General Sir Robert Biddulph, GCB, GCMG (26 August 1835 – 18 November 1918) was a senior British Army officer. He served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces in 1893, and was then Governor of Gibraltar until 1900.
General Sir Robert Biddulph | |
|---|---|
.jpg) General Sir Robert Biddulph, photographed 12 June 1906 | |
| Born | 26 August 1835 London, England |
| Died | 18 November 1918 (aged 83) Cornwall Gardens, Kensington, England |
| Buried | Charlton cemetery, London |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1850–1904 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Gibraltar Cyprus |
| Battles / wars | Crimean War Indian Mutiny Second Opium War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Military career
editEducated at Twyford School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Biddulph was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1853.[1] He served in the Crimean War and was present at the Siege of Sevastopol in 1854.[1] He then served in the Indian Mutiny, and was Brigade Major during the Siege of Lucknow in 1857.[1]
In 1871 he was selected to be Assistant Adjutant-General at the War Office and then in 1879 he succeeded Sir Garnet Wolseley as High Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief of Cyprus.[1] In 1886, he returned to London to be Inspector-General of Recruiting and two years later became Director-General of Military Education.[1] In 1893 he was briefly Quartermaster-General to the Forces.[2] Later that year, he became Governor of Gibraltar, serving as such until 1900.[1] He was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery, and was placed on retired pay on 26 August 1902.[3]
His final appointment, in 1904, was as Army Purchase Commissioner: in that capacity he abolished the purchase of commissions.[1]
He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1899 Birthday Honours.[4] Biddulph's Gate in Famagusta in Cyprus is named after him.[5]
Family
editBiddulph was the son of Robert Biddulph, MP. In 1864 he married Sophia Lambert and together they went on to have four sons and six daughters.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Robert Biddulph at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ "Sitter: General Sir Robert Biddulph (1835–1918)". Lafayette Negative Archive.
- ^ "No. 27468". The London Gazette. 26 August 1902. p. 5537.
- ^ "No. 27086". The London Gazette. 3 June 1899. p. 3585.
- ^ Italian Renaissance House and Biddulph Gate Famagusta, North Cyprus
- ^ The Peerage.com