James Bevan Edwards
Sir James Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 November 1835 |
| Died | 8 July 1922 (aged 86) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Commands | Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong |
| Battles / wars | Crimean War Indian Mutiny Mahdist War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Lieutenant General Sir James Bevan Edwards KCB KCMG (5 November 1835 – 8 July 1922) was a senior British Army officer and politician.
Military career
Edwards was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1852.[1] He served with the Royal Engineers in the Crimean War in 1853 and the Indian Mutiny of 1857.[2]
He transferred to the Indian Staff Corps in 1882[3] and, during the Mahdist War, became Commanding Royal Engineer for the Suakin Expeditionary Force in 1885.[4] He was mentioned in despatches for his role in this Expedition.[5]
On return to the UK he became Commandant of the Royal School of Military Engineering.[6] He was then appointed Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong in 1889.[7]
Edwards was also chosen by the British Government to inspect the forces of the Australian colonies in 1889 and to advise on their organisation. He recommended a structure to enable the colonies to combine for mutual defence, uniform organisation and armament, a common Defence Act, a military college to train officers and a uniform gauge for railways.[2]
At the 1895 general election, he was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hythe in Kent,[8] but he made his resignation from the British House of Commons in February 1899.[9]
He became colonel-commandant of the Royal Engineers in 1903.[2]
Edwards died in 1922 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.[10]
Family
In 1868, he married Alice Brocklebank, in 1901, he married Nina Balfour, and, in 1918, he married Amy Ann Harding.[2]
References
- ^ "No. 21397". The London Gazette. 31 December 1852.
- ^ a b c d Australian Dictionary of Biography
- ^ "No. 25104". The London Gazette. 5 May 1882.
- ^ "No. 25444". The London Gazette. 20 February 1885.
- ^ "No. 25505". The London Gazette. 25 August 1885.
- ^ "No. 25793". The London Gazette. 6 March 1888.
- ^ "No. 25940". The London Gazette. 28 May 1889.
- ^ "No. 26651". The London Gazette. 2 August 1895.
- ^ "No. 27055". The London Gazette. 21 February 1899.
- ^ Brompton Cemetery site
External links
- 1835 births
- 1922 deaths
- Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
- Royal Engineers officers
- British Army generals
- British Army personnel of the Crimean War
- British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
- British Army personnel of the Mahdist War
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
- Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Recipients of the Order of the Double Dragon
- Burials at Brompton Cemetery
- UK MPs 1895–1900
- 19th-century British Army personnel
- 20th-century British people