General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

The Hon. Sir Augustus Almeric Spencer (25 March 1807 – 28 August 1893) 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 and a member of the

Spencer family The Spencer family is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. From the 16th century, its members have held numerous titles including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer, and the Churchill barony. Two prom ...

Military career

Born the third son of

Francis Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill Francis Almeric Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill DCL FRS (26 December 1779 – 10 March 1845) was a British peer and Whig politician from the Spencer family. Born Lord Francis Almeric Spencer, he was the second youngest of the 4th Duke of Marlbo ...

, Spencer was commissioned an Ensign into the 43rd Light Infantry on 8 April 1825. He was promoted 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 ...

on 5 July 1827,

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 6 April 1831 and

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 21 July 1843. Spencer was given command of the

44th Regiment of Foot The 44th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot to form the Essex Regiment in 1881. History Early history The regime ...

in 1845 and, having been promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 17 May 1854 and to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on 20 June 1854, he led that regiment at the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septemb ...

, at the

Battle of Inkerman The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain and Second French Empire, France against the Imperial Russian Empire, Russian Army. Th ...

and at the Siege of Sevastopol 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 became commander of a brigade at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

in 1856, and having been promoted to

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 ...

on 13 February 1860, he became General Officer Commanding a division of the

Madras Army The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government ...

in 1860 and General Officer Commanding Western District in the UK in 1866. Promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 9 May 1868, he went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the

Bombay Army The Bombay Army was the army of the Bombay Presidency, one of the three presidencies of Presidencies and provinces of British India, British India. It was established in 1662 and governed by the East India Company until the Government of India A ...

in 1869 before retiring in 1875. Following the death of General Arthur Simcoe Baynes on 13 September 1875, Spencer was promoted to brevet

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

the following day.

Family

In 1836 he married Helen Maria Campbell, second daughter of General Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet of New Brunswick. The couple had five daughters and a son: * Helen Frances Spencer, (b. 1843), married Col. Robert Spencer Liddell, son of Sir John Liddell, KCB, MD * Caroline Laura Spencer, (b. 1844) * Elizabeth Maria Spencer, (b. 1845) * Augusta Melita Spencer, (b. 1848), married firstly, Col. Sussex Vane Stephenson, and secondly, Rev. Edward Mallet Young * Lt.-Col. Augustus Campbell Spencer, (b. 1851), married Hilda Grant-Thorold, daughter of Alexander William Thorold Grant-Thorold * Georgina Caroline Spencer, (d. 24 April 1864) One of Spencer's grandsons was the Reverend

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Henry Spencer Stephenson Henry Spencer Stephenson (4 November 1871 – 4 June 1957) was a British minister and a member of the Spencer family. He served as Chaplain to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, participating in the coronation procession of Queen Elizabe ...

, Chaplain to

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. One of Spencer's great-grandsons, Richard Harry Ramsay Spencer, succeeded as Baron Churchill of Wychwood on 18 October 2017.

Awards

On 16 June 1856 Brigadier-General the Hon. Sir Augustus Almeric Spencer, commander of the 44th Regiment of Foot, was awarded the French Legion of

Honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of socia ...

that was reported in the Le Moniteur.

Death

Spencer died on 28 August 1893 and was buried at

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Estab ...

in London.

References

External links

Augustus Almeric Spencer on Find A Grave
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Augustus 1807 births 1893 deaths Military personnel from Oxfordshire British military personnel of the First Anglo-Burmese War People of the First Anglo-Burmese War History of Myanmar British Army generals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

Younger sons of barons