Sir William Gladstone, 7th Baronet | |
|---|---|
| Born | Erskine William Gladstone 29 October 1925 |
| Died | 29 March 2018 (aged 92) Hawarden Castle, Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales |
| Spouse(s) |
Rosamund Anne Hambro
(m. 1962–2018) |
| Issue | 3 |
| Father | Sir Charles Gladstone, 6th Baronet |
| Mother | Isla Margaret Crum |
| Occupation | Chief Scout |
 Arms of Sir William Gladstone | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd | |
| In office 1985–2001 | |
| Preceded by | James Ellis Evans |
| Succeeded by | Trefor Jones |
Sir Erskine William Gladstone of Fasque and Balfour, 7th Baronet, KG, JP, DL (29 October 1925 – 29 March 2018) was a teacher and an officer in the Royal Navy. The Scout Association appointed him as its Chief Scout from 1972 to 1982.
Gladstone was the son of Sir Charles Gladstone and Isla Margaret Gladstone (née Crum), and a great-grandson of the former prime minister, William Ewart Gladstone. He was educated at Eton, and joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1943 and saw action in World War II, mainly based on destroyers in the Indian Ocean. Upon leaving the navy (with the rank of lieutenant), he studied at Christ Church, Oxford and received an honours degree in history. He then entered the teaching profession, with positions at Shrewsbury and Eton, and he became head master of Lancing in 1961. He retired from the teaching profession in 1969.