Dudley John Beaumont
Encyclopedia
Dudley John Beaumont was a British army
officer and a member of the ruling family of Sark
. He was the first husband of Dame Sibyl Mary Collings Beaumont Hathaway, later 21st Seigneur of Sark, and grandfather of the 22nd Seigneur of Sark, John Michael Beaumont
.
and the great grandson of John Thomas Barber Beaumont
, both British Army
officers. Beaumont married Sibyl Mary Collings, the daughter of the Seigneur of Sark. Beaumont and Collings together had seven children: Bridget Amice Beaumont (1902–1948); Francis William Lionel Beaumont (1903–1941), father of John Michael Beaumont; Cyril John Astley Beaumont (1905–1973); Basil Ian Beaumont (1908–1909); Douce Alianore Daphne Beaumont (1910–1967); Richard Vyvyan Dudley Beaumont (b. 1915); Jehanne Rosemary Ernestine Beaumont (b. 1919). Collings writes extensively about her relationship with Beaumont in her 1961 autobiography.
Beaumont first joined the British Army as a part-time second lieutenant
in the 2nd Volunteer
Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment on 5 August 1905, but he resigned that commission on 24 March 1908. When the First World War began in 1914, Beaumont joined the 2/5 Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, By 25 August 1915 he was a temporary lieutenant
and was transferred to the General List for service with the West African Frontier Force (WAFF). On 1 May 1916 he was transferred back to the Glosters still in the rank of temporary lieutenant but was granted seniority in that rank from 27 September 1914. He was then further transferred to a labour battalion, the 36th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers on 17 June 1916. He relinquished his commission on 19 July 1917 due to ill-health. Official records show his date of qualification for the Silver War Badge as 11 September 1915, suggesting that whatever wound or disease eventually led to his discharge occurred or was contracted on that date. This source also indicates that he served in Cameroon
. There is some contradiction of the official sources in family accounts: in an announcement of his son's marriage in 1924, his rank is given as captain
; and his wife writes in relation to his death that in 1918 Beaumont was deployed in France when the Spanish flu pandemic brokeout and then had misfortune of being sent to London
on leave at the height of the pandemic in that city. Beaumont died of the Spanish flu
on 24 November 1918 at the age of 41. He is buried in Brookwood Cemetery
in Brookwood, Surrey
, England
. Beaumont's widow went on to remarry and in 1927 became the 21st Seigneur of Sark, as Sibyl Mary Hathaway. In 1965 she was appointed a Dame
of the Order of the British Empire
, so became known as Dame Sybil.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and a member of the ruling family of Sark
Sark
Sark is a small island in the Channel Islands in southwestern English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. It is a royal fief, geographically located in the Channel Islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It has a population...
. He was the first husband of Dame Sibyl Mary Collings Beaumont Hathaway, later 21st Seigneur of Sark, and grandfather of the 22nd Seigneur of Sark, John Michael Beaumont
John Michael Beaumont
John Michael Beaumont, OBE is the 22nd Seigneur of Sark. A retired engineer, he is a son of Francis William Lionel Collings Beaumont and Enid . He succeeded his grandmother, Sibyl Hathaway, as the ruler of Sark upon her death in 1974.- References :...
.
Life
Beaumont was the son of William Spencer BeaumontWilliam Spencer Beaumont
William Spencer Beaumont was a British army officer and a member of the London County Council.Beaumont was the grandson of John Thomas Barber Beaumont, who raised the Queen Victoria's Rifles in 1803 during the Napoleonic Wars. His father was J. A. Beaumont of Surrey. Beaumont served as a captain in...
and the great grandson of John Thomas Barber Beaumont
John Thomas Barber Beaumont
John Thomas Barber Beaumont was a British army officer, painter, author, and philanthropist...
, both British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officers. Beaumont married Sibyl Mary Collings, the daughter of the Seigneur of Sark. Beaumont and Collings together had seven children: Bridget Amice Beaumont (1902–1948); Francis William Lionel Beaumont (1903–1941), father of John Michael Beaumont; Cyril John Astley Beaumont (1905–1973); Basil Ian Beaumont (1908–1909); Douce Alianore Daphne Beaumont (1910–1967); Richard Vyvyan Dudley Beaumont (b. 1915); Jehanne Rosemary Ernestine Beaumont (b. 1919). Collings writes extensively about her relationship with Beaumont in her 1961 autobiography.
Beaumont first joined the British Army as a part-time 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 2nd Volunteer
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment on 5 August 1905, but he resigned that commission on 24 March 1908. When the First World War began in 1914, Beaumont joined the 2/5 Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, By 25 August 1915 he was a temporary lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
and was transferred to the General List for service with the West African Frontier Force (WAFF). On 1 May 1916 he was transferred back to the Glosters still in the rank of temporary lieutenant but was granted seniority in that rank from 27 September 1914. He was then further transferred to a labour battalion, the 36th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers on 17 June 1916. He relinquished his commission on 19 July 1917 due to ill-health. Official records show his date of qualification for the Silver War Badge as 11 September 1915, suggesting that whatever wound or disease eventually led to his discharge occurred or was contracted on that date. This source also indicates that he served in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
. There is some contradiction of the official sources in family accounts: in an announcement of his son's marriage in 1924, his rank is given as captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
; and his wife writes in relation to his death that in 1918 Beaumont was deployed in France when the Spanish flu pandemic brokeout and then had misfortune of being sent to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on leave at the height of the pandemic in that city. Beaumont died of the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
on 24 November 1918 at the age of 41. He is buried in Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in western Europe.-History:...
in Brookwood, Surrey
Brookwood, Surrey
Brookwood is a village in Surrey, located about 5 km west of Woking, in a semi-rural location. It lies on the western border of the Woking Borough ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Beaumont's widow went on to remarry and in 1927 became the 21st Seigneur of Sark, as Sibyl Mary Hathaway. In 1965 she was appointed a Dame
Dame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, so became known as Dame Sybil.