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Herbert Stewart

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Sir Herbert Stewart
Engraving in The Illustrated London News, February 1885
Born30 June 1843
Sparsholt, Hampshire, England
Died16 February 1885 (aged 41)
Near Jakdul, Sudan
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1863-1885
RankMajor-general
CommandsGordon relief expedition
Battles / warsAnglo-Zulu War
First Boer War
Mahdist War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Order of Saint Sava[1]
Cricket information
BattingRight-handed
RoleWicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1869Marylebone Cricket Club
1869Hampshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 4
Runs scored 19
Batting average 2.71
100s/50s –/–
Top score 8
Catches/stumpings 2/1

Major-General Sir Herbert Stewart KCB ADC (30 June 1843 – 16 February 1885) was a British Army officer and English first-class cricketer.

He was mortally wounded leading one of the columns to relieve the Siege of Khartoum during the Mahdist War

Early life

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The eldest son of The Reverend Edward Stewart, Herbert Stewart was born in Sparsholt, Hampshire on 30 June 1843. He was the grandson of Edward Richard Stewart and great-grandson of John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway.[2] His mother was of Irish extraction, hailing from a County Kerry family.[3] He was educated firstly at Brighton College,[4][5] before attending Marlborough College in 1854.[6] He left Marlborough in 1855 and proceeded to Winchester College.[7][8] He was a prefect at Winchester,[7] and captained the cricket eleven.[9]

First-class cricket

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Stewart played first-class cricket in 1869 as a wicket-keeper for both Hampshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).[10] He made his first-class debut for the MCC against Oxford University at Oxford. Three further matches followed, two for the MCC against the South and Cambridge University, with his solitary appearance for Hampshire coming against the MCC at Lord's.[11] In his four first-class matches, he scored 28 runs with a highest score of 8, in addition to taking two catches and making a single stumping.[12]

Military career

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Early career

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Having briefly considered a legal career,[5] Stewart decided to pursue a military career and enlisted in the British Army, purchasing the rank of ensign with the 37th Foot in November 1863;[13] he further purchased the rank of lieutenant in July 1865,[14] and was appointed an adjutant in the regiment in July 1866.[15] After serving in British India with the 37th Foot he returned to England in 1873, having exchanged into the 3rd Dragoon Guards with the rank of captain.[5][16] In 1877, he entered the staff college, passing out in 1878. Following the Zulu victory at the Battle of Isandlwana, Stewart was dispatched to South Africa as a 'special service officer', where he partook in the remainder of the Anglo-Zulu War which concluded in July 1879. There, he was attached to the cavalry under the command of Frederick Marshall.[5] In November 1879, he fought in the Second Sekhukhune War against Sekhukhune I of the Bapedi, having initially been ordered home; however, with George Pomeroy Colley being ordered to Afghanistan, Stewart remained in South Africa to succeed him as General Garnet Wolseley's chief-of-staff.[17]

As the chief staff-officer under Sir George Pomeroy Colley, he was present at British defeat in the Battle of Majuba Hill (27 February 1881) which ended the First Anglo-Boer War. He was taken prisoner by a Boer patrol and detained until the end of March.[10]

Mahdist War

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In August 1882, he was placed on the staff of the cavalry division in Egypt during the Anglo-Egyptian War. After the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir (13 September 1882), he headed a brilliant advance upon Cairo, taking possession of both the town and citadel. He was three times mentioned in despatches, and made a brevet-colonel, CB, and aide-de-camp to the Queen. In January 1884, he was sent to Suakin (Sudan) in command of the cavalry under Sir Gerald Graham, and took part as brigadier in the actions from El Teb to the advance on Tamai. His services were recognized by him being knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, and he was made assistant adjutant and Quartermaster General for the South-Eastern District of England from April to September 1884.[10]

He then joined the expedition for the relief of Khartoum. In December, news from General Gordon led to Lord Wolseley's decision to send a column across the desert of Metemma (Bayuda Desert) and Stewart was entrusted with the command. On 16 January 1885, he found the enemy in force near the wells of Abu Klea, and brilliantly repulsed their fierce charge on the following morning. Leaving the wounded under guard, the column moved forward on the 18 January through bushy country towards Metemma, 23 miles distant.[10]

Meanwhile, the enemy continued their attacks, and on the morning of the 19 January, Stewart was wounded in the Battle of Abu Kru and had to hand over command to Sir Charles Wilson, the intelligence officer.[10]

Medallion on the memorial to Stewart at Hans Place, London

Death

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He lingered for nearly a month, living long enough to hear of his promotion to the rank of major-general "for distinguished service in the field."[18] He died on the way back from Khartoum to Korti on 16 February, and was buried near the wells of Jakdul. In the telegram reporting his death, Lord Wolseley summed up both Stewart's character and career with the words: "No braver soldier or more brilliant leader of men ever wore the Queen's uniform."[10] A similar sentiment was felt by the Chief: "A finer soldier never existed in HM Service. He was a young officer, who by his own merits and his personal bravery had brought himself into a prominent position in the Army much earlier than usually happened in the ordinary course of events."[19] Stewart seemed to epitomize the selfless spirit of the age, embodying the heroic sacrifice for Queen and Country that was supposed to symbolize a civilized Empire. A bronze relief panel was erected in St Paul's Cathedral, London;[20] it was unveiled by Lord Wolseley in July 1888.[21]

References

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  1. ^ Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima (in Serbian). Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 596.
  2. ^ The Scots Peerage, vol. IV (1907) pp. 168–169.
  3. ^ "Sir Herbert Stewart". The Times. No. 31376. London. 21 February 1885. p. 10. Retrieved 16 November 2024 – via Gale.
  4. ^ Brighton College Register (PDF). Brighton: J. Farncombe. 1922. p. 78.
  5. ^ a b c d Greaves & Knight 2007, p. 215.
  6. ^ Marlborough College Register from 1843 to 1904 (5 ed.). H. Hart. 1905. p. 89.
  7. ^ a b Dauglish, M. G.; Wainewright, John Bannerman (1907). Winchester College, 1836–1906: A Register. Winchester: P. and G. Wells. p. 142.
  8. ^ Sabben-Clare, James. Winchester College. Paul Cave Publications, 1981. p. 144
  9. ^ "Reminiscences of Sir Herbert Stewart". Blackwood's Magazine. Vol. 137, no. 833. Edinburgh. March 1885. pp. 522–527.
  10. ^ a b c d e f One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Stewart, Sir Herbert". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 914.
  11. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Herbert Stewart". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Player profile: Herbert Stewart". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  13. ^ "No. 22791". The London Gazette. 24 November 1863. p. 5752.
  14. ^ "No. 22992". The London Gazette. 18 July 1865. p. 3578.
  15. ^ "No. 23139". The London Gazette. 17 July 1866. p. 4039.
  16. ^ "No. 24026". The London Gazette. 17 October 1873. p. 4615.
  17. ^ Greaves & Knight 2007, p. 216.
  18. ^ "No. 25437". The London Gazette. 30 January 1885. p. 429.
  19. ^ Cambridge, p. 112
  20. ^ "Memorial - Sir Herbert Stewart". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  21. ^ Sinclair, W. (1909). Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral. London: Chapman & Hall, Ltd. p. 346, 460.

Bibliography

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  • George, HRH Duke of Cambridge (1906). Egar Sheppard (ed.). George, A Memoir of his Private life: based on the journals and correspondence of His Highness. Vol. 1 (1819-1871), Vol.2 (1871-1904). Longmans & Co.
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