Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Sir Charles Comyn Egerton (10 November 1848 – 20 February 1921) was a senior

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

officer from the

Egerton family The Egerton family (pronunciation: "''edge-er-ton''") is a British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Egerton family were made Dukes, Earls, knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Egerton family include t ...

. Early in his career he took part in the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

, the

Hazara Expedition The Hazara Expedition of 1888, also known as the Black Mountain Expedition or the First Hazara Expedition, was a military campaign by the British against the tribes of Kala Dhaka (then known as the Black Mountains of Hazara) in the Hazara regio ...

and operations in the

Khyber Pass The Khyber Pass (خیبر درہ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing p ...

. He went on to command the Bannu column during operations in

Waziristan Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...

in 1894 and to serve as senior staff officer for the Tochi Expedition in 1897. Egerton took command of the troops in

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Somalia, French So ...

fighting the Dervish leader Sayid Abdullah Hassan in June 1903; he had a significant success at Jidbali in January 1904 killing 1,000 of Hassan's men. His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding

Secunderabad Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), is a twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South Central Railway ...

District in 1904 before retiring in 1907.

Military career

Born the third son of Major-General

Caledon Egerton Major-General Caledon Richard Egerton (28 July 1814 – 27 May 1874) was a senior British Army officer from the Egerton family who went on to be Military Secretary. Military career Egerton was commissioned into the 89th Regiment of Foot. He w ...

and Margaret Egerton (née Cumming) and educated at

Rossall School Rossall School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) for 0–18 year olds, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was fou ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

, Egerton was commissioned into the

31st Regiment of Foot The 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot to form the East Surrey Regiment in 1881. History Origins ...

on 9 June 1867. He immediately transferred to the

76th Regiment of Foot The 76th Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment to form the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1881. History Formation The regiment ...

in India.Heathcote, p. 115 Promoted to lieutenant on 19 October 1869, he joined the Indian Staff Corps on 11 December 1872 before being promoted to

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 8 June 1879 on appointment to a squadron in the 3rd Punjab Cavalry. Egerton served with his regiment in the

in 1879 and was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He became Assistant Adjutant-General of the Punjab Frontier Force on 30 November 1886 and, having been promoted to major on 8 June 1887, he took part in the

in 1888 and in operations in the

in 1891 for which he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(DSO) on 30 May 1891. 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 colon ...

on 1 September 1891, he became Second-in-Command of his regiment in 1892 and commanded the Bannu column during operations in

in 1894 before becoming Assistant Quartermaster-General at Bengal Command on 21 June 1895. He was appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregiv ...

(CB) and then promoted 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 ...

on 1 September 1895. Egerton commanded a contingent of troops sent to

Suakin Suakin or Sawakin ( ar, سواكن, Sawákin, Beja: ''Oosook'') is a port city in northeastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about north. Suakin used to b ...

in 1896 to hold the town when its permanent garrison was withdrawn for service under Lord Kitchener following which he became an aide-de-camp to

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

on 17 November 1896. He was senior staff officer and Commander of the 1st Brigade for the Tochi Expedition in 1897 before becoming Commander-in-Chief Punjab Command with local promotion 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 1 April 1899. He was promoted to the local rank of

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 th ...

on 3 April 1900, and reverted to his command of the Frontier Force in October 1901 when his command in Punjab ended. A promotion to the substantive rank of major-general followed on 1 April 1902 and, after leading an expedition to Waziristan later that year, he was advanced to

Knight Commander 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 ...

(KCB) on 1 January 1903. Egerton took command of the troops in

fighting the Dervishes led by

Mohammed Abdullah Hassan Sayid Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan ( so, Sayid Maxamed Cabdulle Xasan; 1856–1920) was a Somali religious and military leader of the Dervish movement, which led a two-decade long confrontation with various colonial empires including the British, ...

on 27 June 1903. Promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant general on 28 October 1903, he became Commander-in-Chief

Madras Command Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. He had a significant success at Jidbali in January 1904 killing 1,000 of Hassan's men. However in March 1904 questions were still being asked in the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

as to whether Hassan (then known as the "Mad Mullah") understood that operations would only end when he was captured or killed. Taleh Castle

Egerton became colonel of the 23rd Punjab Cavalry (Frontier Force) in 1904.Heathcote, p. 116 He was advanced to

Knight Grand Cross of the 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 one ...

(GCB) on 24 June 1904 and promoted to full general on 28 October 1906. After retiring on 5 February 1907, he became a member of the

Council of India The Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India. The original Council of India was established by the Charter Act of 1833 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governo ...

from which post he stood down in 1917. In recognition of his long service he was promoted to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

on 16 March 1917. In retirement Egerton wrote about his wartime experiences and was the author of a book entitled "Hill Warfare on the North-West frontier of India". He died on 20 February 1921 and was buried at St Mark's Churchyard at

Highcliffe Highcliffe-on-Sea (usually simply Highcliffe) is a seaside town in Dorset in England, administered since April 2019 as part of the unitary authority of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. It forms part of the South East Dorset conurbation alo ...

Military career

Family

References

Sources

Further reading