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 ...

William Earle (18 May 1833 – 10 February 1885) 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 Gurk ...

officer of the 19th century.Soldiers of the Queen
Major General William Earle (with photograph)

Military career

He had a successful military career, recognised by honours including a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

. He fought in 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 de ...

and was later part of the

Nile Expedition The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–85), was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan af ...

attempting to relieve General Gordon at

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

. He was killed following the

Battle of Kirbekan The Battle of Kirbekan was a battle in the Mahdist War. It was fought February 10, 1885, when the British Nile Column, about 1,000 strong, under William Earle (soldier), General Earle, stormed the heights of Kirbekan, which were held by a strong ...

Personal life

He was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, the son of the

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

Sir Hardman Earle, 1st Baronet and his wife Mary (née Langton). He married Mary Codrington, daughter of William Codrington on 21 July 1864. His grandfather was the slave trader

Thomas Earle Thomas Earle may refer to: * Thomas Earle (American politician), American journalist and politician *Thomas Earle (Canadian politician) Thomas Earle (September 27, 1837 – July 13, 1911) was a Canadian businessman and Conservative politicia ...

Legacy

There is a bronze statue of him outside

St George's Hall, Liverpool St George's Hall is a building on St George's Place, opposite Lime Street railway station in the centre of Liverpool, England. Opened in 1854, it is a Neoclassical building which contains concert halls and law courts, and is recorded in the Na ...

, by sculptor

Charles Bell Birch Charles Bell Birch (28 September 1832 – 16 October 1893) was a British sculptor. Biography Birch was born at Brixton in south London, the son of the author and translator Jonathan Birch (1783–1847) and his wife Esther (née Brooke). As a ...

. There is also a ston
bust
of General Earle at St Mark's Anglican Church in Alexandria, Egypt. This bust is mentioned by

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

in his ''Alexandria: A History and a Guide'', and by

Lawrence Durrell Lawrence George Durrell (; 27 February 1912 – 7 November 1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. He was the eldest brother of naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell. Born in India to British colonial pare ...

in his novel ''Justine'', the first volume of ''The Alexandria Quartet''.

References

1833 births 1885 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Younger sons of baronets British Army personnel of the Crimean War Engineers from Liverpool 49th Regiment of Foot officers British Army major generals British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British military personnel killed in the Mahdist War {{UK-army-bio-stub