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 ...

Sir Charles Tucker, (6 December 1838 – 22 December 1935) 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 during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Early life and family

Tucker was born at The Hall, Ashburton, Devon, son of Robert Tucker, and was educated at Marlborough College. He married first, in 1865, Matilda Frederica Hayter (died 1897), daughter of John Hayter, Painter-in-Ordinary to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

, and secondly, in 1902, Nelly O'Connell, only daughter of Sir Maurice O'Connell, 2nd Bt.

Military career

Commissioned into the

22nd Foot The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...

in 1855, in November 1860 Tucker transferred to the 80th Staffordshire volunteers, with whom he served in the Bhutan expedition (1865) and the Perak War (1875). He first came to prominence during the

Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coup ...

when, as a major, he commanded the Fort at Kopje Allein in 1879. Later that year he commanded the 80th Regiment in operations against the Zulus, and was promoted lieutenant-colonel and appointed a companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB). From 1891 he served in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

. He was promoted major-general in 1893 and in 1895 left Natal for India, where he commanded the Secunderabad district, until the end of 1899. In December 1899, following the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

, Tucker was ordered by the commander-in-chief of forces in South Africa, Lord Roberts, to take command of the 7th division, participating in the

relief of Kimberley The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to tr ...

and the advance on

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...

. After the fall of

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

he commanded the garrison in the city. He then led a force based on Bloemfontein, guarding the lines of communication, until he left South Africa in March 1902. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the

(KCB) in November 1900, in recognition of his services in South Africa, and invested as such by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

on 13 May 1902, after his return to the UK. In his final despatch from South Africa in June 1902, Lord Kitchener, Commander-in-Chief of the forces during the latter part of the war, described Tucker as an officer who ''"has never feared responsibility, or failed in giving emphatic pronouncement to the good common-sense of which he is possessed".'' Tucker returned to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

with his new wife in June 1902, but the war had now ended with the

Peace of Vereeniging The Treaty of Vereeniging was a peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the Second Boer War between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the United Kingdom on the other. This settlement provided f ...

, and he left the following month from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

on the SS ''Canada'', arriving at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in late July. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in the South Africa Honours list published on 26 June 1902, and two months later commanded the Colonial forces present in London during the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

of King

. He became General Officer Commanding Scottish District in 1903 and, subsequently, the first General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for

Scottish Command Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is a command of the British Army. History Early history Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. The Scottish District was comman ...

in 1905, before retiring later that year. He spent much of his retirement at Biarritz, France, where he died on 22 December 1935, aged 97. He was buried at Ashburton, Devon. He was also

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 o ...

of the

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. ...

(1909–1911) and of the

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot an ...

(1911–1935).

Decorations

Most Honourable Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...

* CB - Companion – ''1879''. * KCB - Knight Commander – ''29 November 1900''. ''In recognition of services in connection with the Campaign in South Africa 1899-1900''. * GCB - Knight Grand Cross – ''1912''.

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

* GCVO - Knight Grand Cross – ''1905''. Tucker's decorations are held by the Staffordshire Regiment Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Charles 1838 births 1935 deaths People from Ashburton, Devon People educated at Marlborough College British Army generals British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Cheshire Regiment officers South Staffordshire Regiment officers Military personnel from Devon