Egerton Lowndes Wright was born on 15 November 1885 in Lytham, Lancashire, the second of the four children of Henry Lowndes Wright (1854-1940) and Alice Maud Wright née Eckersley (1861-1914). His Wikipedia page, which gives details of his life, claims (in 2023) that he was born in Chorley, Lancashire, but this is contradicted by entries on various census returns. The birth of Egerton Wright was registered in the 4th quarter of 1885 in the Fylde registration district, Lancashire, that covers the Lytham area but not the civil parish of Chorley.
On 27 December 1885 he was baptised in Christ Church, Adlington, Lancashire, where in the baptismal register his family is shown as living in Lytham and that his father was a solicitor.
In the 1891 census he is shown as aged 5 years, living at 1 Lowther Terrace, Lytham, with his parents and his brother Geoffrey Lowndes Wright (1883-1952), together with a governess, a cook, a parlour-maid and a housemaid.
He attended Winchester College before going up to Oxford University and his Winchester memorial page gives more details of his life. Having taken his degree with Honours in Classical Moderations and History he entered the firm of Wilson, Wright and Davies, solicitors, in Manchester and Preston. His two younger brothers were: Philip Lowndes Wright (1892-1976) and Frank Lowndes Wright (1894-1922).
In the 1911 census both he and his future wife, Violet Shakespear (1888-1974) were shown as visitors at 80 Gloucester Place, Portman Square, London, W1, the 16 roomed house of James & Hannah B. Eckersley, together with a butler, a lady's-maid, a cook, a housemaid, a kitchen maid, an under-housemaid and footman.
On 12 July 1911 he married Violet Shakespear at the Church of The Annunciation, Bryanston Street, London, W1 and he is shown in the marriage register as aged 25 years, a bachelor and a gentleman, residing at Burnt House, Adlington, Lancashire, whilst his wife is described as aged 23 years, a spinster living at 12 Portman Street, London, W1, the daughter of George Robert James Shakespear who was a Major General in the Indian Army.
They had two children: James Egerton Lowndes Wright (1912-1987) and Alice Eckersley Lowndes Wright (1914-1922).
The London Gazette shows that on 3 September 1914 he obtained a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Buckinghamshire Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and he entered France on 30 March 1915. Gaining promotions and being awarded a Military Cross, it was whilst serving as a Captain in his battalion's regiment that he was appointed as the Brigade Major to the 6th Infantry Brigade.
He was killed in action, aged 32 years, on 11 May 1918 and his body was buried in Plot 2, Row A, Grave C in the Barly French Military Cemetery, 62810 Barly, France.
Probate records confirm that his address had been 44 Mosley Street, Manchester, Lancashire and that when probate was initially granted on 21 September 1918 to his executor, Myles Fenton Davies, a solicitor, his estate totalled £9,962-12s-7d. His army effects were sent in two parts to his executor: £30-8s-8d on 14 February 1919 and £364-4s-11d on 15 March 1919. However, on 22 January 1921 probate was regranted to his brother, Philip Lowndes Egerton, who was a bleach works manager and his estate was then shown as £7,276-8s-10d.
He was posthumously awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal and these were sent on 22 March1922 to his widow at 14 Chelsea Park Gardens, London, SW3, who by then had become remarried to a Lieutenant John Francis Bowyer, RN. (1893-1974).
He is shown as 'WRIGHT. E.L. BRIG.MAJOR. M.C.' on the Quebec Chapel war memorial at the Church of The Annunciation, Bryanston Street, London, W1H 7AH; as 'EGERTON LOWNDES WRIGHT' on the Chalfont St Peter War Memorial at St Peter's Church, High Street, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross, SL9 9RH; as 'Capt EGERTON L WRIGHT' on the Lancashire County Cricket War Memorial at the Old Trafford Cricket Pavilion, Talbot Road, Stretford, Manchester, M16 9PQ; as 'EGERTON LOWNDES WRIGHT' on the Adlington War Memorial at the Junction of Highfield Road and Railway Road, Adlington, PR6 9RB; as 'WRIGHT EDGERTON.L. CAPT.BRIG.MAJ.' on the Lytham War Memorial at Market Square, Lytham Saint Annes, FY8 5LW and as 'CAPT. E.L. WRIGHT. MC.' on the Members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) War Memorial in the Lord's Pavilion at Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood Road, London NW8 8QN.
He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website and on the A Street Near You website.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
