Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
The Viscount Milner (1901) | |
---|---|
Governor of the Gold Coast | |
In office 2 October 1873 – 4 March 1874 | |
Preceded by | Robert William Harley |
Succeeded by | James Maxwell |
Personal details | |
Born | Garnet Joseph Wolseley 4 June 1833 Golden Bridge House, Mentioned in Despatches Order of the Medjidie (Ottoman Empire) Order of Osmanieh (Ottoman Empire) Legion of Honour (France) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom Egypt |
Branch/service | British Army |
Years of service | 1852–1900 |
Rank | Field Marshal |
Commands | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces Commander-in-Chief, Ireland Adjutant-General to the Forces Quartermaster-General to the Forces |
Battles/wars |
|
Wolseley is considered to be one of the most prominent and decorated war heroes of the
Early life and education
Lord Wolseley was born into a prominent
Wolseley's father died in 1840 at age 62, leaving his widow and seven children to struggle on his Army pension. Unlike other boys in his class, Wolseley was not sent to England to attend Harrow or Eton, but was instead educated at a local school in Dublin. The family circumstance forced Wolseley to leave school at age 14, when he found work in a surveyor's office, which helped him bring in a salary and continue studying maths and geography.[6][7]
Early military career
Wolseley first considered a career in the church, but his financial situation meant that he would have needed a wealthy patron to support such an endeavour. Instead he sought a
Just a month after he joined the
Crimea
Wolseley accompanied the regiment to
After the fall of
Six months after joining the
Indian Rebellion of 1857
Wolseley distinguished himself at the
During the rebellion, Wolseley displayed strong views towards native peoples, referring to them as "beastly
Wolseley continued to serve on Sir Hope Grant's staff in Oudh, and when Grant was nominated to the
American Civil War and Canadian Service
After the outbreak of the American Civil War, Wolseley was one of the special service officers sent to the Province of Canada in November 1861, in connection with the Trent incident.[7]
In 1862, shortly after the
Following the end of the Civil War in the United States, Wolseley returned to Canada, where he became a brevet colonel on 5 June 1865[10] and Assistant Quartermaster-General in Canada with effect from the same date.[24] He was actively employed the following year in the defence of Canada from Fenian raids launched from the United States. He was appointed Deputy Quartermaster-General in Canada on 1 October 1867.[25] In 1869 his Soldiers' Pocket Book for Field Service was published. In its pages Wolseley gave his opinion on the fitness of the officer corps of his time and other sensitive subjects. For that he was put on half-pay, according to one source.[26][27]
In 1870, he successfully commanded the
The campaign to put down the rebellion was made difficult by the poor communications at the time, Canada not yet having a transcontinental railway line.
Cardwell reforms
Appointed assistant
Ashanti
On 2 October 1873, Wolseley became Governor of
Service at home, and in Natal, Cyprus, and South Africa
On his return home he was appointed inspector-general of Auxiliary Forces with effect from 1 April 1874.[37] In his role with the Auxiliary Forces, he directed his efforts to building up adequate volunteer reserve forces. Finding himself opposed by the senior military, he wrote a strong memorandum and spoke of resigning when they tried to persuade him to withdraw it.[32] He became a lifelong advocate of the volunteer reserves, later commenting that all military reforms since 1860 in the British Army had first been introduced by the volunteers.[33] Shortly after, in consequence of the indigenous unrest in Natal, he was sent to that colony as governor and general-commanding on 24 February 1875.[15][38]
Wolseley accepted a seat on the
In the following year, he was sent to South Africa to supersede
Egypt, the Nile Expedition and Commander-in-Chief
On 1 April 1882, Wolseley was appointed
On 1 September 1884, Wolseley was again called away from his duties as adjutant-general, to command the
Wolseley continued at the War Office as
