Henry St Clair Wilkins
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General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Henry St Clair Wilkins (3 December 1828 – 15 December 1896) was a British army officer who served the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
in India, Aden and later in Abyssinia. He was also a noted architect and is credited with having designed several buildings.


Biography

He was the son of George Wilkins,
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of
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and was born on 3 December 1828. After passing through the military college of the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
at
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he received a commission as lieutenant in the Bombay Engineers on 11 June 1847. He was promoted as captain in 1858, lieutenant-colonel in 1867, colonel in 1868, major-general in 1877, lieutenant-general in 1878 and finally as a general in 1882, when he retired. He served with the field force from
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
against the Arabs in 1858. He commanded the
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throughout the Abyssinian campaign of 1868, 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 ...
by Lord Napier of Magdala for his ‘invaluable and important services during the expedition. He was appointed aide-de-camp to
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, with the rank of
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in the army, and received the medal. An accomplished
draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...
and artist, Wilkins was employed in architectural and engineering works in the
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of
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, and his designs were remarkable for their fitness and beauty. Among them may be noted: * at Aden, the restoration of the ancient tanks in the Tawella Valley, dating from about 600 A.D.; * at
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, the Government and the Public Works Secretariats (he also won the first prize in a competition with his design for the European General Hospital). * at
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, the
Sassoon Hospital Sassoon General Hospital ( mr, ससून सर्वोपचार रुग्णालय) is a large state-run hospital in Pune, India with over 1500 beds. The B. J. Medical College, Pune and a Nurses training School is attached to it. ...
, the Deccan College, the
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, and the mausoleum of
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and other members of the
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. * at
Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...
, the palace (
Prag Mahal The Prag Mahal is a 19th-century palace located next to the Aina Mahal in Bhuj, Gujarat, India. History Prag Mahal is named after Rao Pragmalji II, who commissioned it and construction began in 1865.Rao of Kach.Bhuj: art, architecture, history by Azhar Tyabji, Environmental Planning Collaborative (Ahmadābād, India) - 2006 - Part 4 - Page 281 * at Bhejapur in
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, the restoration and adaptation of ancient buildings to the requirements of a new station.


Author

Wilkins published the following books:- * ‘Reconnoitring in Abyssinia,’ 1868; * ‘The Indian Civil Engineering College: Remarks’, 1871; * ‘Report on the state and requirements of the
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harbour works’, Sind Public Works Deptt. 1878; * ‘A Treatise on Mountain Roads, Live Loads, and Bridges,’ 1879.


Death

He died suddenly on 15 December 1896 at his residence at Queen's Gate,
South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
. Wilkins was married in 1856 to Violet, daughter of Colonel Colin Campbell McIntyre, C.B., of the
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. He is buried with his wife in
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in
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.


Gallery

Architecture by Wilkins: File:Sassoon hospital.jpg, Sassoon Hospital built in 1867. File:David Sassoon tomb.jpg, Tomb of David Sassoon, 1864. File:Ohel David Synagogue.jpg, Ohel David Synagogue, 1867. File:Prag Mahal Bhuj.jpg, Prag Mahal at Bhuj completed in 1879. File:Cisterns of Tawila 2007.jpg,
Cisterns of Tawila The Cisterns of Tawila, or the Tawila Tanks, are the best-known historic site in Aden, Yemen. The site consists of a series of tanks of varying shape and capacity. They are connected to one another and located in Wadi Tawila to the southwest of ...
restoration work 1895–96


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkins, Henry St Clair 1828 births 1898 deaths British East India Company Army officers Royal Engineers officers British civil engineers Indian Engineering Service officers British writers 19th-century British architects Burials at Brookwood Cemetery British Army generals