Born on 26 July 1881, in Bangor, North Down, Northern Ireland, Edward Barry Stewart Bingham – a son of Lord Clanmorris – rode a few times under rules before WW1, winning the 1911 Kildare Cup at Punchestown on Lord Charles.
His brother, John Denis Yelverton Bingham (1880 - 1978) rode in England and won a number of races over the jumps.
Edward joined the Navy straight after leaving school: at the outbreak of war, he was commanding HMS Invincible and fighting at the battle of the Falklands in December 1914.
On May 31, 1916, commanding a destroyer division at the battle of Jutland off the Danish coast against German cruisers and destroyers, Edward ordered two ships to within 3,000 yards of the enemy fleet so that he could deploy his torpedoes. Bingham’s ship – HMS Nestor – was crippled as they attacked and a German cruisermoved in for the kill.
Nestor’s guns, however, were still okay and kept the enemy at bay before Edward gave the order to abandon ship. As his crew launched the lifeboats, Edward carried out the drill for sinking ships: he ditched all charts and confidential papers.
He and his crew were plucked from the sea by a German cruiser and remained prisoners of war until 1918.
For his actions in saving so many lives, Edward was awarded the Victoria Cross, one of the very few given to the Navy.
He remained in the Navy after the war, rising through the ranks to Rear Admiral. He retired in 1932 and, before he died in 1939, was awarded the OBE.
His second brother, Richard Gerald Ava Bingham (1896 - 1918) was killed in action on 10 October 1918, aged 22.
