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Major-General Sir Henry Edward Colvile, (10 July 1852 – 25 November 1907) was an English soldier.
Biography
Colvile was born at
Kirkby
Kirkby ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. The town, historically in Lancashire, has a size of is north of Huyton and north-east of Liverpool. The population in 2016 was 41,495 making it the largest ...
Hall, Leicestershire, the son of Charles Robert Colvile and Hon. Katherine Sarah Georgina Russell.
Colvile was educated at
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England.
Eton may also refer to:
Places
*Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England
* Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States
* Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
, and entered the
Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
in 1870. He was appointed A.D.C. to General the Hon. Sir
Leicester Smyth
Lieutenant General Hon. Sir Leicester Smyth (born Curzon-Howe; 25 October 1829 – 27 January 1891) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Gibraltar.
Early life and education
Smyth was the seven ...
, commanding the forces in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, in 1880. He served on the Intelligence Department of the
Suakin Expedition of 1884, was present at the
Battles of El Teb
The First and Second Battles of El Teb (4 February 1884 and 29 February 1884) took place during the British Sudan Campaign where a force of Sudanese under Osman Digna won a victory over a 3,500 strong Egyptian force under the command of Gener ...
and the
Battle of Tamai, mentioned in despatches, and received the
bronze star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
, medal, and clasp. He was employed on special service in the
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
prior to the Nile Expedition of 1884–85, and during that Expedition served as D.A.A.G. ; was mentioned in despatches ; received the clasp, and was created C.B. At the close of the Expedition he was Chief of the Intelligence Department of the Frontier Force ; was present at the
Battle of Ginnis; was mentioned in despatches, and was promoted to the rank of
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 ...
. He was then attached to the Intelligence Department at headquarters, and wrote the official history of the
Sudan Campaign
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 ...
.
Colvile was the author of a plan, dated 1892, for a military expedition to
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...
. However, a settlement was reached between the British and the Egba state without the use of military force. The plan is now held at
Derbyshire Record Office
The Derbyshire Record Office, established in 1962, is the county record office for Derbyshire, England. It holds archives and local studies material for the County of Derbyshire and the City of Derby and Diocese of Derby. It is situated in Matl ...
among the Colvile family archives (collection D461).
In 1893 he succeeded the late Sir
Gerald Portal
Sir Gerald Herbert Portal (13 March 1858 – 25 January 1894) was a British diplomat who was the Consul General for British East Africa and British Special Commissioner to Uganda, and a main figure in the establishment of the Uganda Protec ...
as Commissioner (Acting) for Uganda, commanded the
Unyoro Expedition, which resulted in the inclusion of that country into the Protectorate ; received the
Central Africa Medal
The Central Africa Medal was a British campaign medal awarded for service from 1891–1894 in Eastern and Central Africa, and from 1894–1898 for service in British Central Africa.
Criteria
Award of the Central Africa Medal was approved by Quee ...
, was created 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), and received the second-class
Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar
The Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar (Wisam al-Kawkab al-Durri al-Zanzibari) is a decoration awarded by the Sultan of Zanzibar for meritorious services and since The Order of Independence was created in 1963 it is reserved for the persons r ...
. He was selected for promotion to the rank of
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 ...
, 12 April 1898.
Later, he became commander of the Infantry Brigade at
Gibraltar
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, anthem = " God Save the King"
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, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
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in early 1899.
He served in 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 Sout ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
1899–1900. During the early part of the war he commanded the
Guards Brigade, including during the
Battle of Modder River in November 1899. He took part in the
Battle of Magersfontein
The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, South Africa, on the borders of the Cape C ...
on 10–11 December 1899, in which the defending Boer force defeated the advancing British forces amongst heavy casualties for the latter. Colvile was mentioned in the despatch from
Lord Methuen describing the battle. The following year he was on 10 February 1900 appointed in command of the 9th Division, with 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 the ...
whilst so employed. However, in May 1900, while
Lord Roberts was closing in on Johannesburg, a
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army, British Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve, descended from volunteer British Cavalry, cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of ...
battalion under Colvile's command was cut off and forced to surrender, Colvile was made a scapegoat and sent home.
[Kruger, pp. 310–2.] He retired 1901.
Family
Colvile married, firstly, Alice Rosa Daly, daughter of Hon. Robert Daly and Hon. Cecilia Maria A'Court, on 6 August 1878. He married, secondly, on 30 December 1886, Zélie Isabelle Richaud de Préville daughter of Pierre Richaud de Préville and Georgiana Anne Mowbray (1828–1896). Their son, Gilbert de Préville Colvile (1887–1966) who lived in Kenya married Diana Caldwell (1913-1987), later the third wife of
Thomas Cholmondeley, 4th Baron Delamere
Captain Thomas Pitt Hamilton Cholmondeley, 4th Baron Delamere (; 19 August 1900 – 13 April 1979), styled The Honourable Thomas Cholmondeley from birth until 1931, was a British peer. Popularly known (from 1931) as Tom Delamere, he lived on an ...
.
Colvile died after his motorcycle collided with
Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson
General Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson, (20 February 1864 – 28 March 1925), known as Sir Henry Rawlinson, 2nd Baronet between 1895 and 1919, was a senior British Army officer in the First World War who commanded the Fourth Army ...
's car at Bisley.
Notes
Works
* ''A ride in petticoats and slippers: an account of a journey through Morocco'' (Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, London, 1884)
* ''The accursed land, or, first steps on the water-way of Edom'' (Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, London, 1884)
* ''History of the Sudan campaign'' (HMSO, London, 1889)
* ''The land of the Nile springs; being chiefly an account of how we fought Kabarega'' (Edward Arnold, London, 1895)
* ''The nick of time: a musical romance in 3 acts'' (Lamley & Co, London, 1896)
* ''The work of the 9th Division in South Africa, 1900'' (Edward Arnold, London, 1901)
* ''The ALLIES, ie England and Japan'' (Hutchinson & Co, London, 1907)
* ''Henry Charles Shelley, Colvile's Case'' (W Tarrant, London, 1901)
* ''The scapegoat: being a selection from a series of articles which have appeared in the review of the week on the case of Sir Henry Colvile'' (London, 1901)
References
* Rayne Kruger, ''Goodbye Dolly Gray: The Story of the Boer War'', London: Cassell, 1959/Pan 1974, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colvile, Henry Edward
1852 births
1907 deaths
Military personnel from Leicestershire
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
People from Hinckley and Bosworth (district)
People educated at Eton College
Grenadier Guards officers
British Army personnel of the Mahdist War
British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
British Army major generals
Road incident deaths in England
Motorcycle road incident deaths