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 | |
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Born | 23 April 1817 Florence, Italy |
Died | 26 November 1895 (aged 78) Buckerell, Devon, England |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Rank | General |
Commands held | Commander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements |
Battles/wars | Crimean War Perak Expedition |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
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]
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]