Major General Sir George John Younghusband, (9 July 1859 – 30 September 1944) was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

officer and major-general in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

. Younghusband was commissioned into the

17th Foot The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both ...

in 1878. He later transferred to the British Indian Army's Guides Cavalry and served in several conflicts, including the Second Afghan War, the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...

, the

Third Burmese War The Third Anglo-Burmese War ( my, တတိယ အင်္ဂလိပ် – မြန်မာစစ်, Tatiya Anggalip–Mran cac), also known as the Third Burma War, took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance conti ...

, the Second Boer War and finally in the First World War. Due to wounds received on the battlefield, he was forced to retire from the army in 1917. In his later life he became a noted author of several books, and the

Keeper of the Jewel House The Master of the Jewel Office was a position in the Royal Households of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. The office holder was responsible for running the Jewel House The Jewel House is a vault housing the British C ...

at the Tower of London, until his death on 30 September 1944, at Crickhowell in Wales.

Early life

George John Younghusband was born on 9 July 1859, at Dharamshala in India, the eldest son of Major-General

John William Younghusband John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and Clara Jane Shaw, and the elder brother of Francis Younghusband. He was educated at Clifton College 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 infantry a ...

. In May 1878, after graduating as the Queen's (India) Cadet, he was commissioned, as a second-lieutenant, into the

, on probation for the India Staff Corps. He fought in the Second Afghan War and was promoted to lieutenant on 15 March 1880, before transferring to the India Staff Corps, in October 1883.

Indian Army

After joining the Indian Army he was involved in several conflicts in a short period of time. The 1885

, operations on the North West Frontier in 1886, and in the

. His next promotion came on 1 May 1889, when he was 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 ...

. Six years later, in 1895, he was

mentioned in dispatches 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 ...

, while serving as the Brigade Major for the 4th Brigade, part of the

Chitral Relief Force The Chitral Expedition (Urdu:چترال فوجی مہم) was a military expedition in 1895 sent by the British authorities to relieve the fort at Chitral, which was under siege after a local coup following the death of the old ruler. An interv ...

. He was further recognized by promotion to

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

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 ...

in January 1896. The following year, he was on 22 January 1897 appointed to a staff position as deputy assistant adjutant-general in

Sirhind Sirhind-Fategarh is a town and a municipal council in the Fatehgarh Sahib district in the Indian state of Punjab. Demographics In the 2011 census Sirhind-Fatehgarh had a population of 60852. Males constituted 54% of the population and female ...

, under the Punjab Command. In 1898 he was appointed as a military observer during the Spanish–American War in the Philippines, and in May that year promoted to substantive major.

Command

Memorial to George Younghusband, St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh

Younghusband's first command came during the Second Boer War, when he was promoted to temporary lieutenant-colonel and

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the 3rd Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry, on 20 January 1900. The battalion comprised the 9th (Yorkshire (Doncaster)), 10th (Sherwood Rangers), 11th (Yorkshire Dragoons) and 12th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars) Companies, all recruited by Yeomanry regiments in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.IY Companies at Roll of Honour.
/ref> He left Liverpool with the battalion on board SS ''Winifredian'' in late January 1900, arriving in South Africa the following month. While commanding the battalion he was

in 1901. The same year he received a

promotion to lieutenant-colonel and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). Younghusband left the 3rd to command the 26th (Younghusband's Horse) Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry, in December 1901. This battalion comprised the newly-raised 119th–122nd Companies. He was again mentioned in dispatches in June the following year. He was wounded, and in late May 1902 left South Africa on the ''

SS Roslin Castle SS is an abbreviation for ''Schutzstaffel'', a paramilitary organisation in Nazi Germany. SS, Ss, or similar may also refer to: Places *Guangdong Experimental High School (''Sheng Shi'' or ''Saang Sat''), China *Province of Sassari, Italy (vehi ...

'' which arrived at Southampton the following month. He relinquished the command of the 26th battalion on 30 August 1902. After that war he was promoted to colonel in April 1905. He was then involved in the Mohmand expedition of 1908. Then in February 1909, was promoted to temporary

brigadier-general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

while serving on the General Staff. In 1909, he became commander of the

Fyzabad Brigade The 8th (Lucknow) Division was a formation of the British Indian Army's Northern Army that was first formed as a result of the British Indian Army#Kitchener reforms, Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903. The Division remained in British ...

, part of the

8th (Lucknow) Division The 8th (Lucknow) Division was a formation of the British Indian Army's Northern Army that was first formed as a result of the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903. The Division remained in India on internal security duties during World ...

, and the

Derajat Brigade The Derajat Brigade was formed after the 1903 reforms of the British Indian Army by Herbert Kitchener when he was Commander-in-Chief, India. The brigade was part of the Northern Army and deployed along the North West Frontier. The Derajat Brigade ...

from 1911. The same year he was promoted to major-general. He was still in command, when appointed a Knight Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(KCMG) in 1913. In the First World War, Younghusband was given command of the

28th Indian Brigade The 28th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. Formed in October 1914, it defended the Suez Canal in early 1915, ended the Ottoman threat to A ...

, part of the

10th Indian Division The 10th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army during World War I. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914 with three infantry brigades of Indian Expeditionary Force F. After taking part in the Actions on the Sue ...

. They were initially deployed to defend the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

. Until 1916, when the brigade was sent to take part in the defence of Aden. It then moved to Basra to participate in the

Mesopotamia Campaign The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from Britain, Australia and the vast majority from British India, against the Central Po ...

. During the subsequent operation Younghusband was again mentioned in dispatches. His last command position was in 1916, as commander of the

7th (Meerut) Division The 7th (Meerut) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service during World War I. Pre-1857 The Meerut Division first appeared in the Indian Army List in 1829, under the command of Sir Jasper Nicolls, ...

, still in Mesopotamia, but he was forced to relinquish that position due to wounds received.

Family and later life

In March 1917, King George V appointed Younghusband as the

at the Tower of London. Then in April 1919, the King approved his retirement from the army. He was not entirely finished with the army however and in January 1928, he was appointed the Regimental Colonel of the

10th Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army which was raised in 1846 as The Corps of Guides. During more than a hundred and fifty years of military service, the regiment has earned the reputation of one of ...

and of the 5th Battalion, (Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides)

12th Frontier Force Regiment The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...

. His son Brigadier

George Edward Younghusband George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

, of the

3rd The King's Own Hussars The 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and the Second World Wars, before being amalgamated with the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, to ...

, served with the 2nd Armoured Division during the Second World War. George John Younghusband died on 30 September 1944, aged eighty-five, at Crickhowell in Wales.

Notable works

* ''The Crown Jewels of England'' (1919) * ''Eighteen Hundred Miles on a Burmese Pony'' *
Forty Years a Soldier
' (1923) *

' (1898) * ''The Jewel House'' (1920) * ''A Short History of the Tower of London'' (1926) * ''The Philippines and Round About, with some Account of British Interests in these Waters'' * ''Polo in India'' * ''The Queen's Commission'' *
The Relief of Chitral
' (1895) *

' (1917) *

' (1908) * ''The Tower from Within'' (1918) * ''Exploits of Asaf Khan'' (introduction)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Younghusband George 1859 births 1944 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Royal Leicestershire Regiment officers British Indian Army officers Indian Army cavalry generals of World War I British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War British military personnel of the Mahdist War British military personnel of the Second Boer War British military personnel of the Chitral Expedition British military personnel of the Malakand Frontier War British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Burmese War Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Masters of the Jewel Office George Military personnel of British India