John Crichton, 5th Earl Erne

John Henry George Crichton, 5th Earl Erne (22 November 1907 – 23 May 1940), briefly styled Viscount Crichton in 1914, was an Anglo-Irish peer, soldier and politician.

Background

Erne was the only son of Henry Crichton, Viscount Crichton, eldest son of John Crichton, 4th Earl Erne. His mother was Lady Mary Cavendish Grosvenor, daughter of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster. In October 1914 his father was killed in action in the First World War and only a month later, aged seven, he succeeded his grandfather as fifth Earl Erne.

Political and military career

Erne trained for a military career at the Royal Military College and was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards in 1927. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1930 and resigned his commission in 1934. Becoming an active member of the House of Lords, he served as a Lord-in-Waiting, or government whip in the House of Lords, from 1936 to 1939 in the National Government under Stanley Baldwin and later under Neville Chamberlain. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, he was commissioned as a Major into the North Irish Horse and saw active service.

Family

Lord Erne married Lady Davidema Katharine Cynthia Mary Millicent Bulwer-Lytton (1909–1995), daughter of Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton, and Pamela Plowden, in 1931. On 23 May 1940 he died in France from wounds received in action during the German invasion, aged 32. He was succeeded in his titles by his two-year-old only son Henry. Lady Erne later married the Conservative politician "Monty" Woodhouse.

References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• www.thepeerage.com

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Erne