Guy Wyndham
Encyclopedia
Lt.Col. Guy Percy Wyndham CB
MVO (19 January 1865-17 April 1941) was a British Army
soldier.
Wyndham was born on 19 January 1865 as the son of Hon. Percy Wyndham
and Madeline Caroline Frances Eden Campbell.
He was married twice, first in 1892 to Edwina Johanna Fitzpatrick (who died in 1919), then in 1923 to Violet Leverson, daughter and biographer of writer Ada Leverson
.
As British military attaché in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1909 he first warned his Austrian counterpart that an Austrian General Staff
officer was supplying top secret information to the Russians. This information, however, ended up on the desk of Alfred Redl
, head of counter-intelligence at the Evidenzbureau
in Vienna, who unfortunately was the very spy
being sought.
Wyndham later attained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel
in the service of the 16th The Queen's Lancers
.
Guy Percy Wyndham was a member of The Souls
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
MVO (19 January 1865-17 April 1941) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
soldier.
Wyndham was born on 19 January 1865 as the son of Hon. Percy Wyndham
Percy Wyndham (politician)
The Honourable Percy Scawen Wyndham DL, JP , was a British soldier, Conservative politician, collector and intellectual...
and Madeline Caroline Frances Eden Campbell.
He was married twice, first in 1892 to Edwina Johanna Fitzpatrick (who died in 1919), then in 1923 to Violet Leverson, daughter and biographer of writer Ada Leverson
Ada Leverson
Ada Leverson was a British writer who is now known primarily for her work as a novelist.She began writing during the 1890s, as a contributor to Black and White, Punch, and The Yellow Book. She was a loyal friend to Oscar Wilde, who called her Sphinx...
.
As British military attaché in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1909 he first warned his Austrian counterpart that an Austrian General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
officer was supplying top secret information to the Russians. This information, however, ended up on the desk of Alfred Redl
Alfred Redl
Alfred Redl was an Austrian officer who rose to head the counter-intelligence efforts of Austria-Hungary. He was one of the leading figures of pre-World War I espionage. His term in office was marked by innovation, and he used very high technology for the time to ensnare foreign intelligence...
, head of counter-intelligence at the Evidenzbureau
Evidenzbureau
The k.u.k. Evidenzbureau was the directorate of military intelligence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, headquartered in Vienna, Austria.- Foundation :...
in Vienna, who unfortunately was the very spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
being sought.
Wyndham later attained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant-Colonel (UK)
Lieutenant colonel is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major, and subordinate to colonel...
in the service of the 16th The Queen's Lancers
16th The Queen's Lancers
The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated into the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.-History:...
.
Guy Percy Wyndham was a member of The Souls
The Souls
The Souls were a small, loosely-knit but distinctive social group in England, from 1885 to about 1920. Their members included many of the most distinguished English politicians and intellectuals....
.
Works
- Life and letters of George WyndhamGeorge WyndhamGeorge Wyndham PC was a British Conservative politician, man of letters, noted for his elegance, and one of The Souls.-Background and education:...
. Guy Percy Wyndham, John William MackailJohn William MackailJohn William Mackail O.M. was a Scottish man of letters and socialist, now best remembered as a Virgil scholar. He was also a poet, literary historian and biographer....
. London: Hutchinson, 1925. Two volumes.
Sources
- ThePeerage.com - Person Page 8272 at www.thepeerage.com