E4 LORD APSLEY DSO MC TD
- Extended Description
- E004 Allen Algernon Bathurst APSLEY D.S.O., M.C., Lord, Major, 12995, 1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, Royal Armoured Corps. And Arab Legion. Born 1895 to Colonel Seymour Henry Bathurst, 7th Earl Bathurst and the Countess Bathurst, nee Borthwick, Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Husband of Lady Apsley, nee Meeking, Cirencester. Served under Apsley birthname Bathurst. He was a passenger in a Halifax bomber which crashed 17th December 1942 near RAF Luqa, Malta, aged 47 years.
Miscellaneous information
1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussar Regiment
During World War I, he served overseas with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant in April 1916, acting captain in June 1917, receiving a substantive promotion to lieutenant from the same date and to substantive captain in 1918. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his actions in Egypt. He was elected as MP for Southampton in 1922 and for Bristol Central in 1931, seats he held until 1929 and 1942 respectively. In 1923 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Gloucester, and of the City and County of the City of Gloucester, and the City and County of the City of Bristol. During World War II, he served overseas again and died whilst commanding the Arab Legion.
At rest in Capuccini (Kalkara) Naval Cemetery, Malta Plot E Grave 04.
Plane Crash 17 December 1942. Halifax II. DT542 NF-Q 138 Squadron -
Polish Air Force and one RAF crew and passengers, total seventeen in a Handley Page Halifax four engined heavy bomber Serial number DT542 on a Transit Flight from Cairo, via Malta for England. The plane took off from RAF Luqa after re-fuelling at about 04.00 hrs and crashed on open ground beyond the runway in the area of Zejtun, Malta on 17th December 1942 killing all 17 on board. The cause of the accident may have been engine failure. Another theory is, the plane had just flown over Zejtun when a large explosion was heard and the plane crashed into fields then caught fire. It is believed that is was mistakenly shot down by Anti-Aircraft gun fire.
Unfortunately, those who knew what happened were killed.
