Francis Colborne

Summary

General Sir Francis Colborne KCB (23 April 1817 – 26 November 1895) was Commander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements.

Sir

Francis Colborne
Born23 April 1817
Florence, Italy
Died26 November 1895 (aged 78)
Buckerell, Devon, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
RankGeneral
Commands heldCommander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements
Battles/warsCrimean War
Perak Expedition
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Early years edit

Born in 1817 the second son of John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton and educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey, due to his father's posting between 1821 and 1828 as Lieutenant-Governor of Guernsey.[1]

Military career edit

Colborne was commissioned into the 15th Regiment of Foot in 1836.[2] He served in the Crimean War in 1855.[2]

He was appointed Commander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements in 1874.[2] He commanded the Perak Expedition in 1875 and quickly put down the insurrection taking place in North West Malaysia.[3] He was made a full general on 1 April 1882 and retired in 1883.[2]

In 1881 he was made Colonel of the First Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, a position he held until 1885, when he transferred to be Colonel of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment until his death in 1895.[4][5]

References edit

  1. ^ "John Colborne 1st Baron Seaton". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Sir Francis Colborne". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/71703. Retrieved 7 July 2019. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ "Strait Settlements". 1902 Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. ^ "The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment [UK]". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 4 January 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  5. ^ Westlake, pp. 114–22.

Sources edit

  • Westlake, Ray (2010). Tracing the Rifle Volunteers: A Guide for Military and Family Historian. Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1848842113.
Military offices
Preceded by Commander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong
and the Straits Settlements

1874–1878
Succeeded by