Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Richard Mackey O'Brien (13 December 1859 – 29 November 1935) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. O'Brien was the youngest son of Sir Terence O'Brien, Governor of Heligoland and afterwards of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He was educated at Felsted School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from which he was commissioned into the

30th Regiment of Foot 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

(later the East Lancashire Regiment) in May 1878. On 3 September 1878, in company with five other

ensigns An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

of his regiment, he was returning from

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

to Woolwich following musketry training, but they missed their ferry, the SS ''Princess Alice'', by seconds. In Gallion's Reach the ''Princess Alice'' collided with the steamer SS ''Bywell Castle'' and sank with the loss of nearly 700 of her 800 passengers, one of the worst maritime disasters in British history. All six ensigns later went on to become distinguished senior officers and held occasional reunion dinners to commemorate their luck that day. O'Brien was promoted lieutenant in September 1880,

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 ...

in May 1887, and

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 October 1897. From April 1886 to January 1890 he served as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of the Moulmein Volunteer Rifle Corps in Burma and from April 1894 to 1899 he was adjutant of the 1st Royal Guernsey Light Infantry (Militia). He served with the 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment in the Second Boer War, seeing considerable combat and later being appointed president of the military tribunal in Johannesburg, for which he was twice

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He then served as Deputy Commissioner of the

Transvaal Town Police Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

from 1901 to 1908, during which time he frequently acted as Commissioner. He was promoted

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

lieutenant-colonel in the South African honours list published on 26 June 1902, and retired from the Army in March 1903. In 1910 he was appointed Colonial Secretary of the

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

, often acting as governor. In October 1912 he was appointed Governor of the Seychelles and in April 1918 Governor of Barbados. He retired in September 1925, but from May to July 1926 he served as Special Government Commissioner in Sierra Leone and on the Colonial Films Committee from 1929 to 1930. O'Brien was appointed

Companion 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, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) in 1908 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 the 1920 New Year Honours. O′Brien married at the Anglican Cathedral in Bloemfontein on 26 December 1902 Selina Beatrice Elphinstone, fourth daughter of

Sir Howard Elphinstone, 3rd Baronet Sir Howard Warburton Elphinstone, 3rd Baronet (26 July 1830 Westminster – 3 January 1917, Wimbledon Park) was an English baronet and legal academic. He was the eldest son of Sir Howard Elphinstone, 2nd Baronet, and educated at Eton and Trinity ...

Footnotes

References

*Obituary, '' The Times'', 2 December 1935 {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Charles 1859 births 1935 deaths People educated at Felsted School Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst East Lancashire Regiment officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War South African police officers Colonial Administrative Service officers Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 30th Regiment of Foot officers Governors of Barbados Governors of British Seychelles Chief secretaries (British Empire) Gambia Colony and Protectorate people