Lieutenant-General Sir Henry George Grey GCB GCH (25 October 1766 – 11 January 1845) 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 who served as acting

Governor of Cape Colony This article lists the governors of British South African colonies, including the colonial prime ministers. It encompasses the period from 1797 to 1910, when present-day South Africa was divided into four British colonies namely: Cape Colony ...

Military career

Born the son of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey, (circa 23 October 1729 – 14 November 1807) was a British Army general in the 18th century and a scion of the noble House of Grey. He was a distinguished soldier in a generation of exceptionally capable military a ...

, Henry joined the

as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the 26th Regiment of Foot on 29 November 1779. He soon afterwards transferred to become a cornet in the 19th Dragoons. Grey served throughout this period as an aide de camp to his father at Plymouth, being promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 28 July 1781 in the

30th Regiment of Foot 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

and then transferring to the 17th Dragoons on 7 March the following year. He left his position with his father at the end of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

in 1783. As a lieutenant the majority of Grey's service was in Ireland, where for a while he was aide de camp to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Rutland. Grey was then promoted to captain on 31 May 1787, joining the 18th Dragoons for the purpose. When the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

began in 1793 Grey served with his father in the Flanders campaign, seeing action at the siege of Nieuwpoort. The general was then appointed Commander-in-Chief

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

, and he brought Grey with him, being promoted to brevet major on 23 October. He served as a deputy quartermaster general. As such Grey was present at the battle of Martinique in 1794, and was afterwards sent back to Britain with the dispatches from the battle. For this service he was promoted to brevet

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 colo ...

on 21 April. Still officially part of the 18th Dragoons, on 1 September 1795 he became a substantive major in the regiment but did not re-join it, instead continuing his staff career as an assistant quartermaster general in Britain. Grey was at some point soon after this given command of the 18th, and in September took the regiment to the West Indies as part of the expedition under

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 ...

Sir Ralph Abercromby Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was appointed Governor of Trinidad, served as Commander-in-Chief, Ir ...

. Grey spent his service in the West Indies in garrison on

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

, during which time on 20 October 1796 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 17th Dragoons. Grey returned to Britain with the 17th in April 1797. He was then promoted to brevet

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 ...

on 1 January the following year, and at the same time appointed aide de camp to

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. Promotion to major-general followed on 1 January 1805, and he served as a staff officer in Britain until 11 July 1806 when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope, being made a

local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

lieutenant-general for the purpose. During his tenure at the Cape, Grey served as acting

in 1807 and 1811. Having been promoted to substantive lieutenant-general on 4 June of the latter year, Grey returned to Britain in November, assuming command of a

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

. He continued in that post until the end of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, leaving it on 24 June 1814. On 30 December 1811 Grey was appointed

of the 13th Dragoons.

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Henry George British Army lieutenant generals 1766 births 1845 deaths Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath 13th Hussars officers 18th Royal Hussars officers 17th Lancers officers Younger sons of earls