Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Lord William Paulet, (7 July 1804 – 9 May 1893) was a senior

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

officer. During the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

he served as Assistant Adjutant-General of the Cavalry Division, under Lord Lucan, at the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septem ...

in September 1854, at the Battle of Balaklava in October 1854 and at 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, an ...

in November 1854 as well as at the Siege of Sevastopol during the

. He was then given command of the rear area, including the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

and the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...

before returning to England. He later became Commander of the 1st Brigade at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

in 1856, General Officer Commanding South-West District in 1860 and finally

Adjutant-General to the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...

in 1865.

Military career

Born the fourth son of

Charles Paulet, 13th Marquess of Winchester Charles Ingoldsby Burroughs-Paulet, 13th Marquess of Winchester PC (27 January 1764 – 29 November 1843) was a British peer and courtier, styled Earl of Wiltshire from 1794 until 1800. Life Baptized as Charles Ingoldsby Paulet, he was the el ...

and Anne Paulet (née Andrews), Paulet was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

before being commissioned into the 85th (Duke of York's Own) Light Infantry on 1 February 1821. He became a lieutenant in the 7th Royal Fusiliers on 23 May 1822 and was promoted to

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 an unattached company on 25 February 1825. Paulet transferred back to 85th (Duke of York's Own) Light Infantry on 21 April 1825 before briefly serving with the

63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot The 63rd Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms, it amalgamated with the 96th Regiment of Foot to form the Manchester Regiment in 1881. History Formation and service in the Seven Years' War The fo ...

and then transferring to the 21st Royal North British Fusiliers on 4 December 1828 before being promoted to major on 10 September 1830.Heathcote, p. 237 He transferred to the 68th Light Infantry on 18 January 1833 and was appointed commanding officer of that regiment with promotion to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...

on 21 April 1843. In February 1851 he became an

equerry An equerry (; from French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon ...

to the

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

. During the

Paulet served as Assistant Adjutant-General of the Cavalry Division, under Lord Lucan, earning promotion 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 ...

on 20 June 1854. He fought at the

in September 1854, at the Battle of Balaklava (where his hat was shot off) in October 1854 and at the

in November 1854 as well as at the Siege of Sevastopol which was on-going at that time. He was then given command of the rear area, including the

and the

, with promotion to the substantive rank of

on 28 November 1854 and to the local rank of

brigadier-general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

on 19 January 1855: in this capacity he gave his support to

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War ...

in her efforts to modernise medical support in the field. Promoted to the local 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 ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

on 9 November 1855, he briefly commanded the

Light Division The Light Division was a light infantry division of the British Army. Its origins lay in "Light Companies" formed during the late 18th century, to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect a main force with skirmishing tactics. Thes ...

before returning to England. Paulet became Commander of the 1st Brigade at

with the local rank of major-general in August 1856 (back-dated to 24 July 1856) and then, having been promoted to the substantive rank of major-general on 13 December 1858, he became General Officer Commanding South-West District (which had its headquarters in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

) in 1860 and

in July 1865. In May 1866 he was invited to join a Royal Commission to consider the existing system for recruitment in the British Army which was considered too large at the time. 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 th ...

on 8 December 1867 and stood down as Adjutant-General in September 1870 but still received further promotions to full general on 7 October 1874 and to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

on 10 July 1886. Paulet was also colonel of the 87th Regiment of Foot and later of the 68th Light Infantry (1st Battalion of the

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...

from 1881). He died, unmarried, at his home in

St. James's Square St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was one of the three or fo ...

in London on 9 May 1893. Charge of the Light Brigade

Honours

Paulet's honours included: *

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

(GCB) - 20 May 1871 (KCB - 1865; CB - 5 July 1855) *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

, 4th Class (France) - 2 August 1856 *

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is 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 f ...

, 3rd Class (Ottoman Empire) - 2 March 1858 *

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the ...

(Sardinia) - 11 August 1856

Family

Paulet never married; he had no children.

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Paulet, William British Army personnel of the Crimean War British field marshals 68th Regiment of Foot officers King's Shropshire Light Infantry officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People educated at Eton College Royal Fusiliers officers 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot officers Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Younger sons of marquesses 1804 births 1893 deaths Military personnel from Hampshire

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...