim commanded the Ulster Volunteer Force in County Donegal
, and arranged to run guns into the county in his yacht
, SS Ganiamore, in 1913. During World War I
, Leitrim was commissioned a major
in the 11th Service Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
but resigned due to ill health on 10 January 1917. He was Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for the Colonies
, Walter Hume Long, in 1917.
Later in life, he divorced Violet, and married Hon. Anne Mary Chaloner Vanneck, sister of William Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield
, on 29 April 1939. Leitrim had no children by either of his marriages. His sometime heir presumptive
, his brother Hon. Francis Patrick Clements, disappeared in 1907, and was declared dead in 1917. Reports from the New York Times dated 12 July 1907, and 20 August 1911, suggested that he had gone to the US and worked as a stoker. The Earl was said to have spent thousands of dollars trying to establish his whereabouts. With no heir, the Earldom of Leitrim became extinct upon the Earl's death in 1952.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
nobleman.
Clements was the only son of Robert Clements, 4th Earl of Leitrim, whom he succeeded in 1892. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. Leitrim was commissioned a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the 5th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) on 9 February 1898 and promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 7 December. He joined the 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers
9th Queen's Royal Lancers
The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, or the Delhi Spearmen, were a cavalry regiment of the British Army. They are best known for their roles in the Indian mutiny of 1857 and for their part in the North African campaign of World War II including the retreat to and the battle of El Alamein in 1942.-Early...
as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
to fight in the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. While serving with the 13th Imperial Yeomanry
Imperial Yeomanry
The Imperial Yeomanry was a British volunteer cavalry regiment that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Officially created on 24 December 1899, the regiment was based on members of standing Yeomanry regiments, but also contained a large contingent of mid-upper class English volunteers. In...
, Leitrim was captured at Lindley
Lindley, Free State
Lindley is a small town situated on the banks of the Vals River in the eastern region of the Free State province of South Africa. It was established by an American Presbyterian missionary named Daniel Lindley, who was the first ordained minister to the Voortrekkers in Natal.The settlement of...
. He was promoted lieutenant in the 9th Lancers on 5 July 1901 but resigned his commission on 21 June 1902 after the close of the war.
Leitrim married Violet Lina Henderson on 22 October 1902, the daughter of Robert Henderson, a director of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
and father of the ambassador Nevile Henderson
Nevile Henderson
Sir Nevile Meyrick Henderson, KCMG , was the third child of Robert and Emma Henderson and was born at Sedgwick Park near Horsham, West Sussex. Ambassador of Great Britain to Germany from 1937 to 1939, he believed that Adolf Hitler could be controlled and pushed toward peace and cooperation with...
. He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of the City of Londonderry
Lord Lieutenant of the City of Londonderry
This is a list of people to have served as Lord Lieutenant of the city of Derry This is a list of people to have served as Lord Lieutenant of the city of Derry This is a list of people to have served as Lord Lieutenant of the city of Derry (originally formally "County of the City of Londonderry",...
in 1904.
Leitrim commanded the Ulster Volunteer Force in County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, and arranged to run guns into the county in his yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
, SS Ganiamore, in 1913. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Leitrim was commissioned a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the 11th Service Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...
but resigned due to ill health on 10 January 1917. He was Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, Walter Hume Long, in 1917.
Later in life, he divorced Violet, and married Hon. Anne Mary Chaloner Vanneck, sister of William Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield
William Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield
William Charles Arcedeckne Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield, KCMG was a British Conservative Party politician, Governor of Victoria and Administrator of Australia.-Early life:...
, on 29 April 1939. Leitrim had no children by either of his marriages. His sometime heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
, his brother Hon. Francis Patrick Clements, disappeared in 1907, and was declared dead in 1917. Reports from the New York Times dated 12 July 1907, and 20 August 1911, suggested that he had gone to the US and worked as a stoker. The Earl was said to have spent thousands of dollars trying to establish his whereabouts. With no heir, the Earldom of Leitrim became extinct upon the Earl's death in 1952.