Sir William Dugdale, 2nd Baronet

Sir William Stratford Dugdale, 2nd Baronet (29 March 1922 – 13 November 2014), was a British nobleman and public figure. He held the position of chairman of Aston Villa Football Club from 1975 to 1978. Dugdale assumed the chairmanship succeeding Doug Ellis and was succeeded by Harry Kartz. During his tenure, the club experienced significant achievements, including winning the European Cup in 1982, the year following his departure.

Born in 1922, Dugdale was the son of Sir William Francis Stratford Dugdale, 1st Baronet of the Noble House of Stratford, and Margaret Gilmour. He was educated at Eton College and attended Balliol College, Oxford. He inherited the courtesy title of the 2nd Baronet Dugdale of Merevale and Blyth, Warwickshire, on 18 April 1965.

During World War II, Dugdale served in the Grenadier Guards, having been commissioned into the regiment on 27 September 1941. Prior to this, he served in the Royal Berkshire Regiment in the ranks. He was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Military Cross in 1943 for demonstrating outstanding bravery under fire. His wartime service included participation at the Battle of Anzio and guarding German generals at Nuremberg at the war's conclusion. His service number was 207638.

Following the war, Dugdale qualified as a solicitor in 1949. He held various public offices in Warwickshire, including Justice of the Peace (1951), Deputy Lieutenant (1955), High Sheriff of Warwickshire (1971), and Sheriff of Stratford-upon-Avon (1976). In 1985, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Dugdale was involved in horse racing, participating in the 1953 Grand National and serving as Chief Disciplinary Steward for the Jockey Club, the organization overseeing racing regulations. He served as chairman of General Utilities plc from 1988 to 1999 and was appointed head of the National Water Council in 1983, where he worked with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on issues related to union disputes in the water industry.

His residences included Merevale Hall in Atherstone, Warwickshire, as of 2003, and a London property at 24 Bryanston Mews West.

Family connections include his marriage to Lady Belinda Pleydell-Bouverie, daughter of William Pleydell-Bouverie, 7th Earl of Radnor, and Helena Olivia Adeane, whom he married on 13 December 1952. Lady Belinda died of cancer in 1961. He married secondly Cecilia (Cylla) Mary Mount, daughter of Sir William Mount, 2nd Baronet, on 17 October 1967.

He fathered several children, including Laura Dugdale (b. 1953), Matilda Dugdale (b. 1955), Charlotte Dugdale (b. 1955), William Matthew Stratford Dugdale, 3rd Baronet (b. 1959), Adelaide Margaret Victoria Jane Dugdale (b. 1970), and Thomas Joshua Stratford Dugdale (b. 1974).

His niece, Elizabeth Dugdale, is a god-daughter of Queen Elizabeth II. Additionally, the former UK Prime Minister David Cameron is a nephew by marriage of Sir William Dugdale.