Born in Exeter where his father and grandfather were distinguished surgeons. Educated at Christ’s Hospital. He began his professional life as a clerk in Lloyd's Shipping Office but at the age of 17 he entered the Royal Navy as assistant clerk. He remained in the Navy throughout his working life rising to the rank of Paymaster, before his health failed and he was invalided out in 1905. De la Garde had an interest in Natural History and particularly entomology from his youth. Initially he worked on the Lepidoptera, but as his duties took him on more and more trips around the world, and as his collections grew, he gravitated to the Coleoptera, with, as second favourite, the Hemiptera. Following his retirement from the Navy de la Garde spent much of his time convalescing at different locations in Devon with his mother. Localities were chosen specifically for their entomological interest with the result that he gained an extensive knowledge of the Devon fauna. J.H.Keys, who had himself devoted considerable attention to Devon beetles and who often collected with him, wrote in his obituary of de la Garde in EMM.,49, 1913, pp.161-162, that he exchanged with the same Museum 120 beetles from various localities (1906.88). Specimens of Ceutorhynchus parvulus Brisout collected by him at Bramton were given to the NHM by E.A. Newbery in 1908 (1908.221). The Nottingham Natural History Museum database includes 110 records of Coleoptera from various Devon localities, 1906-12 (Information from Michael Cooper).FES from 1892. Apart from the obituary mentioned above there is another in ERJV., 25, 1913, p.205. (MD 6/02)
Dates
1868 - 12 May 1913