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 ...

Sir Richard James Dacres, (1799 – 6 December 1886) was a

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 nineteenth century. Born into a substantial naval dynasty, he would achieve similar status in the military, commanding three troops of

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link r ...

at the Battles of Alma in September 1854, Balaclava in October 1854 and

Inkerman Inkerman ( uk, Інкерман, russian: Инкерман, crh, İnkerman) is a city in the Crimean peninsula. It is '' de facto'' within the federal city of Sevastopol within the Russian Federation, but '' de jure'' within Ukraine. It li ...

in November 1854, and throughout the Siege of Sevastopol 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 ...

and eventually rising to the rank of

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 ...

Family and early life

Richard James was born in 1799, the son of Richard Dacres, who became a vice-admiral in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

, and his wife Martha Phillips Milligan. The Dacres had a long history of naval service, Sydney's uncle, James Richard Dacres, was a vice-admiral, while his cousins Barrington Dacres and James Richard Dacres would both serve in the navy, the former becoming a

post-captain Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from: * Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...

, the latter a vice-admiral. His younger brother, Sydney Dacres, also had a naval career, eventually reaching the rank of

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

, and serving as a First Naval Lord. Richard James attended the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of S ...

, in 1815, and embarked on a career with the army when he joined the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

as a second lieutenant on 15 December 1817.

Career

Dacres was promoted to first lieutenant on 29 August 1825, and a second captain on 18 December 1837. He transferred to the

in 1843 and was promoted to

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 indicato ...

on 11 November 1851. He became a

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 colo ...

on 23 February 1852, and was appointed to command the three troops of Royal Horse Artillery sent to take part in the

. He and his forces were attached to the cavalry, commanded by

Lord Lucan Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared death in absentia, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British Peerages in the United Kingdom, peer who di ...

. Dacres commanded his forces at the Battles of Alma in September 1854, Balaclava in October 1854 and

in November 1854, and throughout the Siege of Sevastopol. He was with the headquarters-staff at Balaclava, having his horse killed under him. When Brigadier-General Fox-Strangways was killed in the battle, Dacres took over command of all the artillery in the Crimea, retaining the post until the end of the war. He was advanced to the local rank of colonel on 23 February 1855,

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 appointe ...

on 30 March 1855, and was promoted to

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 29 June that year. He was created a

Knight Commander 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 on ...

on 5 July 1855 for his services in the capture of artillery at Sevastopol, as well as a Commander of the Order of Savoy, and a Commander of the Légion d'honneur. He was also among the officers authorised to accept the appointment to the Second Class of the Order of Medjidie on 2 March 1858. Dacres was appointed Commandant of the

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

district in May 1859, holding the position until 1865. Dacres was made colonel-commandant of the Royal Horse Artillery on 28 July 1864, and 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 10 December 1864. He was appointed a

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 ...

on 2 June 1869. He was retired from active service at the rank of colonel-commandant on 2 October 1877, and was subsequently appointed to the position of

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 ...

on 27 July 1881, a position he occupied when the tower was one of the London targets bombed on 24 January 1885 by Feinian terrorists, wounding several people and causing some damage by fire. He became master gunner of England in 1882. Dacres was made a

in July 1886, but died at

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

on 6 December 1886 at the age of 87. He was succeeded as Constable of the Tower and Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets by The Lord Napier of Magdala on 6 January 1887.

Family and personal life

Dacres married Frances Brooking Thomas, granddaughter of William Bevil Thomas, at St. John's,

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 ...

, on 3 November 1840. Batalla del río Almá, por Richard Caton Woodville

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dacres, Richard James 1799 births 1886 deaths Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich British field marshals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets British Army personnel of the Crimean War Royal Horse Artillery officers Commanders of the Military Order of Savoy Constables of the Tower of London