Field Marshal Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet (4 June 1786 – 6 October 1872) was a British Indian Army officer. He first saw action at the Battle of Deeg and at the

Siege of Bhurtpore The siege of Bharatpore was a siege that took place in the Indian princely state of Bharatpur (now part of Rajasthan) between December 1825 and January 1826. British troops under Lord Combermere initially surrounded the state's capital until ...

during the

Second Anglo-Maratha War } The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Background The British had supported the "fugitive" Peshwa Raghunathrao in the First Anglo-Maratha War ...

before taking part in the

Anglo-Nepalese War The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the British forces of the East India Company (EIC, present-day In ...

. He also commanded the British artillery at the Battle of Prome and at Bagan during the

First Anglo-Burmese War The First Anglo-Burmese War ( my, ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ်-မြန်မာ စစ်; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmes ...

. Following a disastrous

retreat from Kabul The 1842 retreat from Kabul, also called the Massacre of Elphinstone's army, during the First Anglo-Afghan War, was the retreat of the British and East India Company forces from Kabul. An uprising in Kabul forced the then commander, Major-Genera ...

in January 1842 during the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession d ...

, the retreating forces became stranded at the small British garrison at

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jala ...

and Pollock was appointed Commander of the Force sent to relieve the garrison: he advanced through the Khyber Pass and relieved the garrison in April 1842. He then set about an unauthorised but ultimately successful mission to rescue the British hostages who had been left behind in Kabul prior to the retreat. In 1844 the Pollock Medal was created to commemorate Pollock's achievements: this medal was to be awarded to the "best cadet of the season" at the Addiscombe Military Seminary.

Life

Early life and education

Pollock was son of David Pollock, of Charing Cross, saddler to

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

, and Sarah Pollock (née Parsons); his elder brother was the lawyer and politician

Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet Sir Jonathan Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet, PC (23 September 1783 – 28 August 1870) was a British lawyer and Tory politician. Background and education Pollock was the son of saddler David Pollock, of Charing Cross, London, and the elder br ...

. The Pollock family were a branch of that family of Balgray, Dumfriesshire; David Pollock's father was a burgess of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and his grandfather a yeoman of Durham. His business as a saddler was given the official custom of the royal family. Sir John Pollock, 4th Baronet, great-great-grandson of David Pollock, stated in Time's Chariot (1950) that David was, 'perhaps without knowing it', Pollock of Balgray, the senior line of the family (Pollock of Pollock or Pollock of that ilk) having died out.

Military career

Nepal and India

Educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Pollock was commissioned as a lieutenant-fireworker in the Bengal Artillery on 14 December 1803.Heathcote, p. 243 Promoted to lieutenant on 19 April 1804, he saw action at the Battle of Deeg in November 1804 and at the

in Spring 1805 during the

. Promoted to

captain lieutenant Captain lieutenant or captain-lieutenant is a military rank, used in a number of navies worldwide and formerly in the British Army. Northern Europe Denmark, Norway and Finland The same rank is used in the navies of Denmark (), Norway () and Finl ...

on 17 September 1805 and to captain on 12 March 1812, he served in the

before being promoted to major on 12 August 1819. He became assistant adjutant-general of artillery in 1820 and being promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 May 1824. After taking sick-leave in England, Pollock commanded the British artillery at the Battle of Prome in November 1824 and at Bagan in February 1826 during the

. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 2 January 1827. He was promoted further to brevet

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on 1 December 1829 and then posted to Cawnpor to command an artillery battalion in 1830. He became colonel-commandant, Bengal artillery on 3 March 1835 and briefly held a divisional command at

Danapur Danapur is a Indian satellite town and one of the 6 sub-divisions (Tehsil) in Patna district of Bihar state.brigadier-general before transferring to the more senior command at the Agra district with the rank of

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 ...

on 28 June 1838.

Afghanistan

Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet(3 4 Profile)

In 1838,

Lord Auckland Baron Auckland is a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in 1789 when the prominent politician and financial expert William Eden was made Baron Auckland in the Peerage of Ireland. In ...

