Lord Ralph Drury Kerr KCB

Ralph Drury Kerr was born on 11 Aug 1837, the third son of John William Robert Kerr, 7th Marquess of Lothian and Lady Cecil Chetwynd Chetwynd-Talbot. He entered the army as a cornet in the 10th Hussars on 24 Nov 1857, promoted to lieutenant the next year. On 6 May 1859 he was appointed adjutant and remained in that position until he was given command of a Troop in Aug 1861. When the regiment went to India in 1873 he was a major and second in command. The CO Lt-Col Molyneux went back to England on leave in April 1875 so Major Lord Kerr was left in charge. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 31 May 1876. When the Afghan War broke out in 1878 he commanded the 10th in the very eventful year of 1879. Firstly there was the disaster at the Kabul River on 31 March where an officer and 46 NCOs and men were drowned. Then there was the action at Futtehabad on 2 April for which he was mentioned in despatches. And lastly there was the ‘Death March’ in June where the 10th, retiring from Afghanistan, suffered a cholera epidemic as they went through the Khyber Pass, killing 38 men. The regimental history says that, ‘..by his example and devotion [he] assisted to alleviate the results’
At a Durbar in October 1880 he commanded a brigade consisting of the 10th and 15th Hussars, Central India Horse and the 3rd Bengal Cavalry. On 31 May 1881 he finished his term of command and went on half pay. In the autumn he went to Italy to report on the cavalry there, and afterwards, on 3 April 1883 he was appointed Inspector of Auxiliary Cavalry at York. He was promoted to major-general in Jan 1890 and from 1891 commanded the Curragh District. He was appointed Colonel of the 10th Hussars on 20 March 1901 and held that post until 21 Nov 1912.
On 24 July 1878 he married Lady Anne Fitzalan-Howard, daughter of the 14th Duke of Norfolk. They had 2 sons and 4 daughters. The eldest son Philip Henry became the 11th Marquess of Lothian. Lord Kerr lived at Woodburn, Dalkeith and was the principal lay member in the congregation of St David’s Roman Catholic Chapel at Eskbank, Dalkeith for 20 years. He died at his home on 18 September 1916 and the funeral took place at St David’s. The photo shows him in the undress patrol jacket of the 10th Hussars in 1880.

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