Walter Marlborough Pryor

Walter Marlborough Pryor
Detail from oil on canvas painting of Walter Marlborough Pryor DSO*, 1957, by Maurice Frederick Codner.
Born	(1880-11-18)18 November 1880 Hitchin, Hertfordshire
Died	28 May 1962(1962-05-28) (aged 81) Hitchin, Hertfordshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1914-1918
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	Hertfordshire Regiment, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Battles / wars	World War I
Awards	DSO and Bar
Other work	Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire

Lieutenant Colonel Walter Marlborough Pryor, DSO & Bar, DL, JP (18 November 1880 – 28 May 1962) was a British soldier.^[1][2]

Early life

Pryor was the only son of Marlborough Robert Pryor, DL, JP, Weston Park, Hitchin, Hertfordshire and his wife. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge where he gained a BA (1901), and an MA (1905).^[3] In 1910 he married the writer Ethne Philippa, only daughter of Sir Norman Moore, 1st Baronet. They had three sons; John Marlborough Pryor (1911-1984), Mark Gillachrist Marlborough Pryor (1919-1970) and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Matthew Marlborough Pryor MBE (known as Matthew; 1917-2005). His grandson by Matthew is the archaeologist Francis Pryor; by Mark his grandchildren include the author William Pryor and the artist Lucy Raverat.

First World War

During the First World War Pryor served as an officer in the British Army, beginning the war as an acting Captain in the Hertfordshire Regiment.^[4] In September 1917 he was promoted to Acting Lieutenant Colonel and placed in command of 1/6th Royal Warwickshire Regiment, leading them on the Western and Italian Fronts for the remainder of the war.^[5] During the conflict he was mentioned in despatches four times. In 1917 he was made a companion of the Distinguished Service Order, to which a Bar was added in 1918. Additionally, he was awarded the Italian Bronze Medal of Military Valor in 1919.^[6]

Later life

After the war, he was chairman of the Sun Fire Insurance Company and the Sun Life Assurance Society.^[7]

He also served as a magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

References

1. PRYOR, Lt-Col Walter Marlborough’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 11 Jan 2012
2. The Times, Tuesday, May 29, 1962; pg. 17; Issue 55403; col A Obituary Category: Obituaries
3. "Pryor, Walter Marlborough (PRR898WM)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
4. "No. 28953". The London Gazette. 27 October 1914. p. 8651.
5. "No. 30485". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 January 1918. p. 1056.
6. "No. 31345". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 16 May 1919. p. 6200.
7. "A Cambridge Alumni Database - Walter Marlborough Pryor". Retrieved 5 September 2012.