Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the Eldest son of Earl and Countess of Shaftsbury he was found dead on his bed by his valet at his home Mainsail Haul, his Dorset home, near Wimbourne St Giles. He is buried in the family vault at St Giles Church. A post mortem showed he died from heart disease. He had been involved in a bad car accident three weeks before.
In 1927 he was married to Louise Sylvia Hawkes, a musical comedy actress. In 1935 this marriage was dissolved and Louise went on to marry Douglas Fairbanks Sn. In 1937 Ashley married Francoise Soulier in Paris. The couple had two children before divorcing days before his death. Lady Shaftsbury was at the time, Extra Lady to the Bedchamber to Queen Mary.
Ashley was remembered as being the liveliest member of the family parties at Abergeldie Castle when King George was at Balmoral at which time he was allotted Lord Steward of the Household and Lord Shaftsbury.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Giles House, Dorset | Intelligence Officer | 15 Jul 1940 | 03 Feb 1941 |
| Dorset | Intelligence Officer | 15 Jul 1940 | 03 Feb 1941 |
| Phantom: The GHQ Liaison Regiment | Phantom Officer | 1942 | 1945 |
| Phantom: The GHQ Liaison Regiment | Phantom Officer | 1942 | 1945 |
Eton
Caius College, Cambridge
Sandhurst
Cadet Eton College Officer Training Corps
26 Jun 1925 Commissioned as Second Lieutenant to 94th (Dorset & Somerset Yeomanry) Field Brigade Royal Artillery, Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
1929-30 Aide de Camp to The Governor of Bombay (now Mumbai)
1930-1931 Aide de Camp to the Commander in Chief India
2 May 1931 Restored to Unit as Lieutenant
26 Jun 1937 Promoted Captain
5 Mar 1938 Promoted Major
5 Jan 1940 From active list Wiltshire Yeomanry to be Major on the General List, possibly as moves to MI(R)
22 Jul 1940 Intelligence Officer Auxiliary Units Dorset Reverts to rank of Captain from Major at his own request while employed in the current emergency
Transferred as Captain to Intelligence Corps
18 Dec 1941 Transferred to Royal Armoured Corps, served with 10th Hussars
8 Nov 1943 Appointed Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Dorset by his father.
9 Nov 1942 Transferred to GHQ Liaison Regiment "Phantom". He commanded the Headquarters Squadron and served through the campaign in North West Europe 1944-45.
30 May 1947 Awarded Efficiency Decoration.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34965/supplement/5954/data.pdf
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34944/supplement/5477/data.pdf
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34975/supplement/6125
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34777/supplement/459
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33069/page/4954
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37967/supplement/2423/data.pdf
Aberdeen Press 21 March 1947
Western Gazette 14 March 1947
GHQ Liaison Regiment, A Nominal Roll with Biographies, Asher Pirt