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The reason we are here today is “The Fremantle Diary.” It was first published in Edinburgh in December 1863, (Blackburn’s who carried many American civil war reports in their monthly magazine), then
in Mobile and New York. My Grandfather, Sir Sydney, had an original from his father, Sir Edmund, and lent it to my uncle David, who lent it to Captain Chandler, U.S.N in 1953, who lent it to his brother, President
of William and Mary University at Williamsburg. The Chandlers were strong Southerners and presumably alerted Walter Lord, (the author), to its existence. They returned it twelve years later to David, who gave
it to my father, who lost it. But it has sparked Roger’s interest, which has brought us all here! The (Walter), Lord edition does not say anything about Arthur before or after his three months in the
South....so here goes.
ARTHUR JAMES LYON FREMANTLE. (and his side of the family)
Arthur came from the senior branch, that is, his grandfather Stephen was the elder brother of Thomas Francis (Fremantle), the friend of (Lord) Nelson,
and uncle to the 1st Lord Cottesloe. This branch had been officers in the Coldstream (Guards) since about 1770, and were to continue that tradition until Guy, Arthur’s nephew, retired in 1903. Arthur,
his father John, and his brother Fitzroy, all became Generals (in the Coldstream Guards). Fizroy’s daughter Frances, married General Thesiger, who was killed at Loos in 1915, and who is also being
remembered at a ceremony in France today. General John (“Jolly Jack” Fremantle) was ADC to Wellington in the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns. He married Agnes Lyon from Goring in these parts (Sussex, south England) in 1829. Wellington described it as a “corking” wedding, which stopped him concentrating on the Catholic Emancipation Bill, then being debated in Parliament. John’s sister Georgina is also buried here, (in the same grave), but
I don’t know much about her.
General Sir Arthur saw action in the Sudan, after the massacre of General Gordon and his men at Khartoum, commanding a brigade of mixed Australian and Coldstreamers
against the fanatical Mahdi’s troops in Suakim. (some things don’t change). He governed the province and then became I/C forces in Scotland. Later he governed Malta where my grandfather knew him well,
and was much liked by all. He suffered badly from asthma, finding relief by going sailing.
His brother General Fitzroy had to pay £2500 to transfer from the Rifle Brigade to the Coldstream in 1860,
before that he was wounded in the Crimea and helped to put down the Indian mutiny at Cawnpore. He was only eight when his father died, so was particularly close to his mother Agnes. I have over 100 letters he wrote
home, mostly asking for warm socks from the Crimea, but also describing the appalling conditions of the troops. He commanded troops in the South West, (of England), and is remembered by a plaque in Exeter
Cathedral, where he was given the freedom of the city and a gallantry pension from Queen Victoria. He died at age 58, indeed none of this branch were long lived, unlike the Admirals.
Fitzroy and Delvin, (who joined the Navy), (Arthur’s brothers ), left offspring. Delvin’s (daughter), Leila married her 1st and 3rd Cousin Sydney, my Grandfather. Fitzroy’s daughter Frances has grandchildren, James Buckley and Oonah Vine, who have helped me trace the family’s military roots. James is in France for the Loos battle remembrance, Oonah lives in Brisbane, (Australia), but isn’t e-mail marvelous! (Arthur’s) 3rd
brother, John (Jack), is also buried here and died aged 33, he was in the 2nd Life Guards, but I have little information about him, except that he was always getting into scrapes, according to the letters between
Fitzroy and his Mother. Delvin also died young.
THE LORD COTTESLOES.
The 1st and 2nd (Lord Cottesloes), were M.Ps (members of Parliament), all very long lived. The 2nd did not succeed until he was 60 and
was very active in the county, (Buckinghamshire), as was his son Tom, who was Lord Lieutenant for 31 years and a great expert with the rifle, presiding over the N.R.A (National Rifle Association), and
winning countless trophies and helping to develop the Lee-Enfield bolt action rifle, the standard in both World Wars. The 4th, John’s (present Lord Cottesloe’s), father, was a Cambridge Rowing
Blue, he too was an expert with the rifle, but also like his father took a great interest in public affairs. Chairing the P.L.A, giving his name to the Cottesloe Theater, and presiding over the Tate Gallery. He was
much involved with the A.A (Anti aircraft), defense of London in the war as a Territorial Colonel. John the 5th, (the present Lord Cottesloe), has continued this tradition of public service, ably
assisted by (his wife), Ann. Their influence is felt throughout Buckinghamshire, and he is a very good shot too!
THE NAVAL FREMANTLES.
Our cousin Ann Parry, wrote a splendid book called the Admirals Fremantle, now unfortunately out of print. She was able to use autobiographies written
by my grandfather and great grandfather, and the papers and letters of Charles about Australia and elsewhere. She also used the diary of Betsy, (nee Wynne), who married the first Admiral, (Thomas Fremantle), after
a whirlwind shipboard romance, as he rescued her family from Leghorn in Italy, just before Napoleon got there! They are in three volumes called the Wynne diaries, and were rediscovered and edited by Anne, the mother
of our Fremantle cousins in the USA. They describe the adventures of herself and her sisters on, “the Grand Tour.” She was married at Naples with Nelson and Lady Hamilton as witnesses, she nursed
Nelson on his way back to England after he lost his arm at Tenerife, while pregnant with the future Lord Cottesloe. She was in her husband’s ship H.M.S. Seahorse, which took part in the battle. Move over
Hornblower!
