Ernest Vaux
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Vaux, CMG
, DSO
, VD, DL
(5 March 1865 – 21 November 1925) was a British Army
officer.
A member of the Vaux Breweries
family, Vaux was born in Bishopwearmouth
, the son of John Story Vaux (1834–1881) and his wife, Harriet, née Douglas (1837–1901). He was educated at the Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen
and served with the Durham Royal Garrison Artillery Volunteers. He served in the Second Boer War
, commanded the Maxim gun
s with the Imperial Yeomanry
and took part in operations in the Transvaal
, the Orange River Colony
and the Cape Colony
. He was mentioned in despatches, received the Queen's South Africa Medal
with four clasps and appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
in 1901. In 1903, he received the Volunteer Officers' Decoration.
In 1906, Vaux married Emily Eve Lellam Ord (1876–1966), the eldest daughter of Henry Moon Ord, a shipowner of Sunderland; they had four children:
Vaux served with the Durham Light Infantry
in France
and Belgium
from 1914 to 1916 during World War I
, was twice mentioned in despatches and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
in 1916 and an Officer of the Ordre du Mérite Agricole in 1919. He died at a nursing home on Windsor Crescent, Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1925 and was buried in St Cuthbert's churchyard in Barton, North Yorkshire
, near his home, Brettanby Manor.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, VD, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(5 March 1865 – 21 November 1925) was a 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...
officer.
A member of the Vaux Breweries
Vaux Breweries
Vaux Breweries was a major brewer based in Sunderland. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:The Company was founded by Cuthbert Vaux in Sunderland in 1837 and for nearly 170 years was a major employer in the town....
family, Vaux was born in Bishopwearmouth
Bishopwearmouth
Bishopwearmouth is an area in Sunderland, North East England.Bishopwearmouth was one of the original three settlements on the banks of the river Wear that merged to form modern Sunderland....
, the son of John Story Vaux (1834–1881) and his wife, Harriet, née Douglas (1837–1901). He was educated at the Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen
New College Worcester
New College Worcester is a residential secondary school for students, aged 11–19, who are blind or partially sighted. It caters for around 80 students including those who have other special needs or disabilities along with their visual impairment. It is located in the city of Worcester, England...
and served with the Durham Royal Garrison Artillery Volunteers. He served in the Second 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...
, commanded the Maxim gun
Maxim gun
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...
s with the 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...
and took part in operations in the Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
, the Orange River Colony
Orange River Colony
The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after this nation first occupied and then annexed the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War...
and the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
. He was mentioned in despatches, received the Queen's South Africa Medal
Queen's South Africa Medal
The Queen's South Africa Medal was awarded to military personnel who served in the Boer War in South Africa between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902. Units from the British Army, Royal Navy, colonial forces who took part , civilians employed in official capacity and war correspondents...
with four clasps and appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in 1901. In 1903, he received the Volunteer Officers' Decoration.
In 1906, Vaux married Emily Eve Lellam Ord (1876–1966), the eldest daughter of Henry Moon Ord, a shipowner of Sunderland; they had four children:
- Rose Lellam Ord Vaux (1907–1994)
- Emily Henrietta Ord Vaux (1909–1994)
- Ernest Ord Vaux (1911–1936), died from a poloPoloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
accident in AdenAdenAden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
. - Peter Douglas Ord Vaux (1913–1980)
Vaux served with the Durham Light Infantry
Durham Light Infantry
The Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
from 1914 to 1916 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...
, was twice mentioned in despatches and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1916 and an Officer of the Ordre du Mérite Agricole in 1919. He died at a nursing home on Windsor Crescent, Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1925 and was buried in St Cuthbert's churchyard in Barton, North Yorkshire
Barton, North Yorkshire
Barton is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 884. It is situated near the border with the ceremonial county of County Durham, and is 6 miles south-west of Darlington. The village is recorded as...
, near his home, Brettanby Manor.