Blog

On 18^th June 1815, two armies battled in muddy Belgian fields. The Duke of Wellington with the allied British army and Napoleon with the seemingly unstoppable Imperial Guard. Outnumbered, the British forces fought fiercely for their country. Their victory at the Battle of Waterloo represents one of the bloodiest battles in British military history and also one of our most celebrated strategic victories.

3rd Earl of Harewood painted by Francis Grant

The 3^rd Earl of Harewood, Henry Lascelles, was an Ensign, a junior rank of commissioned officer, in the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards and he found himself at the historic battle. Although we don’t know much about his involvement, we know he was injured on 18^th June 1815 and that he received a medal for his part in the events of that day.

6th Earl of Harewood by John St Helier Lander

Almost a century later Europe was plunged into the next brutal chapter of conflict with the outbreak of World War One. It was in France, on the 18^th June 1915, that the 6^th Earl of Harewood, Henry Lascelles, was wounded in battle. A truly amazing coincidence that members of the same family should be injured exactly 100 years apart in two of the most significant wars ever fought in Europe! Henry Lascelles later married to the King’s only daughter, Princess Mary, in 1922 bringing Harewood into the Royal household. They moved to Harewood House in 1929 where they lived for many years raising their family in Yorkshire.

7th Earl of Harewood in WW2 uniform

The 7^th Earl of Harewood, George Lascelles, was the next member of the family to be drawn into a European war. World War Two saw the highest loss of life in any conflict. On the 18^th June 1944, George Lascelles was injured and captured in France. The irony was not lost on him; in his autobiography, The Tongs and the Bones he wrote, “We were the three Earls of Harewood who saw active service in the ninetieth and twentieth centuries and the coincidence is at least odd.”

What are the odds?

The odds of such a fascinating coincidence happening are long! For the statisticians among us, the chances of all three Earls being wounded in each war on the 18^th June is 1 in 1.472 million. You’re 49 times more likely to get struck by lightning!

Harewood is home to portraits of all three Earls which are hung in the State Dining Room along with the Napoleonic medal received by the 3^rd Earl. Visitors can see each figure represented in their military uniforms and learn about who these men were and how they influenced Harewood.

Explore the rooms in the House on our website.

Notes:

Odds calculated that the three Earls would be injured on the same date by:

Firstly, using the total number of people that fought in each war vs the total number of people who were injured/killed in each war – the odds that any solider would be injured or killed in each war were calculated.

Secondly, the likelihood of this injury occurring on the 18th June within each war was calculated.

Finally, the two sets of odds were combined to produce the 1 in 1.472 million chance of three people being injured on the same date in a war.

NB: The likeliness that people from the same family would be injured could not be easily calculated without significant research.

Lightening: according to The Improbability Principle by David Hand, the odds of being killed by lighting in 1 in 300,000.

The final of the Lady Shot of the Year competition will take place on the Saturday of this year’s CLA Game Fair, to be held at Harewood House in Yorkshire from Friday 31 July until Sunday 2 August.

Organised and run by the Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club, the inclusive ladies shooting club set up in 2012 to encourage more women to take up shooting, the Lady Shot of the Year final will be the culmination of a range of qualifying heats taking place on Saturday 27 June which have attracted a wide range of entries of all shooting skill levels from around the country. The qualifying heats, which are still open for entrants, will take place at 23 venues around the country and cost £35 for coaching and 30 cartridges.

The top three scorers in beginners, intermediate and advanced categories in the qualifying heats will then be invited to shoot in the final of the competition, a 30-bird sporting layout over a range of stands. The winner will receive a Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club tweed blazer and other prizes are being donated by Fur, Feather and Fin, the Sussex based country and shooting clothing and gift store.

The Lady Shot of the Year competition will also be raising funds for Victoria’s Promise, a charity set up in memory of Victoria Van Der Westhuizen who lost her battle with cancer in 2014. Victoria’s Promise provides support to women between the ages of 18-40 who have received a cancer diagnosis and works closely and in depth with each woman it supports to ensure their needs are met.

The charity provides a range of holistic services, including specialist reflexology and chemotherapy beauticians, to help women with cancer navigate the path through debilitating treatments and make their journey as stress free, manageable and successful as possible.

A fund raising raffle for Victoria’s Promise will be held over the three days of the CLA Game Fair on the Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club stand on Gunmakers’ Row with a prize of a limited edition Sage “Grace” pink fly fishing rod and reel provided by Stan Conway, the renowned fly caster.

A range of other prizes are also on offer, including a fly fishing day for two with Stan on the world famous River Test in Hampshire, and a range of Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club goodies.

