He was the youngest child and only son of John Birkbeck Evelyn Stansfeld (1846–1911), Rector of Preston, and his wife Marie Agnes Barrenger.

His cousin, was John Stansfeld (1840–1928) of Field House, Sowerby, and Dunninald Castle, Montrose.

[5][6] Stansfeld entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, after successfully passing the infantry Competitive Examination in 1898.

[7] At Sandhurst he won the heavyweight boxing championship and captained the football team; he passed out in June 1899 having been awarded the Sword of Honour.

[5] Four months later he was gazetted into the 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders as 2nd Lieutenant succeeding Matthew Fontaine Maury Meiklejohn.

[8] He received orders to immediately join the battalion in the Boer War in South Africa who were then at the front in Natal.

[9][4][10] He served in the Boer War in South Africa (1899–1902),[11][4] and was present at the Relief of Ladysmith, Colneso, Tugela Heights, and the Battle of Spion Kop.

At Spion Kop, he helped wounded soldiers while under fire, for which he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1900.

[13] Stansfeld later served in India and Egypt (1910–14), at Sialkot, Peshawar, Calcutta and Cawnpore, and participated in the Delhi Durbar (1911), before returning to Europe in 1914.

We returned to breakfast, and had the Xmas tree on the table, and with that coffee, quaker oats and eggs and bacon, and ration jam (a curious mixture of tea-leaves and turnips).

One man made a horrible face and slunk off like a frightened wolf – and started to run to his trench.

Walter Robberds, The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Bishop of Brechin officiated.

After a eulogy, the service concluded with the organ and orchestra playing Chopin's Funeral March, singing of God Save the King (the National Anthem), and cornets intoning The Last Post.

They had one son, Captain John de Bourbel Stansfeld, MC (1905–57) of Dunninald Castle, Scotland.