Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Sir Alexander James Hardy Elliot, (23 February 1825 – 1 July 1909) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer who became Commander-in-Chief, Scotland.

Military career

Born the son of Admiral Sir George Elliot, Elloit was commissioned as a cavalry officer on 22 February 1843. He was promoted to

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

in the

9th Queen's Royal Lancers The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but wa ...

on 18 July 1848 and to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the

5th Dragoon Guards The 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially formed in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse. Following a number of name changes, it became the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) ...

on 14 June 1850. He served as aide-de-camp to General Sir James Scarlett, Commander of the

Heavy Brigade A heavy brigade is a formation made up from 'Heavy' Cavalry; i.e. Dragoon Guards and Dragoons. The Heavy Brigade was a British heavy cavalry unit commanded by General Sir James York Scarlett at the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. The Br ...

, at the Battle of Balaclava in October 1854 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. He went on to command the troops in the North British District in 1885 and retired in 1888. He was Colonel of the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiners) from 1892 to 1902, when he transferred to become Colonel of the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers, serving as such until his death in 1909.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot, Alexander British Army major generals 1825 births 1909 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath 5th Dragoon Guards officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War 9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers