William Strode (1698–1776) was a British Army officer. He was Colonel in Chief of the 62nd Regiment of Foot from 1758 until 1776.

Life

He joined the British Army in 1716. At the creation of the Wiltshire Regiment (62nd Regiment of Foot) in 1758 he was created its first commander. In 1760 with Lt Col John Jennings he was charged with holding

Carrickfergus Castle Carrickfergus Castle (from the Irish ''Carraig Ḟergus'' or "cairn of Fergus", the name "Fergus" meaning "strong man") is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the northern shore of Be ...

which on 23 February was attacked by a French force of 600 men. In 1763 he was posted with his regiment to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

before joining General Howe in Canada. In 1770 he paid for the erection of a monument to the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedom ...

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much la ...

. The statue was removed from the pedestal in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and has now been lost. In 1772 he was based with his regiment in

Oughterard Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The population of the town in 2016 was 1,318. It is located about northwest of Galway on the N5 ...

in western Ireland. In July 1773 he moved to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

and in August 1774 to Cork. In July 1775 he moved briefly to

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

and soon after to Ballinroabe. In October 1775 he returned to Ballyshannon where he was joined by Lt Col John Anstruther. In 1772 he was court-martialled for failing to adequately clothe his regiment. He was found not guilty but asked to reimburse any man who had to pay for his own uniform. On 31 December 1775 he was posted to Galway. He died in Galway on 14 January 1776. His body was returned to England and he is buried in the nave of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

the supreme accolade. His tomb id designed by Richard Hayward.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis Valentine Jones became Colonel in Chief following his death and the regiment was reposted to North America to fight in the Revolutionary War.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strode, William 1698 births 1776 deaths British Army generals Burials at Westminster Abbey Wiltshire Regiment officers British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War British Army personnel who were court-martialled