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1862 - VICTORIAN APPT SIGNED BY HRH DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE
Item Ref: BSL - Duke of Cambridge
Appt 1862
Commander-in Chief Prince George Signs
the Appointment
of Major General William Reece, Esquire, C.B.
Field Marshall Prince George's
Equestrian Statue on Whitehall
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
(March 1819 – March 1904)
Served as General Commanding-in-Chief
from 1856 - 1895
Field Marshall November 1862 to 1895
Longest Serving Commander-in Chief
of the British Army
George - Duke of Cambridge
A Strong Bold Signature of Prince "George", Duke of Cambridge, as the
General Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, here seen signing the
Appointment of William Reece, Esquire, C. B. as a "Colonel in Our Army
from the Thirteenth of July 1858". Also signing, on behalf of the War Office, is General,
The Right
Honourable, Sir Edward Lugard, G.C.B.
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge was a member of the British Royal Family, a male-line grandson of King George III. The Duke was an Army officer and served as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army from 1856 to 1895. He became Duke of Cambridge in 1850.
Biographical Note
Prince George was born at
Cambridge House in Hanover, Germany. His father was Prince Adolphus,
Duke of Cambridge, the 10th child and 7th son of King George III and
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He succeeded to his father's titles
of Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Tipperary, and Baron Culloden in 1850.
George was educated in Hanover and embarked upon a military career. In
November 1837, after he had served for a short time in the Hanoverian
army, he received the rank of colonel in the British Army. He was
attached to the staff at Gibraltar from October 1838 to April 1839.
After serving in Ireland with the 12th Royal Lancers (the Prince of
Wales's), he was appointed colonel of the 17th Light Dragoons (now
Lancers), in April 1842. From 1842 to 1845, he served as a colonel on
the staff in the Ionian islands.
The Duke of Cambridge became inspector of the cavalry in 1852. He held
that post until 1854, when, upon the outbreak of the Crimean War, he
received command of the 1st Division (Guards and Highland brigades) of
the British army in the East. In June 1854, he was promoted to the rank
of lieutenant general. He was present at the battles of the Alma,
Balaklava and Inkerman, and at the siege of Sevastopol. On 5 July 1856,
the Duke was appointed general commanding-in-chief of the British Army;
a post that was retitled commander-in-chief of the forces by Letters
Patent in 1887. In that capacity he served as the chief military advisor
to the Secretary of State for War, with responsibility for the
administration of the army and the command of forces in the field.
However, the commander-in-chief was not subordinate to the Secretary of
State. He was promoted of the rank of Field Marshal on 9 November 1862.
The Duke of Cambridge was the longest serving head of the British Army,
serving as commander-in-chief for 39 years. Although he was deeply
concerned about the welfare of soldiers, he earned a reputation for
being resistant to doctrinal change and for making promotions based upon
an officer's social standing, rather than his merit. Under his command,
the British Army became a moribund and stagnant institution, lagging far
behind its continental counterparts. In the late 19th century, whereas
50 per cent of all military literature was written in Germany and 25 per
cent in France, just one per cent came from Britain. It is said that he
rebuked one of his more intelligent subordinates with the words:
"Brains? I don't believe in brains! You haven't any, I know, Sir!" He
was equally forthright on his reluctance to adopt change: "There is a
time for everything, and the time for change is when you can no longer
help it." With George's death in 1904, the 1801 creation of the
dukedom of Cambridge became extinct.
General The Rt. Hon Sir Edward Lugard
G.C.B. 1810 - 1898
(Colonel the 31st Regiment 1862-1881)
Biographical Note
Born in
1810, the son of an Army Captain, Sir Edward took part in some of the
greatest military endeavours of the 19th century. He served in the
ultimately disastrous British invasion of Afghanistan and occupation of
Kabul. Having survived that campaign, he became Assistant Adjutant
General to the army which fought and defeated the Sikhs in the Sutlej
campaign of 1845-1846. Despite being wounded at the Battle of Moodkee,
he took part in the action at Aliwal only seven weeks later. In his
despatch, the legendary Major General Sir Harry Smith described
Lugard as “a cool, intrepid and trustworthy officer”. Promoted
again, he was Adjutant General for the Punjab (1848-1849), then Deputy
Adjutant General, Bombay (1854-1857)
In 1856 the British invaded Persia, and Sir Edward accompanied the
expeditionary force as Chief of Staff to Major General Sir James Outram.
Unlike the Kabul affair, it achieved its aims swiftly and with few
losses. In 1857 Sir Edward returned to India to the appointment of
Adjutant General. No sooner had he taken up this post than mutiny broke
out in the Army of Bengal, an event recorded by British historians as the Great Sepoy Mutiny of 1857-1858. Sir Edward was given command of the
2nd Division of Infantry, and he led it in the fierce battles to rescue
the garrison at Lucknow.
In 1859, after nearly three decades of warfare in the east, Lugard
came home to a series of senior appointments in the War Office
(including that of Under-Secretary for War, 1861-1871). It was during
this time that he signed this Appointment. It was also in 1862 that he
became Colonel of the 31st Regiment of Foot, so it was fitting that
he should have been appointed to the same post for The East Surrey
Regiment upon its formation in 1881. He had retired in the previous year
to his home in Notting Hill, London, but continued to take an active
role in the affairs of his old regiment’s successor until his death,
still in command, in 1898. By then, he was eighty-eight years of age.
His combined service as Colonel of the old 31st Regiment, and
subsequently The East Surrey Regiment amounted to the remarkable total
of thirty-six years. A memorial to Sir Edward is in All Saints Parish
Church, Kingston-upon-Thames.
Document Specifications: Fine Royal Appointment, Signed by Prince "George", Duke of Cambridge as General Commanding-in-Chief of the British Army and Sir Edward Lugard as the Under Secretary for War. One page folio on thick stock paper measuring 16" wide x 12" tall (405mm x 303mm) and dated June 8th 1862. Embossed with the paper over wax Royal Seal and further embossed with a blue paper, cancel and cypher seal Revenue Stamp in the Amount of £1.10Sh. Very fine, dark signature of "George". Three normal vertical file folds as expected. Docketed on the reverse as well as a complementary Revenue Paper Stamp Seal. A Very Fine example of a Royal Appointment Signed by HRH Prince "George", Longest Serving General Commanding-in-Chief of the British Army.
Offered
by Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd. .................................
$ Listed on eBay