Sir Steuart Pringle
Birth nameSteuart Robert Pringle
Born(1928-07-21)21 July 1928
Dover, Kent, England[1]
Died18 April 2013(2013-04-18) (aged 84)
London, England[1]
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Marines
Years of service1946–84
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldCommandant General Royal Marines
45 Commando
Battles/warsMalayan Emergency
Suez Crisis
Cyprus Emergency
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
Operation Banner
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Lieutenant General Sir Steuart Robert Pringle KCB (21 July 1928 – 18 April 2013)[2] was a Scottish Royal Marines officer who served as Commandant General Royal Marines from 1981 to 1985. He was seriously injured by an IRA car bomb in 1981, in which he lost his right leg.[1]

He was styled as the 10th Baronet of Stichill from 1961 to 2016, when a court accepted DNA evidence that established he was not the biological grandson of the 8th baronet. His cousin Murray Pringle inherited the baronetcy instead of Sir Steuart's eldest son and expected heir.[3][4]

Early life and education

Pringle was born in Dover on 21 July 1928, the only child of Sir Norman Hamilton Pringle of Stichill, 9th Baronet (1903–1961), and his first wife, Winifred Olive Curran (died 1975).[3] He was educated at Sherborne School.[5]

Military career

Pringle joined the Royal Marines in 1946.[5] He was appointed commanding officer of 45 Commando in 1971 and had a tour at Headquarters Commando Forces from 1974 in which role he was promoted from lieutenant colonel to colonel.[6] Promoted to major-general on 1 February 1978 (local major-general from 20 February 1978),[7] he then became Major General Commando Forces.[8]

Pringle went on to be chief of staff to the Commandant General Royal Marines in 1979 and Commandant General Royal Marines in 1981.[8] On 17 October 1981, he was injured by an IRA car bomb attached to his red Volkswagen car outside his home in Dulwich, South London as he went to take his pet black Labrador, Bella to the park for a run. One of the first questions he asked was, "How's my dog?" His dog, Bella, was unscathed but Pringle lost his right leg in the incident and badly injured his left.[9]

As Commandant General of the Royal Marines, he was seen welcoming the Commandos home following the Falklands War.[10] He was named BBC Pebble Mill Man of the Year for his "outstanding achievement and bravery". He later returned to duties, and retired in June 1984.[11]

Later life

In retirement he became chairman and Chief Executive of the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.[8] He died in London on 18 April 2013.[1]

Honours

Pringle was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1982 Birthday Honours.[2]

He was awarded an Honorary DSc of City University London in 1982[12] and an Honorary LLD of Exeter University in 1994. He was also an Honorary Admiral of the Texas Navy.[5]

Personal life

In 1953, Sir Steuart married Jacqueline Marie Gladwell,[5] only daughter of Wilfrid Hubert Gladwell. They had two sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Simon, had been the heir apparent to the baronetcy.[3]

DNA case

Norman Hamilton Pringle and his son Sir Steuart were recognised as the 9th and 10th Pringle Baronets of Nova Scotia, respectively, during their lifetimes; however, questions had been raised in the family as to whether Norman was the biological child of Sir Norman Robert Pringle, 8th Baronet (1871–1919). The 8th Baronet had married Florence Madge Vaughan on 16 October 1902 but she gave birth to Norman only seven months later, on 13 May 1903, leading to questions of legitimacy that were not resolved until more than a century later.[13]

In 2009, Sir Steuart agreed to DNA testing for a project launched by his first cousin Murray Pringle (born 1941), an accountant who was attempting to restore a clan chief to Clan Pringle, which has been an armigerous clan since 1737. The results indicated that Sir Steuart's paternal DNA was not consistent with that of other Pringles, but Murray heeded advice that the issue of the legitimate claimant to the baronetcy should not be contested during Sir Steuart's lifetime. After he died in 2013, both Simon (Sir Steuart's eldest son) and Murray attempted to claim the baronetcy. In 2016, a court agreed Murray Pringle was the rightful heir to the baronetcy instead of his first cousin once removed Simon, as DNA evidence demonstrated that Sir Steuart's father was not the biological son of Sir Norman Pringle, 8th Baronet. There were two younger sons – Ronald Steuart (1905–1968; Murray Pringle's father), and James Drummond (1906–1960). Norman Hamilton was proven with a "high degree of probability" to be fathered by someone outside the Pringle clan, and Sir Steuart and his father were removed posthumously from the Official Roll of the Baronetage. Murray Pringle was declared the 10th Baronet and his father the de jure 9th Baronet.[4][14] However, as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Sir Steuart was still styled as Sir.[3][15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Lieutenant-General Sir Steuart Pringle: Marine who survived an IRA car bomb". The Independent. 6 May 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Daily Telegraph Obituary – Sir Steuart Pringle, Bt". Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. pp. 3221–3222. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  4. 1 2 "Accountant wins baronetcy battle". BBC News. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Lt General Sir Steuart Robert Pringle, KCB". Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "No. 46440". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 December 1974. p. 13195.
  7. ↑ "No. 47451". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1978. p. 1262.
  8. 1 2 3 Clan Pringle Archived 16 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, clanpringle.org.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "Once More, Terror in the Streets", Time. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  10. ↑ Britain's Small Wars Archived 28 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine, britains-smallwars.com. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "No. 49800". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 July 1984. p. 9432.
  12. ↑ "Honorary Graduates A-Z". City University London. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  13. ↑ Russell, Judy G. (26 June 2016). "Opening a can of worms". The Legal Genealogist. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  14. ↑ Bingham, John (20 June 2016). "Accountant wins legal claim to baronetcy in 'cuckoo in the nest' case that could challenge the British class system". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  15. ↑ "JUDGMENT In the matter of the Baronetcy of Pringle of Stichill" (PDF). 20 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
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