Talk:Henry Roxby Benson

CO during Crimea?

The citation to the Times doesn't appear to support the statement that Benson commanded the 17th Lancers in the field during the Crimean War. I don't have access to the Times archive, but it appears just to be duplicating the notice in the London Gazette (now added as a reference) of Benson's appointment as lieutenant-colonel on 30 September 1856, by which time the war was over. The 17th Lancers went to the Crimea under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John Lawrenson. He was invalided home shortly after the Battle of the Alma in September 1854, when command devolved upon Major Augustus Saltren Willett, who died on 23 October. Benson was seemingly not serving with the regiment at this time, as command then passed to Captain William Morris, who was Benson's junior. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October, when the regiment effectively ceased to exist as a functioning unit. I suppose it's possible Benson commanded the regiment for the next year of the war, though Fortescue's History of the 17th Lancers does not mention him by name until the chapter on the Indian Mutiny. Please could somebody check the Times archive to see exactly what it does say? Opera hat (talk) 18:48, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Since writing the above I've acquired a copy of Into Battle: British Orders of Battle for the Crimean War 1854–56 by Ron McGuigan (2001). In the list for Inkerman, 5 November 1854, the 17th are commanded by Godfrey Charles Morgan (the junior captain), and on 1 January 1855 by Alexander Learmonth, who had been promoted to captain on Benson's succession to the majority. Major Benson is in command of the regiment in the lists for 13 August 1855, 1 January 1856 and 1 April 1856, Colonel Lawrenson being absent on the staff as brigadier-general commanding the 1st (Heavy) Cavalry Brigade in 1855, and acting commander of the Cavalry Division in 1856. Opera hat (talk) 18:27, 25 February 2016 (UTC)

Requested move 24 February 2016

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: To be moved. No objections and seems reasonable. Note: move requires technical assistance which I will request. (non-admin closure)  — Amakuru (talk) 12:41, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

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Henry Benson (British Army officer) → Henry Roxby Benson – User:DBD moved this article from Henry Roxby Benson to Henry Benson (general) on 11 April 2012 on the grounds that this was his common name. Searching on Google overwhelmingly gives his full name, except for this site which first mentions him as "Henry (Roxby) Benson" and as "Henry Benson" thereafter. However, the notice for his son Starling Meux Benson in Who Was Who (vol. III, p. 97) calls him "the late General H. Roxby Benson", implying he used his middle name. Fortescue's History of the 17th Lancers lists him as "H. Roxby Benson" on p. 213 and as "Henry R. Benson" on p. 218. As it isn't clear by which name he was commonly known, I suggest moving the article back to the full name, unless someone else can provide further sources? Opera hat (talk) 06:05, 24 February 2016 (UTC)

• Support per WP:NATURAL – Natural disambiguation is preferred to parenthetical disambiguation. RGloucester — ☎ 14:31, 24 February 2016 (UTC)

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The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.