The unexpectedly large force required for the initial phase of the Second Boer War, was mainly furnished by means of the system of reserves Wolseley had originated. By drawing on regular reservists and volunteer reserves, Britain was able to assemble the largest army it had ever deployed abroad.[58] Nevertheless, the new conditions at the War Office were not to his liking. The fiasco now called Black Week culminated in his dismissal over Christmastide 1900. Upon being released from responsibilities he brought the whole subject before the House of Lords in a speech.[15][59]
Lord Wolseley was
Honorific and royal appointments
In early 1901, Lord Wolseley was appointed by
He was among the original recipients of the
In retirement, he was a member of the council of the
Channel Tunnel
Wolseley was deeply opposed to Sir Edward Watkin's attempt to build a Channel Tunnel. He gave evidence to a parliamentary commission that the construction might be "calamitous for England", he added that "No matter what fortifications and defences were built, there would always be the peril of some continental army seizing the tunnel exit by surprise." Various contrivances to satisfy his objections were put forward including looping the line on a viaduct from the Cliffs of Dover and back into them, so that the connection could be bombarded at will by the Royal Navy. For a combination of reasons over 100 years were to pass before a permanent link was made.[73]
Personal life and death
Wolseley was married in 1867 to Louisa (1843–1920), the daughter of Mr. A. Erskine.[10] His only child, Frances (1872–1936) was an author and founded the College for Lady Gardeners at Glynde. She was heiress to the viscountcy under special remainder, but it became extinct after her death.[74]
In his later years, Lord and Lady Wolseley lived in a
He was buried on 31 March 1913 in the crypt of
Legacy
There is an equestrian statue of Wolseley in Horse Guards Parade in London. This was sculpted by Sir William Goscombe John R.A.[76] and erected in 1920.[77]
Field Marshal Lord Wolseley is commemorated by a tablet at St Michael and All Angels Church in Colwich, Staffordshire, a short distance from Shugborough Hall and Wolseley Park at Colwich, near Rugeley. The church was the burial place of the Wolseley baronets of Wolseley Park, the ancestral home of the Wolseley family.[81]
W. S. Gilbert, of the musical partnership Gilbert and Sullivan, may have modelled the character of Major-General Stanley in the operetta The Pirates of Penzance on Wolseley, and George Grossmith, the actor who first created the role in the opening theatrical run, imitated Wolseley's appearance.[82] In another of Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas, Patience, Colonel Calverley praises Wolseley in the phrase: "Skill of Sir Garnet in thrashing a cannibal".[83]
The residential areas of
The Sir Garnet pub in the centre of Norwich, overlooking the historic market place and city hall, is named after Field Marshal Lord Wolseley. The pub opened in about 1861 and adopted the name Sir Garnet Wolseley in 1874, changed after a brief closing (2011–2012) to Sir Garnet.[87][88][89][90]
In Ghana, Wolseley is known by the name of "Sargrenti".[91] He is portrayed as a villain in the 2014 novel The Boy Who Spat in Sargrenti's Eye by South African author Manu Herbstein. The story is a fictitious account of the Anglo-Ashanti war told from the perspective of an Ashanti boy named Kofi Gyan.[92]
Wolseley's uniforms, field marshal's baton and souvenirs from his various campaigns are held in the collections of the
In recognition of his success, an expression arose: "all Sir Garnet" meaning; that everything is in good order.[94][95]
Selected publications by Viscount Wolseley
- The Story of a Soldier's Life. Vol. I. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1903.
- The Story of a Soldier's Life. Vol. II. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1904.
- "General Lee". Macmillan's Magazine. 55 (329): 321–331. March 1887.
- Narrative of the war with China in 1860. Longman, Green. 1862.
- The soldier's pocket-book of field service. Macmillan and Co. 1874.
- The life of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, to the accession of Queen Anne. R. Bentley and Son. 1894.
- The decline and fall of Napoleon. Pall Mall magazine library. Roberts Bros. 1895.[96]
- The story of a soldier's life. A. Constable & Co. 1903.
- General Lee. Press of C. Mann printing company. 1906.
- Letters of Lord and Lady Wolseley, 1870–1911, ed. by Sir George Arthur. 1922.
- American Civil War, an English view, writings of Viscount Wolseley, selected & ed. by James A. Rawley. 1964.
