 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Henry Wellesley, 6th Duke of Wellington" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Duke of Wellington | |
|---|---|
| Member of theHouse of Lords | |
Lord Temporal | |
| In office 11 December 1941 – 16 September 1943 | |
| Preceded by | The 5th Duke of Wellington |
| Succeeded by | The 7th Duke of Wellington |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1912-07-14)14 July 1912 England |
| Died | 16 September 1943(1943-09-16) (aged 31) Salerno, Italy |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Parent(s) | Arthur Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington The Hon. Lilian Maud Coats |
Henry Valerian George Wellesley, 6th Duke of Wellington (14 July 1912 – 16 September 1943), styled asEarl of Mornington between 1912 and 1934 andMarquess of Douro between 1934 and 1941, was a British peer.
He was the younger child and only son ofArthur Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington, and his wife, the Hon. Lilian Maud Glen Coats (elder daughter ofGeorge Coats, 1st Baron Glentanar).[1] On 14 October 1933, he received a commission as a reservesecond lieutenant in theColdstream Guards, and he received a regular commission in the same rank in theDuke of Wellington's Regiment on 13 November 1935.[2][3]
He died, aged 31, on 16 September 1943, during theSecond World War, from wounds received in action while leading a group ofCommandos. He is buried in the British Salerno War Cemetery,[4] Bivio Pratole, in the province ofSalerno, Italy. At the time of his death, he was acaptain in command of a troop inNo. 2 Commando, commanded byLieutenant Colonel 'Mad'Jack Churchill.[5]
Both No. 2 and41 Commando were engaged at theSalerno landings, part of theAllied invasion of Italy. They switched from their initial battle area around Vietri sul Mare, west of Salerno, to a position two to three miles inland ofMercatello, then southeast of Salerno. The Germans held and were strengthening three high-ground positions. During the daytime of 16 September, No. 2 Commando moved back through a valley around the village of Piegolelle, dubbed 'Pigoletti', which had been cleared the night before, intending to capture a hill at the far end referred to as 'Pimple Hill'. However, in the early hours, the Germans had sent light forces back into the valley and also strengthened 'Pimple Hill'. On assaulting the hill two troops of commandos were exposed to well-positioned machine-gun fire. The Duke was among the fatalities: leading a charge against a machine-gun post he was hit by a sustained burst from anMG 42. His helmet was holed in three or four places. He was buried close to the place where he was killed.[6]
His probates (one for his current and future-valued interest in the settled [entrusted] land, one for the rest) were resworn the next year at a total of£90,838 (equivalent to about £5,200,000 in 2023).[7]
As he died without issue and was the only son of his father, he was succeeded in thepeerage by his uncle,Lord Gerald Wellesley. His sister,Lady Anne Rhys, succeeded him as 7thDuchess of Ciudad Rodrigo.
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Duke of Wellington 1941–1943 Member of theHouse of Lords (1941–1943) | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Mornington 1941–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Dutch nobility | ||
| Preceded by | Prince of Waterloo 1941–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Spanish nobility | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo 1941–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Portuguese nobility | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Victoria 1941–1943 | Succeeded by |
|  | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
