Pelham von Donop

Early life

Donop was born in Southsea, Hampshire, the eldest of four sons (and three daughters) of Commander (later Vice-Admiral) Edward Pelham Brenton von Donop, RN. He was educated at Royal Somersetshire College, Bath, before entering the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1869. He represented the academy in the annual cricket match against the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, at Lord's on 23–24 May 1870 and played against the MCC at Lord's a year later. He was commissioned as a lieutenant into the Royal Engineers on 15 December 1871 and the following April was posted to the School of Military Engineering at Chatham, Kent. Donop continued playing cricket while serving with the Royal Engineers: in one match, against the Harlequins at Chatham in June 1884 he scored 91 runs out of his side's total of 224.

Later career

Donop was promoted to captain in December 1883. In September 1884, as a member of the Royal Engineers' 8th Railway Corps Company, he was posted to Egypt to take part in the Nile Expedition. While in Sudan, his company constructed 87.5 miles (140.8 km) of railway track, from Sarras to Akasha, to facilitate the transport of provisions and stores to and from the fighting front. He returned from Egypt in June 1886. Between January 1889 and February 1894, he served as Inspector of Submarine Defences at Bombay, India, where, on 15 March 1890, he married Ethel Farran Orr, the daughter of a Bombay barrister. He was promoted to major in May 1890…

His youngest brother Stanley served in the Royal Artillery, achieved public recognition when he led a column during the Second Boer War, served as Master-General of the Ordnance (the fourth member of the Army Board) and as Colonel Commandant of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, and ended his career as Major-General Sir Stanley von Donop KCB KCMG.

Royal Engineers

FA Cup Final winner: 1875 FA Cup Final finalist: 1874