Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet (4 June 1786 – 6 October 1872) was a

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

officer. He first saw action at the

Battle of Deeg The Battle of Deeg, fought on 13 November 1804, took place outside Deeg, now in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India. A force of the British East India Company led by Major General Fraser defeated a Maratha force under Yashwantrao Holkar a ...

and at the Siege of Bhurtpore during the Second Anglo-Maratha War before taking part in the Anglo-Nepalese War. He also commanded the British artillery at the

Battle of Prome The battle of Prome was a land-based battle between the Kingdom of Burma and the British Empire that took place near the city of Prome, modern day Pyay, in 1825 as part of the First Anglo-Burmese War. It was the last-ditch effort by the Burmese ...

and at

Bagan Bagan (, ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Bagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that wou ...

during the First Anglo-Burmese War. Following a disastrous retreat from Kabul in January 1842 during the First Anglo-Afghan War, the retreating forces became stranded at the small British garrison at Jalalabad and Pollock was appointed Commander of the Force sent to relieve the garrison: he advanced through the

Khyber Pass The Khyber Pass (خیبر درہ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing pa ...

and relieved the garrison in April 1842. He then set about an unauthorised but ultimately successful mission to rescue the British hostages who had been left behind in Kabul prior to the retreat. In 1844 the

Pollock Medal The Pollock Medal is a prize awarded to the best cadet of the season, in commemoration of Sir George Pollock's exploits in Afghanistan, first at the East India Company's Addiscombe Military Seminary, Military Seminary at Addiscombe, and later at the ...

was created to commemorate Pollock's achievements: this medal was to be awarded to the "best cadet of the season" at the

Addiscombe Military Seminary The East India Company Military Seminary was a British military academy at Addiscombe, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon. It opened in 1809 and closed in 1861. Its purpose was to train young officers to serve in the East India ...

Life

Early life and education

Pollock was son of David Pollock, of Charing Cross, saddler to King George III, and Sarah Pollock (née Parsons); his elder brother was the lawyer and politician Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet. The Pollock family were a branch of that family of Balgray, Dumfriesshire; David Pollock's father was a burgess of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and his grandfather a yeoman of Durham. His business as a saddler was given the official custom of the royal family. Sir John Pollock, 4th Baronet, great-great-grandson of David Pollock, stated in Time's Chariot (1950) that David was, 'perhaps without knowing it', Pollock of Balgray, the senior line of the family (Pollock of Pollock or Pollock of that ilk) having died out.

Military career

Nepal and India

Educated at the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...

, Pollock was commissioned as a

lieutenant-fireworker Lieutenant-fireworker was an officer rank in the British Royal Artillery, ranking below second lieutenant. After the first lieutenant and second lieutenant, the junior lieutenants of a company of artillery were designated "lieutenants and firewo ...

in the Bengal Artillery on 14 December 1803.Heathcote, p. 243 Promoted to lieutenant on 19 April 1804, he saw action at the

in November 1804 and at the Siege of Bhurtpore in Spring 1805 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. Promoted to captain lieutenant on 17 September 1805 and to

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 ...

on 12 March 1812, he served in the Anglo-Nepalese War before being promoted to major on 12 August 1819. He became assistant adjutant-general of artillery in 1820 and being promoted to

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 colone ...

on 1 May 1824. After taking sick-leave in England, Pollock commanded the British artillery at the

in November 1824 and at

in February 1826 during the First Anglo-Burmese War. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

on 2 January 1827. He was promoted further to brevet colonel on 1 December 1829 and then posted to Cawnpor to command an artillery battalion in 1830. He became colonel-commandant, Bengal artillery on 3 March 1835 and briefly held a divisional command at Danapur with the rank of

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 ...

before transferring to the more senior command at the Agra district with the rank of major-general on 28 June 1838.

Afghanistan

Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet(3 4 Profile)

In 1838, Lord Auckland, the Governor-General of India decided to invade Afghanistan to proclaim a pro-British former ruler as king of Afghanistan so instigating the First Anglo-Afghan War. The initial campaign was a success but at the end of 1841, faced with ever-increasing hostility from the Afghans, the military and political leaders decided to withdraw the 5,000 British and Indian troops and 12,000 camp followers, wives and children from Kabul and to return to India. The retreat, which took place in January 1842, was a disaster and eventually led to a massacre because of inefficient leadership, the cold and the ferocious tribes. There was now almost nothing between the retreating forces and India except for the small British garrison at Jalalabad. Legend has it that only one ( Dr. Brydon) survived; In fact, he was not the only European to survive the retreat; about 115 British officers, soldiers, wives and children were captured or taken as hostages and survived to be subsequently released. Against this background Pollock was appointed Commander of the Force sent to relieve Jalalabad: he advanced through the

and relieved the garrison at Jalalabad in April 1842. Pollock then set about an unauthorised mission to rescue the British hostages who had been left behind in Kabul prior to the retreat. He linked up with a British force commanded by General

William Nott Major-General Sir William Nott (20 January 1782 – 1 January 1845) was a British military officer of the Bengal Army, East India Company in British India. Early life Nott was born in 1782, near Neath in Wales,Lloyd (1958), pg 686. the seco ...

who was advancing on Kabul from Kandahar. After fighting battles at Gandamak, Jagdalak Pass and Tezeen, Pollock secured Kabul in September 1842.Heathcote, p. 244 He destroyed the Great Bazaar in Kabul before withdrawing to India in October 1842. Advanced to

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

on 2 December 1842, he became British Resident at Lucknow in December 1843 and military member of the

Council of India The Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India. The original Council of India was established by the Charter Act of 1833 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor ...

in September 1844. In 1844 the British residents in Calcutta created the

to commemorate Pollock's achievements. This medal was to be awarded to the "best cadet of the season" at the

Later life

Death

After returning to England in 1846, Pollock benefited from an annuity of £1,000 per annum from the East India Company and lived at Clapham Common. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 11 November 1851 and became a member of the Court of Directors of the East India Company in 1854. Promoted to full general on 17 May 1859, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India on 19 August 1861 and advanced to Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India on 24 May 1866. Promoted to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

on 24 May 1870, he became Constable of the Tower in November 1871, before being made a baronet on 20 March 1872. In retirement he also served as honorary colonel of the 1st Surrey (or South London) Rifle Volunteer Battalion. He died at Walmer in Kent on 6 October 1872 and was buried in the north aisle at Westminster Abbey.

Family

In 1810 Pollock married Frances Webbe Barclay; they had four sons and one daughter. His eldest son Frederick succeeded him as 2nd Baronet Pollock of the Khyber Pass, his second son George David Pollock became a celebrated surgeon and pioneered the use of skin grafts, whilst his third son Robert was killed at the Battle of Mudki in 1845.Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. After his first wife's death, he married Henrietta Wollaston in 1852.

References

Sources

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, George 1786 births 1872 deaths Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich British field marshals British Indian Army generals British military personnel of the First Anglo-Burmese War British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets Constables of the Tower of London Burials at Westminster Abbey British military personnel of the Anglo-Nepalese War Bengal Artillery officers British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Maratha War Military personnel from London