George Nugent

1864 -1915

Amateur rider George Colborne Nugent was born on February 22, 1864, the son of Sir Edmund Charles Nugent, Bart., of West Harling Hall, Norfolk. He was educated at Eton and Sandhurst and joined the Grenadier Guards in 1882. In 1891 he married Isabel, daughter of General Sir Edward Gascoigne Bulwer.

George served in the South African (Boer War) of 1899-1902 as A.D.C. to Sir Henry Colville, and took part in the advance on Kimberley, including the actions at Belmont, Enslin, Modder River and Magersfontein, and at Poplar Grove and Dreifontein. He was mentioned in despatches three times and received the Queen’s medal.

He received his majority on the formation of the Irish Guards in 1900 and would go on to attain the rank of Brigadier-General before losing his life in World War One.

George was a relative latecomer to race-riding but nonetheless rode 96 winners over jumps during the first decade of the 20th century.

He rode for the first time under National Hunt rules in match race for the Galleywood Chase at Chelmsford on November 7, 1901. Despite the shortage of runners, it produced a thrilling finish in which George, riding a horse named Shifter, was narrowly denied a perfect start to his riding career, failing by just a head to overhaul the winner.

He did not have to wait long for his first win though, less than three weeks, this time being gifted a walkover on Poetaster for the Berks Handicap Chase at Maiden Erlegh on November 26, 1901.

His most successful year was in 1903 when he registered a score of 28 wins, placing him joint third in the amateur riders’ table and joint ninth in the overall NH jockeys’ table. His highlights that year included a treble on the opening day of Bungay’s two-day fixture on April 21, winning the Innkeepers’ Selling Handicap Hurdle on Descender, the Town Selling Chase on Jove, and the Earsham Handicap Chase on Golden Wedding. He won on Golden Wedding again the next day, those being two of five races the horse won for him that year, the other successes being at the North Warwickshire meeting at Leamington in March, at Eridge Hunt on Easter Monday, and at Wye in September.

In 1908 he was appointed as commander of the Irish Guards, which restricted the amount of time he was able to devote to racing. He retired on a winning note after guiding a horse named Pat M’Cann to victory in the Selling National Hunt Flat Race at Portsmouth Park on May 5, 1909.

From 1909 to 1913 he was in command of the regiment and the regimental district. He was promoted to Colonel in 1911. On the civilian front, he was a Justice of the Peace (J.P.) fort Norfolk.

He held a number of staff appointments, becoming commandant in July 1913 of the Duke of York’s Royal Military School, near Dover, holding that post until August 1914, when he was given the command of the 5th London Brigade. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General that same year.

With the First World War having begun, he left England in March 1915 to join the Expeditionary Force in France.

Sadly, Brigadier-General George Nugent was killed in action in France on May 31, 1915, aged 51. He left two sons, Lieutenant Guy Nugent, Adjutant, 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards, and Lieutenant Terrence Nugent, of the Irish Guards.