Victoria Knowles-Lacks, founder of the Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club, commented: “I am delighted that the final of the Lady Shot of the Year competition is taking place at the CLA Game Fair and that we will also be raising money for Victoria’s Promise, which is an extremely worthwhile charity. The final is likely to be hard fought but, as with all of our events, immensely good fun and I can’t wait to see it unfold!”

Fiona Eastman, mother of Victoria and a founding member of Victoria’s Promise, added: “The funds raised through the raffle being held on the Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club stand and the raised awareness of our work will be invaluable in our mission to see that every women between the ages of 18-40 receives the care support and guidance they deserve whilst facing a difficult and frightening time in their young lives.”

For more details, visit www.gamefair.co.uk.

The CLA Game Fair, to be held at Harewood House in Yorkshire from Friday 31 July until Sunday 2 August, has announced that the Saturday of the event will be themed as Ladies Day. This will enable female visitors to cut a dash by dressing up for the occasion as well as being able to take advantage of a range of generous events, discounts and promotions available throughout the show.

A major element of the CLA Game Fair Ladies Day is the Best Dressed Lady competition run in conjunction with La Di Da magazine, the popular high society magazine for the North East and North Yorkshire which is renowned for taking fashion very seriously.

La Di Da will be sending scouts around the show on the Saturday morning to select and invite fine and fabulous ladies dressed with flair and style to enter the competition which will be judged on the Welligogs stand. As prize partner Welligogs will donate a British Tweed Jacket worth £350 plus the CLA Game Fair is donating a pair of adult entry tickets to the 2016 show. In addition La Di Da will be giving a second prize of a year’s subscription to their glossy magazine.

The CLA Game Fair is renowned for promoting shooting and for ladies wanting to try their hand with a shotgun a 25% discount voucher for the have-a-go clay shooting feature will be sent out with forthcoming CLA Game Fair e-newsletters. Sign up on the CLA Game Fair website to receive these newsletters incorporating this fantastic discount! Ladies may also be interested in cheering on competitors in the final of the Lady Shot of the Year competition run in conjunction with the Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club, which was set up to encourage more ladies to take up shooting. The culmination of heats around the country the competition is sure to be hard fought and extremely exciting.

Additional discounts and promotions specifically for lady visitors will also be available throughout the CLA Game Fair with many exhibitors offering some unbeatable offers. Look out for these as you browse the show.

Tony Wall, CLA Game Fair Director, commented: “Ladies Days are a well known part of events around the country such as the Cheltenham Festival and Henley Regatta and are enormously popular. What better way to reward our CLA Game Fair lady visitors with a day offering them this fantastic array of events and promotions. So grab your hat and dress to impress at the Celebration of the Great British Countryside!”

For more details, visit www.gamefair.co.uk.

The early bird discount for the Brownlee Tri will expire on Sunday 31st May at midnight. Entrants have limited time to take advantage of the 10% discount off the standard entry fee.

Returning to Harewood House in Leeds on Saturday 26th September, the 2015 Brownlee Tri offers Sprint and Super Sprint distances for individuals and a Sprint or Corporate Challenge relay for teams, around the spectacular Harewood Estate. This year’s route includes a fantastic open water swim with pontoon entry and exit, a traffic-free closed road cycle and a new off-road run, covering trails that the Brownlee brothers train on.

In addition to taking part, the Brownlee Tri boasts a packed entertainment village for competitors and spectators to enjoy, including activities, refreshments, music and retail.

Don’t miss out on the 10% discount and sign up now here – www.brownleetri.com

The route for the 2015 Brownlee Tri has now been confirmed, taking in the beautiful landscape of Yorkshire on closed roads before a new run route around the Harewood Estate.

Pontoon confirmed for swim entry and exit!

We’ve taken on board your feedback from last year and have introduced a pontoon for the swim. The pontoon will take you out to the deep water for the start of the Brownlee Tri and also provide a ramp to swim onto for exiting the lake! This will further enhance your experience of Alistair and Jonny’s thrilling event.

View the full route maps and elevation profiles on our website – CLICK HERE

ENTER HERE – 10% OFF
Swim Route
Taking advantage of the new pontoon, the swim route starts out in the deep water. The out-and-back anti-clockwise route finishes behind the start pontoon, with a finish ramp and volunteers to help you on your way to transition.

Bike Route
Our exciting traffic-free cycle route remains unchanged having received great praise from last year’s competitors. A scenic anti-clockwise loop past the House and through the Deer Park with views across Yorkshire’s beautiful countryside. Plus, cycle on the same routes as used in the 2014 Tour de France!

Run Route
A new and exciting off-road run challenge, passing alongside the waterfalls of Eccup Beck, heading within earshot of Emmerdale, and returning past the lake with a finish in front of Harewood House.

Many thanks,
The Brownlee Tri Team