Colonel Harald George Carlos Swayne (1860–1940) was a British soldier, explorer, naturalist and big game hunter, he was the older brother of

Eric John Eagles Swayne Sir Eric John Eagles Swayne (14 May 1863 – 9 September 1929) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. He served in British Somaliland, where he was appointed Commissioner, and as Governor of British Honduras, now Belize. Early ...

Military career

Commissioned into the Royal Engineers and commencing his service in India, between 1884 and 1897 Swayne made a number of expeditions to Africa to make exploratory surveys for the British authorities. First travelling to Somaliland in January 1885 to hunt, Swayne made seventeen trips to Somaliland on leaves of absence from the Indian Army to conduct surveys, hunt and explore, making various notes on the local wildlife and inhabitants. In August 1885, the Indian Government sent Swayne to conduct a reconnaissance of Somaliland, a task that lasted until July 1887, the notes and maps he made during this period proved invaluable during the subsequent Somaliland Campaign. Later Swayne served with the

Imperial British East Africa Company The Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) was a commercial association founded to develop African trade in the areas controlled by the British Empire. The company was incorporated in London on 18 April 1888 and granted a royal charter by Q ...

. During the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Swayne was recalled to active service and commanded one of the Royal Engineer's Labour Battalions in France and Flanders. Rising to the rank of Colonel, Swayne was mentioned in dispatches on several occasions and made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his service.

Sportsman and naturalist

Swayne was an avid sportsman and naturalist who hunted and catalogued wildlife extensively throughout

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. A fellow of Royal Geographical Society and the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

, the

Swayne's hartebeest Swayne's hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei'') is an endangered antelope native to Ethiopia. Two of the largest remaining populations are located in Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary, Nechisar National Park and Maze National Park. It ...

and Swayne's Dik-dik are both named after him. Between 1884 and 1897 Swayne hunted whilst on active service in both Africa and India, shooting various animals including

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

, lion,

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

, leopard and bear. Between 1898 and 1927 he made roughly 40 further privately funded trips throughout Africa and Asia to complete collections, see new countries and meet new tribes, including a trip to Siberia in 1902 with his friend

Henry Seton-Karr Sir Henry Seton-Karr (5 February 1853 – 29 May 1914) was an English explorer, hunter and author and a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906. Seton-Karr, born in India in 1853, was the son of George Berkel ...

. In 1933 Swayne donated an extensive collection of artefacts to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

that he and his brother had collected throughout their combined travels.

Writings

Swayne was a frequent contributor to publications about African wildlife, including the volume ''Great and Small Game of Africa'' edited by Henry Bryden. In 1895 he published an account of his experiences in Somaliland, ''Seventeen trips through Somaliland: a record of exploration and big game hunting, 1885 to 1893'', which was reprinted in several editions, in 1904 he published an account of his trip to Siberia, ''Through the Highlands of Siberia''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swayne, Harald George Carlos 1860 births 1940 deaths Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Fellows of the Zoological Society of London Royal Engineers officers British colonels

Military career

Sportsman and naturalist

Writings

See also

References

External links