, the

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

decided to invade

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

to proclaim a pro-British former ruler as king of Afghanistan so instigating the

. The initial campaign was a success but at the end of 1841, faced with ever-increasing hostility from the Afghans, the military and political leaders decided to withdraw the 5,000 British and Indian troops and 12,000

camp follower Camp followers are civilians who follow armies. There are two common types of camp followers; first, the wives and children of soldiers, who follow their spouse or parent's army from place to place; the second type of camp followers have histori ...

s, wives and children from

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

and to return to India. The retreat, which took place in January 1842, was a disaster and eventually led to a massacre because of inefficient leadership, the cold and the ferocious tribes. There was now almost nothing between the retreating forces and India except for the small British garrison at

. Legend has it that only one ( Dr. Brydon) survived; In fact, he was not the only European to survive the retreat; about 115 British officers, soldiers, wives and children were captured or taken as hostages and survived to be subsequently released. Against this background Pollock was appointed Commander of the Force sent to relieve Jalalabad: he advanced through the Khyber Pass and relieved the garrison at Jalalabad in April 1842. Pollock then set about an unauthorised mission to rescue the British hostages who had been left behind in Kabul prior to the retreat. He linked up with a British force commanded by General William Nott who was advancing on Kabul from

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...

. After fighting battles at

Gandamak Gandamak is a village of Afghanistan located between Kabul and Jalalabad, from Jalalabad on the old road to Kabul. History During the retreat from Kabul of General Elphinstone's army in 1842, a hill near Gandamak was the scene of the Battle of ...

, Jagdalak Pass and Tezeen, Pollock secured Kabul in September 1842.Heathcote, p. 244 He destroyed the Great Bazaar in Kabul before withdrawing to India in October 1842. Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 2 December 1842, he became British Resident at

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

in December 1843 and military member of the Council of India in September 1844. In 1844 the British residents in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

created the Pollock Medal to commemorate Pollock's achievements. This medal was to be awarded to the "best cadet of the season" at the Addiscombe Military Seminary.

Later life

Death

After returning to England in 1846, Pollock benefited from an

annuity In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals.Kellison, Stephen G. (1970). ''The Theory of Interest''. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. p. 45 Examples of annuities are regular deposits to a savings account, ...

of £1,000 per annum from the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

and lived at

Clapham Common Clapham Common is a large triangular urban park in Clapham, south London, England. Originally common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, it was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878. It is of g ...

. He was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 11 November 1851 and became a member of the Court of Directors of the

in 1854. Promoted to full general on 17 May 1859, he was appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

on 19 August 1861 and advanced to

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointmen ...

on 24 May 1866. Promoted to field marshal on 24 May 1870, he became

Constable of the Tower The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

in November 1871, before being made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

on 20 March 1872. In retirement he also served as honorary colonel of the 1st Surrey (or South London) Rifle Volunteer Battalion. He died at

Walmer Walmer is a town in the district of Dover, Kent, in England. Located on the coast, the parish of Walmer is south-east of Sandwich, Kent. Largely residential, its coastline and castle attract many visitors. It has a population of 6,693 (2001), i ...

in Kent on 6 October 1872 and was buried in the north aisle at

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 ...

Family

In 1810 Pollock married Frances Webbe Barclay; they had four sons and one daughter. His eldest son Frederick succeeded him as 2nd Baronet Pollock of the Khyber Pass, his second son

George David Pollock George David Pollock FRCS (1817 – 14 February 1897) was a British surgeon, known as a pioneer of skin grafts. Biography Born in India as the second son of the British officer George Pollock, George David Pollock was sent to England for his early ...

became a celebrated surgeon and pioneered the use of skin grafts, whilst his third son Robert was killed at the

Battle of Mudki The Battle of Mudki was fought on 18 December 1845, between the forces of the East India Company and part of the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The British army won an untidy encounter battle, suffering heavy casu ...

in 1845.Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. After his first wife's death, he married Henrietta Wollaston in 1852.

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, George 1786 births 1872 deaths Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich British field marshals British Indian Army generals British military personnel of the First Anglo-Burmese War British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets Constables of the Tower of London Burials at Westminster Abbey British military personnel of the Anglo-Nepalese War Bengal Artillery officers British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Maratha War Military personnel from London