Ernest Makins
Encyclopedia
Major
Sir Ernest Makins, KBE
, CB
, DSO
, Honorary Brigadier General
(born 14 October 1869 — died 18 May 1959) was a British
military officer, statesman and Conservative Party
politician. He was educated at Winchester College
and Christ Church College, Oxford University.
between 1899 and 1902, where he was mentioned in despatches. He fought in the First World War, where he was also mentioned in despatches. In 1914 he was named Temporary Brigadier-General of the Cavalry Brigade. He was Colonel of the 1st Royal Dragoons
between 1931 and 1946. He was Colonel of the Palace of Westminster
's Home Guard from 1940–41, which he raised.
as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Knutsford division
of Cheshire, and held the seat until he retied from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election
.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Sir Ernest Makins, KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, 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...
, Honorary Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
(born 14 October 1869 — died 18 May 1959) was a British
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...
military officer, statesman and Conservative Party
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...
politician. He was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Christ Church College, Oxford University.
As soldier
He fought in the Boer WarBoer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
between 1899 and 1902, where he was mentioned in despatches. He fought in the First World War, where he was also mentioned in despatches. In 1914 he was named Temporary Brigadier-General of the Cavalry Brigade. He was Colonel of the 1st Royal Dragoons
Royal Dragoons
The Royal Dragoons was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1661, and served until 1969, when it was amalgamated with the Royal Horse Guards to form The Blues and Royals....
between 1931 and 1946. He was Colonel of the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
's Home Guard from 1940–41, which he raised.
Honours
- Companion, Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe 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...
(DSO; 1902). - He was invested as a Companion, Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(CB; 1917). - He was decorated with the award of Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus of Italy.
- He was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(KBE; 1938).
Political career
He was elected at the 1922 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
as the Member of Parliament
Member 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,...
(MP) for the Knutsford division
Knutsford (UK Parliament constituency)
Knutsford was a county constituency in Cheshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.- Members of Parliament :...
of Cheshire, and held the seat until he retied from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
.
Family
He married Maria Florence Mellor (b. ca. 1877 — d. 11 August 1972) on 31 January 1903; they had three sons, two of whom predeceased their parents.Children
- http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,817028,00.htmlSir Roger Mellor Makins, 1st Baron SherfieldBaron SherfieldBaron Sherfield, of Sherfield-on-Loddon in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1964 for the diplomat Sir Roger Makins. He had previously served as British Ambassador to the United States. His eldest son, the second Baron, was a leading...
, KCMG (1904—1996)] - Guy Herbert Makins (5 July 1906—17 September 1923)
- Major Geoffrey Henry Makins (19 October 1915—4 September 1944)
- One of Sir Ernest Makins' grandsons, by his eldest son, was Christopher J. Makins (1942—2006), a British-American diplomat