Background
Born in Dublin, Longford was the eldest son of William Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford, and his wife the Honorary Selina (née Rice-Trevor), and succeeded in the earldom on his father"s death in 1887.
Born in Dublin, Longford was the eldest son of William Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford, and his wife the Honorary Selina (née Rice-Trevor), and succeeded in the earldom on his father"s death in 1887.
Lord Longford was seconded for service with the Imperial Yeomanry fighting in South Africa during the Second Boer War, and was appointed a Captain in the Imperial Yeomanry on 3 February 1900. He was wounded and returned home the following year. In January 1902 he was again seconded for service with the Imperial Yeomanry.
He was appointed in command of the 29th Battalion (composed primarily of officers and men from the Irish Horse), with the temporary rank of Lieutenant-colonel (antedated to 1 January 1902), and left Ireland for South Africa in May 1902.
As the senior officer, he was in command of almost 1 150 officers and men on board the transport ship Bavarian for the journey. They arrived in South Africa after the end of hostilities, as the Peace of Vereeniging was signed on 31 May.
During the First World War Lord Longford commanded the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade of the 2nd Mounted Division, a yeomanry formation, with the rank of Brigadier-General.
The Division was initially based in Egypt but was sent dismounted to Suvla on the Gallipoli peninsula as reinforcements during the Battle of Sari Bair. On 21 August 1915 the Division was in reserve for the final attack on Scimitar Hill.
When the initial attack by the 29th Division failed, the yeomanry were ordered to advance in the open across a dry salt lake.
Raked by shrapnel fire, most of the brigades halted in the shelter of Green Hill but Longford led his brigade in a charge which captured the summit of the hill. As he continued to advance, he was killed. His last words before his death were, reputedly "Don"t bother ducking, the men don"t like it and it doesn"t do any good.."
Longford"s body was never recovered as the British made no further advances before the evacuation of Suvla on 20 December.
His grave is marked as a special memorial in Green Hill Cemetery at Suvla.
Lord Longford married Lady Mary Julia Child Villiers, daughter of Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, in 1899. The Countess of Longford died in November 1933, aged 56.
In Dublin, he was a member of the Kildare Street Club.