Eric James Desmond Alexander, 5th Earl of Caledon (9 August 1885 - July 10, 1968) was a soldier and the eldest son of James Alexander, 4th Earl of Caledon

James Alexander, 4th Earl of Caledon

James Alexander, 4th Earl of Caledon KP, DL was a soldier and politician and the son of James Du Pre Alexander, 3rd Earl of Caledon and Lady Jane Grimston, styled Viscount Alexander until 1855....

 and Lady Elizabeth Graham-Toler.

He was born at his family's home in Carlton House Terrace

Carlton House Terrace

Carlton House Terrace refers to a street in the St. James's district of the City of Westminster in London, England, and in particular to two terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's Park. These terraces were built in 1827–32 to overall designs by...

, 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...

 and succeeded to the title of Earl of Caledon on the death of his father in 1898. He went to 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"....

 from 1899 to 1903 and then to 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...

. He fought and was wounded in the First World War, served in the Baltic

Baltic region

The terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...

 from 1919 to 1921 and gained the rank of Major in the service of the Life Guards

Life Guards (British Army)

The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...

.

Giving an interesting insight into the period, Mark Bence-Jones

Mark Bence-Jones

Mark Adayre Bence-Jones was a British writer, noted mainly for his books on Irish architecture, the British aristocracy and the British Raj...

writes: "Her [Lady Caledon, his mother] eldest son Eric, now the Earl of Caledon, was unmarried. He had a lady-love, a marchioness with a husband and children; his mother would not have her at Caledon, so when she came to visit him she stayed at Glaslough, being given the best guest bedroom, the Mauve Room. Unfortunately for the Leslies she injured her leg motoring while she was here and was laid up in the Mauve Room for weeks, with the lovesick Eric walking over for every meal."

Lord Caledon died unmarried on 10 July 1968 aged 82.