Admiral Thomas Francis, the first Admiral, commanded H.M.S. Ganges at Copenhagen. We celebrated the 200th anniversary there with the Danish Queen in April this year. Incidentally the
Danes were quite glad of the battle, because Britain became interested in stopping the country being divided between Prussia and Sweden! His ship H.M.S. Neptune was 3rd in line (of battle), at Trafalgar, and
claimed victory over the Santissima Trinidad, the largest warship in the world. He went on to command in the Adriatic, liberating Austrian provinces from the French and became a baron of the Austrian Empire. He
commanded in the Mediterranean where he died in 1819.
His second son, Admiral Charles’ chief claim to fame was the founding of Western Australia, which he claimed for Britain in 1829, an area
the size of Europe! He established the first settlers, then sailed away and later reported that Hong Kong would make a good base! His ship was H.M.S. Challenger. He fought in the war of 1812 against the USA when 12
years old. He rescued men from a Swedish Brig in 1824, winning the first RNLI (Royal National Lifesaving Institute), Gold Medal, he was one of the first to visit Sind, now Pakistan, where he reported that the
people object strongly to Europeans on their territory! He took effective charge of logistics for the Crimean War, before going on to become C-in-C Plymouth.
Admiral Edmund, Admiral Thomas’
grandson, fought in the Burmese Ashanti and New Zealand campaigns. He leapt over the side three times to rescue men who had fallen overboard, winning bronze, silver and gold Humane Society Lifesaving Medals. He was
a Naval expert who corresponded regularly with Mahan. He was C-in-C Indian Ocean and at Plymouth 20 years after his uncle Charles. The King made him Rear Admiral of Great Britain, a Court appointment. He died age 94.
Admiral Sydney, Edmund’s eldest son was trained at Dartmouth in the Britannia with George V, who was called PIG (PG with an I in he middle). His career was not too exciting until World War I,
when after evacuating the Dardanelles, he was mined off Malta while flying his flag in H.M.S. Russell, part of the 3rd Battle Squadron. He lost 120 of his crew, many to Cordite poisoning, he also lost Nelson’s
telescope. He went on to be ADC and to command at Scapa Flow when the German Fleet scuttled themselves to avoid the ignominy of surrender. Sir Sydney finished his career as C-in-C Portsmouth, where he introduced
compulsory swimming tests for the Navy!
The naval line continued through my father, Edmund, Gunnery Officer of H.M.S. Warspite at the start of the war, (he hit an Italian cruiser at 12 miles!), and
was Beach-master at Juno beach on D-Day. to me ,and Mary here (peacetime), and on the Cottesloe side to Charles who sank the 1st U-boat in WW1 and was a Convoy Commodore at age 60 in WW2! To John here who had
to leave early after commanding H.M.S. Palliser and Edward here’s younger brother Tom, who did brilliantly at Dartmouth, but left early to pursue a business career. The last ever was my daughter Naomi as a 3rd
Officer in the W.R.N.R, (Women’s Royal Naval Reserve), who left in 1990, bringing to an end 213 years of Fremantles on the Active lists of the Navy
THE PARLIAMENTARY FREMANTLES.
This line had finished with Colonel Sir Francis, M.P for St. Albans, and son of the Dean of Ripon. But now we have lain Duncan-Smith (elected leader of The Conservative Party in September this year), married
into the family, so Cousin John here may have a Prime Minister son-in-law one day.
Parliamentary Fremantles started with the first Admiral’s younger brother William, Arthur’s uncle, who
was M.P. for Buckingham, and a protégé of the Duke of Buckingham. He was popular at court where he was a Privy Counselor. He finished as Ranger of Windsor Great Park, Deputy to The Monarch, which owes much of its
present attraction to his work. The Admiral’s eldest son, Thomas, took over the Buckingham seat, became a baronet at age 23, attended every budget speech for 60 years, was Secretary of State for War and
Ireland, and became the 1st Lord Cottesloe, fathering many children, from whom all the family here are descended! His son Thomas, the 2nd Lord was also an M.P.
THE CHURCH.
Two churchmen, both William, held the Deanship of Ripon, continually from 1876 to 1915, the second being far advanced of his time in his writings.
Advocating a coming together of the C-of-E. (Church of England), and the free churches, and more say for parishes in the Church decisions!
MEDICAL.
The 3rd Lord Cottesloe’s daughter, Margaret, Baroness Florey, was part of Alexander Fleming’s team that developed Penicillin. She lecturer
in Pathology at Oxford.
WAR LOSSES.
The eldest son of the 3rd Lord Cottesloe, Thomas Francis Halford, died at the battle of Ypres in 1915 aged 18. Edmund’s grandson, Oscar, died at
Monte Cassino in WW2
SUMMING UP.
Fify five years of pax Americana, and the end of empire, has left the family a bit short of a role in the Nation’s life. The family is about the
same size as it was in 1820, if you count only the “Fremantles.” There is plenty of talent coming along in the next generation, so I don’t think you’ve heard the last of us yet!
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