Sir William Boulton, 3rd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir William Whytehead Boulton, 3rd Baronet, CBE
(21 June 1912 – 20 June 2010) was a prominent British barrister
who served in the reconstruction of the German legal profession after the Second World War and then spent 25 years as Secretary of the Bar Council
. In this capacity he managed relations within the English legal profession and its relations internationally, as well as establishing the Senate of the Four Inns of Court that handles disciplinary action and organising the 750th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta
and establishing a permanent memorial at the site. He also wrote Conduct and Etiquette at the Bar, which was the standard guide to the decisions of the General Council of the Bar for 25 years.
in Essex
to the politician Sir William Boulton, 1st Baronet
and attended Eton College
before joining Trinity College, Cambridge
. His academic record was not distinguished, but he was able to enter the Inner Temple
in 1936 as a practicing barrister. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Boulton, who was already with the Essex Yeomanry
, joined the Royal Horse Artillery
and served in North Africa. In 1940 he took part in Operation Compass
, fighting at the Battle of Bardia
and then the Siege of Tobruk
, where he contracted jaundice
and was evacuated to Alexandria
. He returned to frontline service soon afterwards but was badly wounded in a land mine
explosion.
He spent much of the rest of the war recovering in Cairo
, where he met his future wife Margaret Elizabeth Hunter. After the war he left the army as a lieutenant colonel
and was employed with the Control Commission in Germany, helping to re-establish the German legal profession while excluding those members with Nazi sympathies. He returned to Britain in 1950 and became Secretary of the Bar Council. This position entailed a wide range of legal and diplomatic responsibilities including the organisation of law reform, managing relations with the Law Society
and with foreign legal representatives, organising legal aid and even planning the 750th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta
, establishing the first permanent memorial on the site. One of his most important roles was as author in 1953 of the standard guide to the decisions of the General Council of the Bar, named Conduct and Etiquette at the Bar, which was presented to every newly qualified barrister until 1975. Shortly before his retirement in 1975, Boulton was heavily involved in the establishment of the Senate of the Four Inns of Court, which handles internal disciplinary matters.
On his retirement, Boulton, who was already a Commander of the British Empire, was made a Knight Bachelor
, later inheriting his father's baronetcy on the death of his elder brother in 1983. He died in 2010, survived by his wife and three sons, the eldest of whom inherited the baronetcy.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(21 June 1912 – 20 June 2010) was a prominent British barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
who served in the reconstruction of the German legal profession after the Second World War and then spent 25 years as Secretary of the Bar Council
Bar council
A bar council , in a Commonwealth country and in the Republic of Ireland, the Bar Council of Ireland is a professional body that regulates the profession of barristers together with the King's Inns. Solicitors are generally regulated by the Law society....
. In this capacity he managed relations within the English legal profession and its relations internationally, as well as establishing the Senate of the Four Inns of Court that handles disciplinary action and organising the 750th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
and establishing a permanent memorial at the site. He also wrote Conduct and Etiquette at the Bar, which was the standard guide to the decisions of the General Council of the Bar for 25 years.
Life
Boulton was born in 1912 at Braxted ParkBraxted Park
Braxted Park, formerly called Braxted Lodge, is a country house in the Queen Anne style set in a landscaped 2,000 acre park near the village of Great Braxted, Essex.At the Domesday Survey, Eudo Dapifer is shown as owner of the manor...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
to the politician Sir William Boulton, 1st Baronet
Sir William Boulton, 1st Baronet
Sir William Whytehead Boulton, 1st Baronet DL was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician.-Background:...
and attended 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"....
before joining Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. His academic record was not distinguished, but he was able to enter the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1936 as a practicing barrister. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Boulton, who was already with the Essex Yeomanry
Essex Yeomanry
The Essex Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army raised in 1797. The regiment recruited volunteers from the county of Essex in the East of England.-Origins:...
, joined the Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
and served in North Africa. In 1940 he took part in Operation Compass
Operation Compass
Operation Compass was the first major Allied military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during World War II. British and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces in western Egypt and eastern Libya in December 1940 to February 1941. The attack was a complete success...
, fighting at the Battle of Bardia
Battle of Bardia
The Battle of Bardia was fought over three days between 3 and 5 January 1941, as part of Operation Compass, the first military operation of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. It was the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army formation took part, the first to be...
and then the Siege of Tobruk
Siege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 240 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War...
, where he contracted jaundice
Jaundice
Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...
and was evacuated to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. He returned to frontline service soon afterwards but was badly wounded in a land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
explosion.
He spent much of the rest of the war recovering in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, where he met his future wife Margaret Elizabeth Hunter. After the war he left the army as a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and was employed with the Control Commission in Germany, helping to re-establish the German legal profession while excluding those members with Nazi sympathies. He returned to Britain in 1950 and became Secretary of the Bar Council. This position entailed a wide range of legal and diplomatic responsibilities including the organisation of law reform, managing relations with the Law Society
Law society
A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions was historically an association of solicitors with a regulatory role that included the right to supervise the training, qualifications and conduct of lawyers/solicitors...
and with foreign legal representatives, organising legal aid and even planning the 750th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
, establishing the first permanent memorial on the site. One of his most important roles was as author in 1953 of the standard guide to the decisions of the General Council of the Bar, named Conduct and Etiquette at the Bar, which was presented to every newly qualified barrister until 1975. Shortly before his retirement in 1975, Boulton was heavily involved in the establishment of the Senate of the Four Inns of Court, which handles internal disciplinary matters.
On his retirement, Boulton, who was already a Commander of the British Empire, was made a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
, later inheriting his father's baronetcy on the death of his elder brother in 1983. He died in 2010, survived by his wife and three sons, the eldest of whom inherited the baronetcy.