Nigel Anderson
Encyclopedia
Nigel James Moffatt Anderson, MC
, DL
, FRGS
(1920 – 23 May 2008) was an Australia
n-born English
soldier, landowner, and Conservative
politician in Wiltshire
. He was Chairman of Wiltshire County Council from 1979 to 1983 and High Sheriff of Wiltshire
in 1991.
, Australia
, Anderson was educated at Marlborough College
from 1934 to 1938 and matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford
, in 1938, intending to follow his father and grandfather into the medical profession.
In 1939, some months before the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the 4th (Territorial Army) Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and was commissioned a second lieutenant
on 27 May 1939. First posted to Northern Ireland
, he took part in the Norwegian Campaign
of April to June 1940, one of the first British engagements of the war, in which his unit covered the withdrawal of the Scots Guards
from Krokstrand. At the age of twenty, he won one of the earliest Military Cross
es of the war. On his return from Norway, he was posted to No. 2 Commando
and took part in raids on the French coast. He was seriously wounded in 1941.
After the war, Anderson studied geography
and anthropology
and became a schoolmaster
at Radley College
. While there, he was the commanding officer of the school's Combined Cadet Force
from 1948 to 1953.
In 1952, he inherited from a cousin the Hamptworth estate at Landford
near Salisbury
in Wiltshire
and went to live there the next year.
In 1953, he was first elected to Wiltshire County Council
, on which he served for thirty years. He chaired a number of committees, was an alderman
of the county, and was Chairman of Council from 1979 to 1983, when he retired.
In October 1974, he was Gazetted a Deputy Lieutenant
for Wiltshire
, and in 1991 he was appointed as the 999th High Sheriff of Wiltshire
. From 1981 to 1985 he chaired the committee of the Wiltshire Victoria County History
. He was also chairman of the Wiltshire Scouts Association and president of the Wiltshire Youth Orchestra and of the Wiltshire branch of the Country Landowners Association. He died on 23 May 2008, at the age of eighty-eight.
In his book Battling for Peace (1999), Richard Needham
, Wiltshire member of parliament and Northern Ireland minister, recalls attending a service at Westminster Abbey
in 1991:
in Northern Ireland, and they had one son, Donald.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, FRGS
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(1920 – 23 May 2008) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n-born English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
soldier, landowner, and 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...
politician in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. He was Chairman of Wiltshire County Council from 1979 to 1983 and High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
in 1991.
Early life
Born in 1920 in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Anderson was educated at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
from 1934 to 1938 and matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, in 1938, intending to follow his father and grandfather into the medical profession.
Career
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on 27 May 1939. First posted to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, he took part in the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
of April to June 1940, one of the first British engagements of the war, in which his unit covered the withdrawal of the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
from Krokstrand. At the age of twenty, he won one of the earliest Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
es of the war. On his return from Norway, he was posted to No. 2 Commando
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
and took part in raids on the French coast. He was seriously wounded in 1941.
After the war, Anderson studied geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and became a schoolmaster
Schoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
at Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
. While there, he was the commanding officer of the school's Combined Cadet Force
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
from 1948 to 1953.
In 1952, he inherited from a cousin the Hamptworth estate at Landford
Landford
Landford is a village and civil parish southeast of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a parish population of 1,142. It is the most eastern settlement in the county of Wiltshire....
near Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and went to live there the next year.
In 1953, he was first elected to Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
, on which he served for thirty years. He chaired a number of committees, was an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of the county, and was Chairman of Council from 1979 to 1983, when he retired.
In October 1974, he was Gazetted a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, and in 1991 he was appointed as the 999th High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
. From 1981 to 1985 he chaired the committee of the Wiltshire Victoria County History
Wiltshire Victoria County History
The Wiltshire Victoria County History is an encyclopaedic history of the county of Wiltshire in England. It forms part of the overall Victoria County History of England founded in 1899 in honour of Queen Victoria...
. He was also chairman of the Wiltshire Scouts Association and president of the Wiltshire Youth Orchestra and of the Wiltshire branch of the Country Landowners Association. He died on 23 May 2008, at the age of eighty-eight.
In his book Battling for Peace (1999), Richard Needham
Richard Needham
Richard Francis Needham, 6th Earl of Kilmorey, Kt, PC usually known as Sir Richard Needham is a former Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom...
, Wiltshire member of parliament and Northern Ireland minister, recalls attending a service at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
in 1991:
The former chairman of the county council and high sheriff for the year, Nigel Anderson, was a redoubtable old soldier who had a profound dislike of Mrs ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and kept muttering "Well done, keep it up" in a loud whisper at every opportunity when there was a lull in the service.
Family
Anderson met his wife, Daphne, while serving with the British ArmyBritish 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...
in Northern Ireland, and they had one son, Donald.