Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir Henry D'Oyley Torrens (24 February 1833 – 1 December 1889) was a British Army officer and colonial governor. He was born in

Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the son of

Henry Whitelock Torrens Henry Whitelock Torrens (20 May 1806 – 16 August 1852), son of Major-General Henry Torrens, was born on 20 May 1806. He received his B.A. at Christ Church, Oxford (where he was a president of the United Debating Society), and entered the Inner T ...

and Eliza Mary Roberts and died in London.

Military career

Torrens was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in the

Royal Welsh Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated ...

in 1849. His rise through the ranks was very rapid, reaching the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1864. He served in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

at the major battles, for which he was awarded the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, followed by service in India during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. In 1862, he published a book, ''Travels in Ladâk, Tartary, and Kashmir'', about his summer holiday the previous year''.'' He was promoted to

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in 1869 and finally to Lieutenant-General while serving as General Officer Commanding Cork District in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1884. He went on to be was

Governor of Cape Colony This article lists the governors of British South African colonies, including the colonial prime ministers. It encompasses the period from 1797 to 1910, when present-day South Africa was divided into four British colonies namely: Cape Colony ...

in 1886 and

Governor of Malta A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1888. He was a keen golfer founding both Royal Cape Golf Club in 1886 and Royal Malta Golf Club in 1888.

Personal life

In 1876, Torrens married Georgina Frances De Butts in Kensington, London. She was born in 1852, the daughter of Augustus De Butts Jr (1806-1867) and his wife, Hannah Georgeina Elizabeth Inglefield, and granddaughter of General Sir Augustus De Butts. She died in 1918. He died on 1 December 1889 and the beneficiary of his will was his wife, Georgina Frances Torrens. He is buried in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Establ ...

, London. Georgina died in 1918.

References

1833 births 1889 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Burials at Brompton Cemetery Royal Welch Fusiliers officers British Army generals British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Governors of the Cape Colony British Army personnel of the Crimean War Governors and Governors-General of Malta People from Meerut Torrens family {{UK-army-bio-stub