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 ...

Sir William Henry Manning, (19 July 1863 – 1 January 1932) 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 and colonial administrator.

Early life

Manning was educated at the University of Cambridge as a non-collegiate student and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned a lieutenant in the South Wales Borderers in 1886. In 1888 he transferred to the Indian Army, and served in the

51st Sikhs The 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 1st Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 1st Battali ...

. He was wounded in the Second Burmese War and also served in the First Miranzai Expedition and the Hazara Expedition on the North-West Frontier in 1891. He commanded the Mlanja and Chirad-Zulu expeditions in

British Central Africa The British Central Africa Protectorate (BCA) was a British protectorate proclaimed in 1889 and ratified in 1891 that occupied the same area as present-day Malawi: it was renamed Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located ...

in 1893–1894.

Diplomatic and military service in Africa

In 1897 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner and Consul-General for British Central Africa and commander of its Armed Forces with the local rank of lieutenant-colonel, and served as Acting Commissioner for nearly two years. He commanded the operations against Chief Mpezeni in North-East

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

in 1898, for which he was promoted brevet

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1898 and brevet lieutenant-colonel in 1899. Manning raised and commanded the Central Africa Regiment and was the first Inspector-General of the King's African Rifles from 1901 to 1907, with the local 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 ...

(although his substantive rank was still captain). During Spring 1902 he undertook an official tour through Uganda and the

East African Protectorate East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Controlled by Britai ...

, returning to England in June that year. He was supposed to undertake a second tour of inspecting garrisons in

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British Empire, British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Soma ...

, British Central Africa Protectorate, British East Africa and Uganda later the same year, but shortly after arrival in Africa was re-directed to join the force gathered in Somaliland to fight the Mad Mullah. He was in Somaliland by the middle of November 1902, and in late December was appointed in command of the Somaliland Field Force. From 1903 to 1904 he commanded its 1st Brigade. In April 1903 he fought against the Mad Mullah's army in battle, inflicting 2,000 casualties. For services in Somaliland he was appointed

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 ...

(CB) in 1903 and

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(KCMG) in 1904. In February 1904 he was promoted brevet colonel and in August 1904 he was finally promoted to the substantive rank of major.

Commissioner of Somaliland and Governor of Nyasaland

In February 1910 Manning was appointed Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief of the

Somaliland Protectorate British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Somalia, French So ...

and in November 1910 Governor and C-in-C of the Nyasaland Protectorate, where the border post Fort Manning (now

Mchinji Mchinji is a town and the capital of the Mchinji District in the Central Region of Malawi. Mchinji Boma, located from the Zambian border and from the national capital, Lilongwe, is the major hub of government and general business. It has a m ...

, Malawi) was named after him. He retired from the Indian Army in December 1910.

Governor of Jamaica and Governor of Ceylon

In February 1913 he became

Governor of Jamaica This is a list of viceroys in Jamaica from its initial occupation by Spain in 1509, to its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. For a list of viceroys after independence, see Governor-General of Jamaica. For context, see History of Jamai ...

and was granted the perpetual honorary rank of brigadier-general, which he had held for most of his service since 1901. In September 1918 he was appointed Governor of Ceylon. He was appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1918 and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 1921 New Year Honours. He retired in 1925. The Manning Cup school football competition in Jamaica was named after him.

References

*Obituary, '' The Times'', 4 January 1932

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, William 1863 births 1932 deaths Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst South Wales Borderers officers British Indian Army generals British Army personnel of the Second Anglo-Burmese War Governors of Jamaica Governors of British Ceylon Governors of Nyasaland Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath King's African Rifles officers British military personnel of the Third Somaliland Expedition Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Governors of British Somaliland British military personnel of the Hazara Expedition of 1888 Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon