Guy Baring
Encyclopedia
Guy Victor Baring was a British
Army
officer and politician. He became a Conservative
member of the British Parliament but was one of 22 Members killed in action in the First World War.
, a younger son of Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton
(1835–1889) and his wife the Hon. Leonora Caroline Digby. He was educated at Eton College
and Sandhurst
, and joined the Coldstream Guards
in 1893.
In 1899 Baring's unit was sent to fight in the South African War
, and he was present at the battles of Belmont
, Graspan, Modder River
, Magersfontein
, and Driefontein, as well as the occupation of Bloemfontein
. During the fighting in South Africa he was mentioned in despatches, and received the Queen's South Africa Medal
with three clasps.
Baring was the commander of a detachment of the Coldstream Guards in 1900 which went with the Australia and New Zealand Imperial Representative Corps to the inauguration of the Earl of Hopetoun
as Governor-General of Australia
. He was then attached to the King's African Rifles
and was a special service officer with the Jubaland
Expedition in 1901 against the Ogaden
Somalis and was awarded a medal with clasp.
for Winchester in the 1906 general election
, and was re-elected in the January and December 1910 elections with increased majorities.
Although he had formally left the Coldstream Guards in 1913, he rejoined immediately on the outbreak of war in 1914. He was posted to Windsor
where he commanded a training company, until July 1915 when he was posted to France
. He was second-in- command of the 4th (Pioneer) Battalion; after the Battle of Loos
he commanded the first Battalion of the Coldstream Guards
;
-Lesboeufs road to attack German positions, together with two others. It was the first time in history that three Coldstream Guard battalions attacked together, but despite advancing "as steadily as though they were walking down the Mall
" the action took a heavy toll. 17 officers and 690 other ranks went into battle, but only three officers survived (one injured) and 221 other ranks. Baring was buried in The Citadel New Military Cemetery near Fricourt
.
. Their great grandchildren include the actress Rachel Ward
and the actress and environmentalist Tracy Worcester
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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 and politician. He became a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
member of the British Parliament but was one of 22 Members killed in action in the First World War.
Background
Baring was a member of the Baring family of Barings BankBarings Bank
Barings Bank was the oldest merchant bank in London until its collapse in 1995 after one of the bank's employees, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million due to speculative investing, primarily in futures contracts, at the bank's Singapore office.-History:-1762–1890:Barings Bank was founded in 1762 as the...
, a younger son of Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton
Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton
Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton DL was a British landowner and Conservative Party politician.Baring was the son of Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton and his wife Hortense Eugenie Claire Maret de Bassano . He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating in...
(1835–1889) and his wife the Hon. Leonora Caroline Digby. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, and joined the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
in 1893.
In 1899 Baring's unit was sent to fight in the South African 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...
, and he was present at the battles of Belmont
Battle of Belmont (1899)
The Battle of Belmont is the name of an engagement of the Second Boer War near the town of Belmont, 23 November 1899, where the British under Lord Methuen assaulted a Boer position on a kopje....
, Graspan, Modder River
Battle of Modder River
The Battle of Modder River was an engagement in the Boer War, fought at Modder River, on 28 November 1899...
, Magersfontein
Battle of Magersfontein
The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein near Kimberley on the borders of the Cape Colony and the independent republic of the Orange Free State...
, and Driefontein, as well as the occupation of Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
. During the fighting in South Africa he was mentioned in despatches, and 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 three clasps.
Baring was the commander of a detachment of the Coldstream Guards in 1900 which went with the Australia and New Zealand Imperial Representative Corps to the inauguration of the Earl of Hopetoun
John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
John Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , also known as Viscount Aithrie before 1873 and as The 7th Earl of Hopetoun between 1873 and 1902, was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his brief and controversial tenure as the...
as Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. He was then attached to the King's African Rifles
King's African Rifles
The King's African Rifles was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the East African colonies as well as external service as...
and was a special service officer with the Jubaland
Jubaland
Jubaland , also known as Azania or the Juba Valley and formerly as Trans-Juba , is an autonomous region in southern Somalia. Its eastern border lies 40–60 km east of the Jubba River, stretching from Gedo to the Indian Ocean, while its western side flanks the North Eastern Province in...
Expedition in 1901 against the Ogaden
Ogaden
Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim. The title "Somali Galbeed", which means "Western Somalia," is often preferred by Somali irredentists.The region, which is...
Somalis and was awarded a medal with clasp.
Career
He was elected as the Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Winchester in the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, and was re-elected in the January and December 1910 elections with increased majorities.
Although he had formally left the Coldstream Guards in 1913, he rejoined immediately on the outbreak of war in 1914. He was posted to Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
where he commanded a training company, until July 1915 when he was posted to 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...
. He was second-in- command of the 4th (Pioneer) Battalion; after the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
he commanded the first Battalion of the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
;
Death
During the Battle of the Somme on the morning of 15 September 1916, Baring's Battalion were advancing along the GinchyGinchy
Ginchy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Ginchy is situated on the D20 road, some northeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...
-Lesboeufs road to attack German positions, together with two others. It was the first time in history that three Coldstream Guard battalions attacked together, but despite advancing "as steadily as though they were walking down the Mall
The Mall (London)
The Mall in central London is the road running from Buckingham Palace at its western end to Admiralty Arch and on to Trafalgar Square at its eastern end. It then crosses Spring Gardens, which was where the Metropolitan Board of Works and, for a number of years, the London County Council were...
" the action took a heavy toll. 17 officers and 690 other ranks went into battle, but only three officers survived (one injured) and 221 other ranks. Baring was buried in The Citadel New Military Cemetery near Fricourt
Fricourt
Fricourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Fricourt is situated on the D147 and D64 junction, some northeast of Amiens.-History:...
.
Family
Baring married on 16 July 1903 Olive Alethea Smith, daughter of Hugh Colin Smith and Constance Maria Josepha Adeane, and they had six children, including the cricketer Giles BaringGiles Baring
Amyas Evelyn Giles Baring , known as Giles Baring, was a first-class English cricketer between the years 1930 and 1946.-Background:...
. Their great grandchildren include the actress Rachel Ward
Rachel Ward
Rachel Claire Ward, AM is a British actress, columnist, film director, and screenwriter who has primarily pursued her career in Australia.-Early life:...
and the actress and environmentalist Tracy Worcester
Tracy Louise Ward
Tracy Louise Ward, Marchioness of Worcester, frequently referred to as Tracy Worcester is a former actress, now an environmental campaigner.She is a daughter of the Hon...
.