Francis Bingham Mildmay, 1st Baron Mildmay of Flete

Who was Francis Bingham Mildmay, 1st Baron Mildmay of Flete?

Francis Bingham Mildmay, 1st Baron Mildmay of Flete DL, TD was initially a Liberal and later a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until 1922 when he was raised to the peerage.

Mildmay was the son of Henry Bingham Mildmay and his wife, Georgiana Frances. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He became a lieutenant in the West Kent Yeomanry cavalry and a partner in the firm of Baring Brothers.

At the 1885 general election, Mildmay was elected Liberal Member of Parliament for the Totnes division of Devon. He was one of the Liberal Unionists who combined to oppose the Home Rule Bill in 1885, and was returned in subsequent parliaments as a Liberal Unionist, and from 1912 as a Conservative. He held the seat for 37 years until he retired from the Commons at the 1922 general election and was ennobled.

Mildmay saw service in the Second Boer War in 1900 as a Major in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry and also in World War I between 1914 and 1918. At one stage he was divisional interpreter of General Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow, who referred to him with affection and some wonderment at his tireless work and bravery in doing his duty at 2nd Ypres. Mildmay was often found to be carrying messages across the battlefield. Snow described him as a colourful and brave chap and recommended him for a medal more than once though he never got one apart from the Territorial Decoration.