- Preston, Adrian W., ed. (1967). In relief of Gordon: Lord Wolseley's campaign journal of the Khartoum Relief Expedition, 1884–1885.
- Preston, Adrian W., ed. (1973). South African journal of Sir Garnet Wolseley, 1879–1880.
See also
- Royal Horse Guards
- British Cavalry
- British Army
- Essex Regiment
References
- ^ Montgomery, Bob (23 July 2003). "Past Imperfect". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ Farmer & Henley 1903, p. 215.
- ^ a b c d "Death of Lord Wolseley". The Times. London. 26 March 1913. p. 7.
- ^ Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage. Burke's Peerage Limited. 1885. p. 1425. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ Complete Baronetage: Great Britain and Ireland, 1707–1800, and Jacobite, 1688–1788. W. Pollard & Company, Limited. 1906. pp. 356–357.
- ^ a b c "Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, KP, GCB, OM, GCMG, VD, PC". Irish Masonic History and the Jewels of Irish Freemasonry. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36995. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
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- ^ "War Office Administration – Duties of Commander-in-Chief". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 4 March 1901. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "No. 27316". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 22 May 1901. p. 3552.
- ^ "The Coronation". The Times. No. 36834. London. 31 July 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "The King – the special Embassies". The Times. No. 36410. London. 23 March 1901. p. 12.
- ^ "The King´s accession". The Times. No. 36427. London. 12 April 1901. p. 3.
- ^ "The Coronation Honours". The Times. No. 36804. London. 26 June 1902. p. 5.
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36842. London. 9 August 1902. p. 6.
- ^ "No. 27470". The London Gazette. 2 September 1902. p. 5679.
- ^ "No. 27586". The London Gazette. 11 August 1903. p. 5078.
- ^ "No. 25229". The London Gazette. 11 May 1883. p. 2500.
- ^ "No. 25926". The London Gazette. 23 April 1889. p. 2294.
- ^ "No. 26624". The London Gazette. 14 May 1895. p. 2774.
- ^ "No. 26988". The London Gazette. 19 July 1898. p. 4354.
- ^ "New Castle liner Walmer Castle". The Times. No. 36716. London. 15 March 1902. p. 11.
- ^ "Proposed Channel Tunnel". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 24 January 1929. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ a b Heathcote 1999, p. 314.
- ^ Geoghegan 1911.
- ^ Baker 2008, p. 18.
- ^ "Horse Guards Parade". Secret London. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ Wolseley Barracks. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ Bates & Suciu 2009.
- ^ "Structure". Duke of York's Royal Military School. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels, Colwich". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ Bradley 2005, p. 220.
- ^ "Patience Web Opera". diamond.boisestate.edu. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
- ^ "An Historical Walking Tour of Wolseley (Winnipeg)". The Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "Wolseley: My Kind of Town". Harrowsmith Country Life. April 2000. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ Raper 1989, p. 479.
- ^ Gemma (30 May 2012). "A New Life for Sir Garnet". Vintage Norwich. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ "Sir Garnet Wolseley". Norwich Market. Norwich Heritage Projects. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ "About the Sir Garnet". The Sir Garnet. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ Bale, David (29 June 2012). "Norwich market place to get the Sir Garnet Wolseley pub back – but with a different name". Norwich Evening News. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ admin (21 June 2016). "The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti's Eye". Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ISBN 978-9988-1-9184-9.
- ^ "Famous People & Battles". Glenbow. n.d. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- ^ Partridge 2006, p. 14.
- ^ "Army cuts: Not 'All Sir Garnet'". The Guardian. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
The Victorian byword for a smart operation of any kind was 'All Sir Garnet'...
- ^ "Review: The Decline and Fall of Napoleon by Field-Marshal Viscount Wolseley". The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art. 79 (2061): 552. 27 April 1895.
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- Baker, Margaret (2008). Discovering London Statues and Monuments. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7478-0495-6.
- Bates, Stuart Jeffery; Suciu, Peter (2009). The Wolseley Helmet in Pictures: From Omdurman to El Alamein. PSB Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9806567-0-1.
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- ISSN 0140-2390.
- ISBN 1-85285-188-0.
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