William Bromley-Davenport (British Army officer)

Brigadier-General Sir William Bromley-Davenport, KCB, CMG, CBE, DSO, TD, JP, DL (21 January 1862 – 6 February 1949) was a British soldier, footballer and Conservative politician. He fought with distinction in both the Second Boer War and the First World War. An MP from 1886 to 1906, he held political office under Arthur Balfour as Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1903 to 1905.

Brigadier-General
Sir William Bromley-Davenport
KCB CMG CBE DSO TD JP DL
Financial Secretary to the War Office
In office
12 October 1903 – 4 December 1905
MonarchEdward VII
Prime MinisterArthur Balfour
Preceded byLord Stanley
Succeeded byThomas Buchanan
Personal details
Born21 January 1862 (1862-01-21)
Belgravia, London
Died6 February 1949 (1949-02-07) (aged 87)
Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
Alma materBalliol College, Oxford

He was a notable footballer, scoring twice for England against Wales in the 1883–84 British Home Championship, the world's first international tournament, though restricted to the Home Nations.

Background and education

Bromley-Davenport was born at 5 Lowndes Street, Belgravia, London,[1] the son of William Bromley Davenport and his wife, Augusta Elizabeth Campbell, daughter of Walter Campbell, of Islay. He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford.[2]

Footballing career

Bromley-Davenport played football for Oxford University and Old Etonians. He represented England on two occasions in March 1884, against Scotland and Wales respectively. A centre-forward, he scored two goals in the game against Wales.[3][4]

Political and military career

Bromley-Davenport was elected Member of Parliament for Macclesfield in the July 1886 general election.[5] He was appointed a captain in the Staffordshire Yeomanry on 30 December 1891, and received the honorary rank of major on 28 February 1900.[6] While an MP, he fought in the Second Boer War with the Imperial Yeomanry,[2] where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in November 1900.[7] At the end of 1901, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire.[8] He served in the Conservative administration of Arthur Balfour as Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1903 to 1905 and was a Civil Member of the Army Council from 1904 to 1905.[2] However, he lost his seat in the House of Commons in the 1906 Liberal landslide.

During the First World War, Bromley-Davenport commanded the 22nd Mounted Brigade of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force with the rank of Brigadier-General from 1916[9] to 1917. He was also Assistant Director of Labour from 1917 to 1918. Between 1920 and 1949 he held the honorary post of Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire.[2] He was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1918,[10] a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1919[11] and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1924.

Personal life

Bromley-Davenport's seat was Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire. He died there unmarried in February 1949, aged 87.[2]

References
  1. "Births". Cheshire Observer. 8 February 1862. p. 8. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  2. "Obituary: Brig.-Gen. Sir. William Bromley-Davenport". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 8 February 1949. p. 7.
  3. William Bromley-Davenport at Englandstats.com
  4. "England players: William Bromley-Davenport". www.englandfootballonline.com. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  5. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 1)
  6. "No. 27169". The London Gazette. 27 February 1900. p. 1355.
  7. "No. 27359". The London Gazette. 27 September 1901. p. 6306.
  8. "No. 27392". The London Gazette. 31 December 1901. p. 9176.
  9. "No. 29552". The London Gazette. 18 April 1916. p. 4024.
  10. "No. 30450". The London Gazette. 28 December 1917. p. 4.
  11. "No. 31370". The London Gazette. 30 May 1919. p. 6794.
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