Lord George Wellesley

Lord George Wellesley was born on 29 July 1889. He was the son of Colonel Lord Arthur Wellesley, who later became the 4th Duke of Wellington, and Kathleen Emily Bulkeley Williams. His paternal great-grandfather was Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington.

Wellesley received his education at Wellington College in Berkshire. He later pursued a career in the military and in business, serving as the Managing Director of Coxeter and Son plc.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on probation in the Grenadier Guards on 3 February 1909. His rank was confirmed on 1 February 1911. He was promoted to lieutenant on 15 September 1912. On 30 June 1914, Wellesley was appointed a flying officer in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). He was promoted to flight commander on 11 December 1914, with the temporary rank of captain, and shortly thereafter, on 19 December 1914, he was appointed an instructor at the Central Flying School of the RFC.

During the First World War, which lasted from 1914 to 1918, Wellesley served in various capacities. He was mentioned in despatches in June 1916 and was appointed a squadron commander on 1 July 1916, holding the permanent rank of captain and the temporary rank of major. In 1916, he was awarded the Military Cross for his service.

On 19 November 1910, Wellesley intervened in a rescue when he saved 20-year-old May Haviland from an attempted suicide by throwing herself into the Thames River near Putney Bridge with two six-pound weights attached to her neck.

In terms of personal life, Wellesley married Louise Nesta Pamela FitzGerald in New York on 12 March 1917. She was the widow of his older brother Richard Wellesley, who was a captain in the Grenadier Guards and was killed in action on 29 October 1914. Louise was the daughter of Sir Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Baronet, and Amelia Catherine Bischoffsheim.

During World War I, Wellesley continued his military service. He was appointed a wing commander in the RFC with the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 October 1917. In 1939, he achieved the rank of squadron leader in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR). He served in the Second World War from 1939 to 1945.

He was decorated with the Royal Humane Society Medal for his act of heroism. He relinquished his commission in the RAFVR on 10 February 1954, retaining the rank of squadron leader.

Following the death of his first wife on 21 February 1947, Wellesley married Jean McGillivray on 25 November 1955. She was the daughter of John McGillivray and Jane Ann Stuart.

Lord George Wellesley died on 31 July 1967.