A Pig must now and then be right by chance

Eric Gilbey

Eric was born on 27th December 1888, the second son of Henry Walter Gilbey (known as Walter) and his wife Isabella, nee Fowlie. He was christened on 25th February 1889 at St Marys Church, Bryanston Square, Westminster, just around the corner from the family home at 28 Seymour Street – now a hotel Marylebone Boutique Townhouse | The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone.

Henry Walter was the son of Walter Gilbey, 1st Baronet of Elsenham, a prosperous wine and spirit merchant and one of the founders of W & A Gilbey Ltd (see here for additional details Spirits: Distillers and Spirit Producers – W & A Gilbey Ltd. (the-complete-gentleman.com)) Henry Walter followed his father into the family business, with his profession given on the 1891 census as wine merchant.

The family business seems to have been very profitable. On the 1901 census, Henry and Isabella are shown at 28 Seymour Street, with 8 servants. Their eldest son, Walter, was at Harrow School and Eric was at Evelyns School in Hillingdon. Evelyns was a well-known prep school that had strong ties to Eton.

Subsequent records suggest that family life may not have been harmonious at this time. Henry (now Sir Gilbey, having inherited the Baronetcy from his father) and Isabella divorced in March 1926, and newspaper reports covering the divorce case include witness testimony describing the Gilbey homelife. For example, the Yorkshire Evening Post (19 March 1926) reports that Mrs Bundock, maid to Mrs Gilbey, described Sir Gilbey’s treatment of his wife as “very unkindly” and that he “neglected her, ignored her, and treated her with the utmost indifference”. Evidence was also given that Sir Gilbey had had a long-standing affair with Mrs Ethel Mavor, the wife of Douglas Mavor. It was estimated that the affair had started in 1902 and had continued up to around 1922 when Mrs Mavor became unwell. Sir GIlbey and Mrs Gilbey separated in 1912 however until the law regarding divorce changed in 1923, with the Matrimonial Causes Act allowing women to also petition for divorce on the grounds of their spouse’s adultery, it would have been impossible for Mrs GIlbey to go to court.

This family turmoil may go some way to explain a curious entry on the 1911 census. Henry, Walter and Eric, plus 6 servants, are shown as being at 28 Seymour Street. Henry does have a wife living with him too, but his wife’s name is given as Elizabeth and her place of birth is Kingston, Surrey rather than Ceylon. Is this Isabella with incorrect details? Or is this another lady that Sir Gilbey was having a dalliance with? By the time of the 1911 census, Walter had followed in his father and grandfather’s profession and joined the family business. Eric had joined the army and had been commissioned as Lieutenant. Subsequent records show that at this time, he was with the Grenadier Guards.

In February 1912, Eric resigned his military commission (Civil and Military Gazette, 14 February 1912). Perhaps he was planning on joining the family business, or just wanted a fresh challenge. On 18th April 1912, Eric’s older brother, Walter, married and Eric witnessed the marriage and acted as Walter’s best man (London Evening Standard, 19th April 1912). This signature provides proof that the Eric Gilbey from the Guestbook is indeed the son of Henry and Isabella.

At the outbreak of WW1, Eric rejoined the army, this time signing up to the 5th Battalion Rifle Regiment. The Sketch newspaper (25 November 1914) carried a letter from Eric, requesting that old garden and deck chairs be sent to furnish the wooden huts that were being built as the army’s winter quarters. Unfortunately, no records survive to show whether his plea was successful or not!

Tragically, Eric was killed on 12th March 1915 at the Battle of Neuve Chappelle (Battle of Neuve Chapelle - Wikipedia).He was initially buried in Neuve Chappelle Churchyard, but his grave and the graves of other soldiers was destroyed by later shell fire. These five soldiers are now commemorated on a plaque in Neuve Chappelle Cemetery. An account of Eric’s death, plus a photograph of him, can be found here Harrow memorials of the great war : August 23rd, 1914, to March 20th, 1915 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive