George Thomas Colomb (4 June 1787 – 20 March 1874) was a British Army general and a talented amateur artist. He was born in Twickenham, London, the son of Swiss émigré Pierre Philippe Colomb (1744–1799) and his wife Maria Elizabeth Burchell (1746–1828). He joined the British Army in 1808 as an ensign in the 96th Regiment of Foot. He served on the staff in America in 1814/15 and was promoted to major in 1817 and lieutenant-colonel in 1841. By that time he was living in Dublin and exhibited several of his paintings at the

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...

. From then on, he was almost an annual exhibitor until 1868 and elected an Honorary Member of the Academy in 1854. In 1843 he was appointed Commandant of the

Royal Hibernian Military School The Royal Hibernian Military School was founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1769, to educate orphaned children of members of the British armed forces in Ireland. In 1922 the Royal Hibernian Military School moved to Shorncliffe, in Folkestone, Kent, a ...

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...

, a position he vacated when promoted major-general in 1858. From 1869 to his death, he was colonel of the

97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot The 97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1824 and amalgamated into the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) in 1881. History Raising In 1823 and 1824 the size of the British Ar ...

. He was promoted full general on 7 February 1874. In 1820, he married Mary, the daughter of Sir Abraham Bradley King, 1st Baronet, with whom he had four sons and three daughters. His eldest son, George Halton Colomb, was a colonel in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

and also a competent amateur painter. His third son was Vice-Admiral

Philip Howard Colomb Vice-Admiral Philip Howard Colomb, RN (29 May 1831 – 13 October 1899). Born in Knockbrex, near Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, he was a Royal Navy officer, historian, critic and inventor. He was the son of General ...

and the fourth Sir John Charles Ready Colomb, naval strategist and M.P. He died in Dalkey, Dublin, in 1874.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colomb, George Thomas 1787 births 1874 deaths People from Twickenham British Army generals 96th Regiment of Foot officers Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment officers British Army personnel of the War of 1812 Military personnel from London