Major-General John Talbot Coke (1841–1912) of

Trusley Trusley is a parish and small village in South Derbyshire. As the civil parish population is only minimal details are included in the civil parish of Dalbury Lees. The manor was given to Henry de Ferrers together with many villages in Derbyshire ...

South Derbyshire South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population of the local authority at the 2011 Census was 94,611. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote. The district a ...

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 in the 25th Foot (

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own ...

) between 1859 and 1901. He wrote a family history book called "Coke of Trusley, in the County of Derby, and Branches Therefrom; a Family History" which was published in 1880. He was a

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

during 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 ...

having a prominent role in the battles of Spion Kop and the Tugela Heights during the

relief of Ladysmith When the Second Boer War broke out on 11 October 1899, the Boers had a numeric superiority within Southern Africa. They quickly invaded the British territory and laid siege to Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking. Britain meanwhile transported th ...

Early life and career

John Talbot Coke was born in Trusley on 9 August 1841, he was the eldest son of Honorary

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 ...

Edward Thomas Coke, a

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 ...

of the 69th Regiment and Diana Talbot, descendant of

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury 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 E ...

. His Great grandfather was the Reverend

D'Ewes Coke D'Ewes Coke (1747 – 12 April 1811) was rector of Pinxton and South Normanton in Derbyshire, a colliery owner and philanthropist. He married Hannah, heiress of George Heywood of Brimington. Background Coke was born at Mansfield Woodhouse in 1 ...

, a colliery owner and philanthropist. He was educated at Harrow and gained his commission in 1859, gaining his

Lieutenancy A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

with the 25th Foot in 1861.Christie's lot number 54/sale 451
christies.com
/ref>

Military career

In 1866 he was promoted to Captain while in Canada during the Fenian raids. By 1888, now a

he was second in command of the

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 ...

and took part in the one sided victory at

Suakin Suakin or Sawakin ( ar, سواكن, Sawákin, Beja: ''Oosook'') is a port city in northeastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about north. Suakin used to b ...

for which he 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 ...

gaining both the

Khedive's Star The Khedive's Star was a campaign medal established by Khedive Tewfik Pasha to reward those who had participated in the military campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan between 1882 and 1891. This included British forces who served during the 1882 Anglo- ...

and a 3rd class Medjidie. In 1889 he was involved in operations on the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

, presumably as part of the war against the Mahdist's. John T Coke was

Assistant Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

at Headquarters in Ireland 1891, in the Curragh district (

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

) 1894 and Deputy Adjutant General in

Aldershot Command Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

1886. He was colonel on the Staff commanding the troops in

British Mauritius Mauritius was a Crown colony off the Southeast coast of Africa. Formerly part of the French colonial empire, British rule in Mauritius was established de facto with the Invasion of Isle de France in November 1810, and de jure by the subsequent T ...

at the outbreak of the

in late 1899.

Second Boer War

Talbot Coke was appointed to a field command and left for South Africa as

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 10th Brigade, part of General Sir Charles Warren's Division of the

Natal Field Force The Natal Field Force (NFF) was a multi-battalion field force originally formed by Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley in Natal for the First Boer War. It was later re-established for the Second Boer War (1899–1902) and commanded by Major-G ...

which joined in the effort to relieve Ladysmith shortly after the

battle of Colenso The Battle of Colenso was the third and final battle fought during the Black Week of the Second Boer War. It was fought between British and Boer forces from the independent South African Republic and Orange Free State in and around Colenso, Na ...

Spion Kop

Sir Redvers Buller General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, (7 December 1839 – 2 June 1908) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forc ...

now devised a plan to launch a two pronged offensive across the

Tugela River The Tugela River ( zu, Thukela; af, Tugelarivier) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , it is one of the most important rivers of the country. The river originates in Mont-aux-Sources of the Dra ...

and therefore ordered General Warren to lead the main force across at Trichardt's drift and attack the Boer right flank however, when they did cross (almost a week later) Warren quickly realised he would not get far unless they could take and hold the summit of a commanding position called Spion Kop. Major General

Edward Woodgate Sir Edward Robert Prevost Woodgate (1 November 1845 – 23 March 1900) was an infantry officer in the British Army. Family and education Woodgate was born in November 1845 at Belbroughton, Worcestershire, the son of Rev Henry Arthur Woodgate, ...

was selected to lead the attack as Coke was still recovering from a broken leg. Woodgate successfully lead his troops at night to what he believed was the summit where they dully entrenched themselves however when day broke and the fog lifted they came under heavy fire from higher up on the hilltop and Woodgate himself was killed along with most of his subordinate officers. Warren sent Coke's brigade to reinforce the position but was ordered by Buller to put Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Thorneycroft in command of the summit. Coke never made it to the summit himself and there was a breakdown in communications which ultimately led to Thorneycroft being left to make the decision to withdraw.

Tugela Heights

A further attempt was made at the

Battle of Vaal Krantz The Battle of Vaal Krantz (5 February to 7 February 1900) was the third failed attempt by General Redvers Buller's British army to fight its way past Louis Botha's army of Boer irregulars and lift the Siege of Ladysmith. The battle occurred durin ...

between the 5 to 7 February but Coke's brigade were in reserve during this; the Vaal Krantz ridge was taken but was decided that it didn't offer any tactical advantage so another withdrawal was ordered. On 14 February Coke's brigade joined Barton's and Wynne's infantry brigades (the 6th and 11th brigades) along with the artillery in occupying Hussar Hill which had been captured by the

South African Light Horse The South African Light Horse regiment of the British Army were raised in Cape Colony in 1899 and disbanded in 1907. The commanding officer tasked with raising the regiment was Major (locally a Lieutenant Colonel) the Honourable Julian Byng. ( ...

Later life

After returning home from the Boer War, Talbot Coke was placed on the retired list with honorary 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 ...

in March 1901. On 11 May 1907, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Family

He was married on 14 November 1867 to Charlotte FitzGerald, a daughter of Major H FitzGerald and descendant of the ancient

Earls of Desmond Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates, ...

. Their eldest son Edward Sacheverell D'Ewes Coke would become a

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 ...

and their fifth child, a daughter named Charlotte Geraldine would marry

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 ...

Thomas D'Oyly Snow KCB,

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coke, John Talbot 1841 births 1912 deaths

John Talbot Coke Major-General John Talbot Coke (1841–1912) of Trusley in South Derbyshire was a British Army officer who served in the 25th Foot (King's Own Scottish Borderers) between 1859 and 1901. He wrote a family history book called "Coke of Trusley, i ...

People educated at Harrow School British Army major generals British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of the Mahdist War King's Own Scottish Borderers officers Deputy Lieutenants of Derbyshire People from South Derbyshire District Military personnel from Derbyshire