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 William Galbraith (14 May 1837 – 15 October 1906) 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 Adjutant-General in India.

Early life and education

Galbraith was born in Ireland, the son of the Rev. John Galbraith, rector of

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

, and his wife, Sarah. He was educated at

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

Military career

Galbraith was commissioned into the 85th Regiment of Foot on 1 June 1855. He became assistant adjutant-general in Koorum District of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and, in that capacity, saw action at the

Battle of Peiwar Kotal The Battle of Peiwar Kotal was fought on 2 December 1878 between British forces under Major General Frederick Roberts and Afghan forces under Karim Khan, during the opening stages of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The British were victorious, and ...

in November 1878 during the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

. He also took part in operations in the Hariab and Khost Valleys. He became military commander in Saugor in January 1887 and took part in the

Hazara Expedition of 1888 The Hazara Expedition of 1888, also known as the Black Mountain Expedition or the First Hazara Expedition, was a military campaign by the British against the tribes of Kala Dhaka (then known as the Black Mountains of Hazara) in the Hazara region ...

. He went on to be General Officer Commanding Sirhind District in November 1888, Adjutant-General in India in October 1890 and General Officer Commanding Quetta District in April 1895.

Personal life

In 1896, he married Helen Mary Handcock, daughter of Lieutenant-General Arthur Gore Handcock, , with whom he had two sons, both born in British India. Their eldest son, Lieutenant Arthur Hugh Courtney Galbraith (1897–1918), was killed in action in the First World War. Their younger son, Major Ian William Galbraith (1899–1939), married Mary Florence Baker, daughter of Rear-Admiral Julian Alleyne Baker and sister of biologist John Randal Baker. They both drowned on 14 June 1939, when their canoe capsized in the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

near

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...

, British India, where he was the Political Agent. Ian was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in 1917 and the

Albert Medal for Lifesaving The Albert Medal for Lifesaving was a British medal awarded to recognize the saving of life. It has since been replaced by the George Cross. The Albert Medal was first instituted by a royal warrant on 7 March 1866. It was named in memory of P ...

in 1921.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galbraith, William 1837 births 1906 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath 85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers) officers British Army major generals