Guy E Ruggles-Brise
Encyclopedia
Capt Guy E Ruggles-Brise (15 June 1914 – 14 November 2000), Soldier, countryman and High Sheriff of Essex
Guy Edward Ruggles-Brise born in 1914 the second son of Sir Edward Archibald Ruggles-Brise,MC,TD,JP,DL. He came from a landed family who had lived at Spains Hall, Finchingfield, Essex, since the 18th century. The original house can be traced to the Domesday survey. He was schooled at Eton College
like his elder brother John Ruggles-Brise
and joined the 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Field Brigade RA. In 1940 he was sent for Commando training to Scotland, where he met his future wife Elizabeth Knox, and they married soon after.
As a Captain he departed with No 7 Commando for North Africa, where he was captured after a daring raid against Rommel in 1941 handed over to the Italians and transferred to Naples by ship. As a prisoner of war he was held at camp PG35 at Padula near Salerno from May 1942 until June 1943. After the Allies invaded Italy he was sent to PG19 camp further north at Bologna
before being transferred to Castello di Vincigliata
PG12 in the latter days before the Italian armistice. The castle held some the highest ranking British and Commonwealth officers captured in WWII many during the campaigns in North Africa. They included Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame
VC, Air Marshal Owen Tudor Boyd
, General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor as well as an old school-friend Daniel Knox, 6th Earl of Ranfurly.
He was amongst the small party including some NCO’s released by General Chiapati in September 1943. They were driven to Firenze Campo di Marte railway station
from where a special train took them to Arezzo. The party eventually dispersed and spent many months with the partisans in the Apennines. He together with Rudolph Vaughan, John Combe, Ted Todhunter and Dan Ranfurly from Vincigliata and two others they had picked up along the way managed to reached the coast and put out to sea in a boat, which began to leak badly. After rowing and bailing for 24 hours they were at last picked up by an Italian vessel which landed them at Ancona, from where they were shipped to brigade HQ on May 30 1944. Lady Ranfurly, featured this incident in her book of memoirs, To War with Whittaker.
After the war he became a member of the London Stock Exchange, a senior partner with Wontner, Dolphin & Francis, and a consultant with Brewin Dolphin
& Co. He was High Sheriff of Essex
1967-68 and Vice-Chairman of Riding for Disabled Trust. He later bought an estate in Achnasheen
, Scotland where he enjoyed the country life and deer stalking. His wife Elizabeth died in 1988 and he remarried Christine Margaret Fothergill-Spencer in 1994. He died at the age of 86.
Family BMD’s http://www.Ancestry.com
High Sheriff's Association of England and Wales
The Peerage.com http://www.ThePeerage.com
Achnasheen and Garve News & Views, Extracts from the bi-monthly newsletter Nov 2011 http://www.achnasheenandgarve.com
To War with Whitaker: The wartime diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly 1939-45, Heinemann, London, 1994, page 241,
Guy Edward Ruggles-Brise born in 1914 the second son of Sir Edward Archibald Ruggles-Brise,MC,TD,JP,DL. He came from a landed family who had lived at Spains Hall, Finchingfield, Essex, since the 18th century. The original house can be traced to the Domesday survey. He was schooled 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"....
like his elder brother John Ruggles-Brise
John Ruggles-Brise
Colonel Sir John Archibald Ruggles-Brise, 2nd Baronet, CB, OBE, TD was Lord Lieutenant of Essex from 1958 to 1978, and was the first Pro-Chancellor of Essex University from 1964 to 1979...
and joined the 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Field Brigade RA. In 1940 he was sent for Commando training to Scotland, where he met his future wife Elizabeth Knox, and they married soon after.
As a Captain he departed with No 7 Commando for North Africa, where he was captured after a daring raid against Rommel in 1941 handed over to the Italians and transferred to Naples by ship. As a prisoner of war he was held at camp PG35 at Padula near Salerno from May 1942 until June 1943. After the Allies invaded Italy he was sent to PG19 camp further north at Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
before being transferred to Castello di Vincigliata
Vincigliata
Vincigliata Castle is a medieval castle which stands on a rocky hill to the east of Fiesole in the Italian region of Tuscany. In the mid-nineteenth century the building, which had fallen into a ruinous state, was acquired by the Englishman John Temple-Leader and entirely reconstructed in the...
PG12 in the latter days before the Italian armistice. The castle held some the highest ranking British and Commonwealth officers captured in WWII many during the campaigns in North Africa. They included Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame
Philip Neame
Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame VC, KBE, CB, DSO, KStJ was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
VC, Air Marshal Owen Tudor Boyd
Owen Tudor Boyd
Air Marshal Owen Tudor Boyd CB, OBE, MC, AFC was an officer in the British Royal Flying Corps during most of World War I...
, General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor as well as an old school-friend Daniel Knox, 6th Earl of Ranfurly.
He was amongst the small party including some NCO’s released by General Chiapati in September 1943. They were driven to Firenze Campo di Marte railway station
Firenze Campo di Marte railway station
Firenze Campo di Marte is the third railway station of Florence and the eighth station of Tuscany and the biggest station in south Florence. The station is mostly used by commuters going to Florence coming from the nearby countryside-Overview:All regional trains going south and Santa Maria...
from where a special train took them to Arezzo. The party eventually dispersed and spent many months with the partisans in the Apennines. He together with Rudolph Vaughan, John Combe, Ted Todhunter and Dan Ranfurly from Vincigliata and two others they had picked up along the way managed to reached the coast and put out to sea in a boat, which began to leak badly. After rowing and bailing for 24 hours they were at last picked up by an Italian vessel which landed them at Ancona, from where they were shipped to brigade HQ on May 30 1944. Lady Ranfurly, featured this incident in her book of memoirs, To War with Whittaker.
After the war he became a member of the London Stock Exchange, a senior partner with Wontner, Dolphin & Francis, and a consultant with Brewin Dolphin
Brewin Dolphin
Brewin Dolphin plc is one of the largest British Investment Management and Investment Banking firms with 40 offices throughout the UK and Channel Islands, having £25 billion under management. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
& Co. He was High Sheriff of Essex
High Sheriff of Essex
The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years...
1967-68 and Vice-Chairman of Riding for Disabled Trust. He later bought an estate in Achnasheen
Achnasheen
Achnasheen is a small village in Ross-shire in the Highland council area of Scotland. Despite the size of the village, Achnasheen is also the name of a postal district which covers several much larger communities. This dates from the time when the village railway station was an important stop on...
, Scotland where he enjoyed the country life and deer stalking. His wife Elizabeth died in 1988 and he remarried Christine Margaret Fothergill-Spencer in 1994. He died at the age of 86.
Sources
Ruggles-Brise Baronetcy Ruggles-Brise BaronetsRuggles-Brise Baronets
The Ruggles-Brise Baronetcy, of Spains Hall in Finchingfield in the County of Essex, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 31 January 1935 for the Conservative politician Edward Ruggles-Brise...
Family BMD’s http://www.Ancestry.com
High Sheriff's Association of England and Wales
The Peerage.com http://www.ThePeerage.com
Achnasheen and Garve News & Views, Extracts from the bi-monthly newsletter Nov 2011 http://www.achnasheenandgarve.com
To War with Whitaker: The wartime diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly 1939-45, Heinemann, London, 1994, page 241,