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 ...
John Tombs (1777–1848) was an officer in the
British 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 ...
.
Education
John Tombs was the son of a banker, Joseph Tombs (1745–1818), of
Abingdon-on-Thames
Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames. Historic counties of England, Historically the ...
. He was educated at
John Roysse
John Roysse (1500 or 1501–1571) was an English mercer and benefactor of Abingdon School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
Personal life
John Roysse was probably connected with the Roysse family of East Hagbourne but there are few records appertaining ...
's
Free School in Abingdon (now
Abingdon School
Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...
).
Military career
He entered service with the East India Company. He commanded the
3rd Bengal Cavalry
The 3rd Skinner's Horse was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was originally raised at Hansi by Lt.-Col. James Skinner as the 2nd Regiment of Skinner's Horse in 1814, the various changes and amalgamations are listed below.
*18 ...
at the
Siege of Bharatpur
The siege of Bharatpore was a siege that took place in the Indian princely state of Bharatpur (now part of Rajasthan) between December 1825 and January 1826. British troops under Lord Combermere initially surrounded the state's capital until ...
(1825–26) and was promoted to
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 1838. He retired from the Indian Army to Malta where he died. He sent his six sons home to Abingdon for an English education, the most distinguished of them being the sixth son, Major-General Sir
Henry Tombs
Major General Sir Henry Tombs VC KCB (10 November 1824 – 2 August 1874) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth for ...
, VC, KCB (1825–1874).
[Hammond, Vol. 18]
See also
*
List of Old Abingdonians
Old Abingdonians are former pupils of Abingdon School or, in some cases, Honorary Old Abingdonians who have been awarded the status based on service to the School. The Old Abingdonians also run the Old Abingdonian Club (OA club) which is an organ ...
References
Sources
*
1777 births
1848 deaths
British Indian Army generals
People educated at Abingdon School
People from Abingdon-on-Thames
Tombs family
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