General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Sir William O'Grady Haly (2 January 1811 – 19 March 1878) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who was the

Commander of the British Troops in Canada This is a list of officers who commanded the British Regulars, Regular Troops of the British Army in Canada until 1906, when the last British garrison was withdrawn. From 1875 there was a separate commander of the Canadian Militia. This officer w ...

Early life and family

Haly was one of five surviving children born to Richard Aylmer Haly of Wadhurst Castle, Sussex and his wife, Amelia Banister. The family lived largely on his mother's annual stipend from her father, Richard Banister.

Military career

Private John McDermond by Louis William Desanges

Haly was commissioned as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the

4th Regiment of Foot Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

on 17 June 1828. In 1831, Haly became a Lieut. in the 47th Regiment and made Captain by 1834. In the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, Haly was wounded in the

Battle of Inkerman The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and w ...

(1854) and was rescued by Brevet Major Hugh Rowlands and John McDermond, both of whom received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

for their actions. Haly received the

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie (, August 29, 1852 – 1922) was a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the order was awarded in five classes, with the Firs ...

. After fighting in the

, he became

in 1873. He was given the colonelcy of the

47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot The 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in Scotland in 1741. It served in North America during the Seven Years' War and American Revolutionary War and also fought during the Napoleonic Wars and ...

from 1875 to his death. and promoted General on 1 October 1877. He died in office from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

on 19 March 1878. He is buried in the Fort Massey Cemetery.

Family

In November 1839 Haly married Harriett Hebden: their eldest son was Major General

Richard Hebden O'Grady Haly Major General Richard Hebden O'Grady-Haly, (22 February 1841 – 8 July 1911) was a British Army officer who served as General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada from 1900 to 1902. Military career Born the son of General Sir William O' ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Haly, William Ogrady 1811 births 1878 deaths British Army generals King's Own Royal Regiment officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie