Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne

Michael Herbert Rudolf Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne, GCSI, GCIE, MC (8 May 1895 – 23 February 1939) was a British peer and soldier, the son of the 4th Baron Brabourne.

Baptised Michael Herbert Rudolf Knatchbull-Hugessen, he dropped the Hugessen part of his surname by deed poll in 1919. Knatchbull was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He served in the Royal Artillery, rising to the rank of Lieutenant and in the RAF, rising to Captain. He fought in the First World War (where he was mentioned in dispatches three times) and was awarded the Military Cross. On 22 January 1919, he married Lady Doreen Browne, daughter of the 6th Marquess of Sligo and they had two children:

• Norton Cecil Michael Knatchbull, 6th Baron Brabourne (1922–1943)
• John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne (1924–2005)

Knatchbull was elected Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashford in 1931 and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for India, from 1932 to 1933. In 1933, upon his father's death, he succeeded as Baron Brabourne and was invested as a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire; he became Governor of Bombay until 1937. While Governor in Bombay he laid the foundation stone at the historic Brabourne Stadium cricket ground in 1936 after conducting negotiations for the land with Anthony de Mello of the Cricket Club of India (CCI). In 1937 he also became a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India and served as Governor of Bengal until 1939, the year he died.

His widow, Lady Doreen (Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne) was murdered in the 1979 bombing by the Provisional Irish Republican Army bombing of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma's boat. One of their grandsons also died in the bombing.

References

• ThePeerage.com His details & photo at www.thepeerage.com
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Michael Knatchbull

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Roderick Kedward	Member of Parliament for Ashford 1931–1933	Succeeded by Sir Patrick Spens
Political offices
Preceded by Sir Frederick Sykes	Governor of Bombay 1931–1937	Succeeded by Sir Lawrence Lumley
Preceded by Sir John Anderson	Governor of Bengal 1937–1939	Succeeded by John Arthur Herbert
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Cecil Knatchbull-Hugessen	Baron Brabourne 1933–1939	Succeeded by Norton Knatchbull