Henry Elwes
Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire
In office
17 February 1992 – 24 October 2010
Personal details
Born (1935-10-24) October 24, 1935 (age 88)
EducationEton College
OccupationPolitician, public servant

Sir Henry William George Elwes KCVO KStJ JP DL (born 24 October 1935) is a retired British politician and public servant. He served as a District and County Councillor in Gloucestershire for 32 years and was Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire between 1992 and 2010.

Early life

Elwes was born on 24 October 1935.[1][2] He was educated at Eton College, a public boys boarding school in Eton near Windsor, Berkshire.[3]

Military service

As part of National Service, Elwes was commissioned in the Scots Guards as a second lieutenant on 4 December 1954. He was given the service number 438925.[4] He transferred to the Army Emergency Reserve of Officers on 24 June 1956 as a second lieutenant with seniority from 4 December 1954.[5] This ended his active service. Also on 24 June 1956, he was granted the acting rank of lieutenant with seniority from 31 May 1956.[5] He moved to the Regular Army Reserve of Officer (Class III) on May 27, 1959, keeping his seniority and assuming the confirmed rank of lieutenant[6]

Career

Elwes was a member of Cirencester Rural District Council from 1959 to 1974. In 1971, he joined Gloucestershire County Council. He served as Vice-Chairman of the council from 1976 to 1983 and in 1991, and Chair from 1983 to 1985. He retired from politics in 1991.[2]

Elwes is the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire. His appointment was announced in March 2012,[7] and he was installed in October 2012.[8]

Personal life

Elwes married Carolyn Cripps in 1962.[9] They live in Colesbourne Park, (known as 'England's Greatest Snowdrop Garden'), an estate owned by his family since 1600.[10] The botanist Henry John Elwes is his great-grandfather.[11]

Elwes suffered serious injuries when he fell three floors through a building he was inspecting. His life was saved by Great Western Air Ambulance Charity and he subsequently made an excellent recovery.[12]

Carolyn Elwes died on 23rd December 2022, following a stroke.(21).

Honours

He was nominated for High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1976[13] and 1977.[14] He was appointed High Sheriff for 1979,[15] having been nominated for that year in 1978.[16] On 24 May 1982, he was commissioned a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Gloucestershire.[17] He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Queen Elizabeth II's personal representative in the county of Gloucestershire, on 17 February 1992.[18]

In April 1992, he was appointed Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ).[19] In the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).[20]

References

  1. ^ "ELWES, Sir Henry (William George)". Who's Who 2013. A & C Black. November 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Sir Henry Elwes, KCVO". People of Today Online. Debrett's. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  3. ^ "UWE awards honorary degree to Henry Elwes Esq". University of the West of England. 10 November 2006. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  4. ^ "No. 40403". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 February 1955. p. 839.
  5. ^ a b "No. 40821". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1956. p. 3882.
  6. ^ "No. 41742". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 1959. p. 3995.
  7. ^ "New Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor announced" (PDF). Alumni News. University of Gloucestershire. March 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  8. ^ "University Installs new Chancellor" (PDF). Alumni News. University of Gloucestershire. October 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  9. ^ "Henry Elwes; Lord-Lieutenant for Gloucestershire". Cotswold Life. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Sir Henry Elwes reflects on time as Lord-Lieutenant". BBC News. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  11. ^ "Sir Henry and Lady Elwes". Colesbourne Gardens LLP. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  12. ^ "We didn't know whether he would have survived the 30ft fall". Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. 19 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  13. ^ "No. 47099". The London Gazette. 23 December 1976. p. 17200.
  14. ^ "No. 47383". The London Gazette. 18 November 1977. p. 14510.
  15. ^ "No. 47795". The London Gazette. 16 March 1979. p. 3547.
  16. ^ "No. 47701". The London Gazette. 30 November 1978. pp. 14345–14346.
  17. ^ "No. 49004". The London Gazette. 8 June 1982. p. 7571.
  18. ^ "No. 52841". The London Gazette. 20 February 1992. p. 2983.
  19. ^ "No. 52881". The London Gazette. 1 April 1992. p. 5813.
  20. ^ "No. 59090". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 2009. p. 3.
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