General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Sir Redvers Henry Buller, (7 December 1839 – 2 June 1908) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

officer and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces. He served as

Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in South Africa The Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in South Africa was the title of the British Army general who held command of British forces during the Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), ...

during the early months of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

and subsequently commanded the army in Natal until his return to England in November 1900.

Origins

Buller was the second son and eventual heir of

James Wentworth Buller James Wentworth Buller (1 October 1798 – 13 March 1865) of Downes, Crediton, Devon, was a British Whig Member of Parliament for Exeter, in Devon, from 1830 to 1835, and for North Devon from 1857 to 1865. Origins He was the son of James Bul ...

(1798–1865), MP for Exeter, by his wife Charlotte Juliana Jane Howard-Molyneux-Howard (d.1855), third daughter of

Lord Henry Thomas Howard-Molyneux-Howard Lord Henry Thomas Howard-Molyneux-Howard (7 October 1766 – 17 June 1824), known as Henry Howard until 1812, and as Henry Molyneux-Howard until 1817, was a British gentleman who served as Deputy Earl Marshal in the latter part of the reign of Ge ...

, Deputy

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the U ...

and younger brother of

Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk Bernard Edward Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk, (21 November 1765 – 16 March 1842) was a British peer. Early life Howard was the son of Henry Howard (1713–1787) by his wife Juliana Molyneux, daughter of Sir William Molyneux, 6th Baronet (di ...

. Redvers Buller was born on 7 December 1839 at the family estate of

Downes Downes may refer to: * Downes Sports F.C., the former name of Hinckley Downes F.C. * Downes v. Bidwell, a US Supreme Court case * Downes (surname), people with the surname ''Downes'' * USS Downes, USS ''Downes'', several United States Navy ships S ...

, near Crediton in Devon, inherited by his great-grandfather James Buller (1740–1772) from his mother Elizabeth Gould, the wife of James Buller (1717–1765), MP. The Bullers were an old Cornish family, long seated at Morval in Cornwall until their removal to Downes. The family estates, including Downes, inherited in 1874 by Redvers Buller from his unmarried elder brother James Howard Buller (1835–1874) included of Devon and of Cornwall, which in 1876 produced an income of £14,137 a year.

Early career

After education at Eton, he purchased a commission in the

60th Rifles The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United S ...

in May 1858. He served in the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire#Britain's imperial ...

and was promoted

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

before taking part in the Canadian Red River Expedition of 1870. In 1873–74, he was the intelligence officer under Lord Wolseley during the Ashanti campaign, during which he was slightly wounded at the Battle of Ordabai. He was promoted to

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

and appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregiv ...

Zulu War and Victoria Cross

He then served in South Africa during the 9th Cape Frontier War in 1878 and the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...

of 1879. In the Zulu War he commanded the mounted infantry of the northern British column under Sir Evelyn Wood. He fought at the British defeat at the

Battle of Hlobane The Battle of Hlobane (28 March 1879) took place at Hlobane, near the modern town of Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa during the Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdo ...

, where he was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery under fire. The following day he fought in the British victory at the

Battle of Kambula The Battle of Kambula took place on 29 March 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War, when a Zulu military force attacked the British camp at Kambula, having routed the mounted element of the British force at the Battle of Hlobane the day before. The ...

. After the Zulu attacks on the British position were beaten off, he led a ruthless pursuit by the mounted troops of the fleeing Zulus. In June 1879, he again commanded mounted troops at the

Battle of Ulundi The Battle of Ulundi took place at the Zulu Kingdom, Zulu capital of Ulundi (Zulu:''oNdini'') on 4 July 1879 and was the last major battle of the Anglo-Zulu War. The British army broke the military power of the Zulu Kingdom, Zulu nation by def ...

, a decisive British victory which effectively ended the war. His VC citation reads: Redver buller sauvant un officier à Hlobane

In an interview to ''

The Register ''The Register'' is a British technology news website co-founded in 1994 by Mike Magee, John Lettice and Ross Alderson. The online newspaper's masthead sublogo is "''Biting the hand that feeds IT''." Their primary focus is information tec ...

'' newspaper of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, South Australia, dated 2 June 1917, Trooper George Ashby of the Frontier Light Horse (also referred to as " Pulleine's Pets") attached to the 24th Regiment gave an account of his rescue by Col. Buller:

First Boer War, Sudan and Ireland

In the

First Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...

of 1881 he was Sir Evelyn Wood's chief of staff and the following year was again head of intelligence, this time in the

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

campaign, and was knighted. He had married Audrey, the daughter of the 4th Marquess Townshend, in 1882 and in the same year was sent to the

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

in command of an infantry brigade and fought at the battles of

El Teb El Teb, a halting-place in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan near Suakin on the west coast of the Red Sea, 9 m. southwest of the port of Trinkitat on the road to Tokar. In mid-December 1883, the British Prime Minister William Gladstone ordered an eva ...

and Tamai, and the expedition to relieve General Gordon in 1885. He was promoted to major-general. He was sent to Ireland in 1886, to head an inquiry into moonlighting by police personnel. He returned to the Army as

Quartermaster-General to the Forces The Quartermaster-General to the Forces (QMG) is a senior general in the British Army. The post has become symbolic: the Ministry of Defence organisation charts since 2011 have not used the term "Quartermaster-General to the Forces"; they simply ...

the following year and in 1890 promoted to

Adjutant-General to the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...

, becoming a

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 th ...

on 1 April 1891. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 1st (Exeter and South Devon) Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, on 4 May 1892. Although expected to be made Commander-in-Chief of the British Army by Lord Rosebery's government on the retirement of the

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

in 1895, this did not happen because the government was replaced and Lord Wolseley was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Army instead. On 24 June 1896 Buller was promoted to full

Second Boer War and sacking

Buller became head of the troops stationed at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

in 1898. He was sent as commander of the Natal Field Force in 1899 on the outbreak of the

. On seeing the list of troops which would make up his Corps Buller is said to have remarked "well, if I can't win with these, I ought to be kicked." By early September 1899 he had serious thoughts that the Boers could not easily be browbeaten, and that

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

's forces in Natal might receive some punishment if they deployed too far forward. He arrived at the end of October. He was defeated at the

Battle of Colenso The Battle of Colenso was the third and final battle fought during the Black Week of the Second Boer War. It was fought between British and Boer forces from the independent South African Republic and Orange Free State in and around Colenso, N ...

, during what was later to become known as

Black Week Black Week refers to the week of 10–17 December 1899 during the Second Boer War, when the British Army suffered three devastating defeats by the Boer Republics at the battles of Stormberg, Magersfontein and Colenso. In total, 2,776 British ...

. Defeats at the

Battle of Magersfontein The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, South Africa, on the borders of the Cape Co ...

and

Battle of Stormberg The Battle of Stormberg was the first British defeat of Black Week, in which three successive British forces were defeated by Boer irregulars in the Second Boer War. Background When the British first drew up a plan of campaign against the Boer ...

also involved forces under his command. Because of concerns about his performance and negative reports from the field he was replaced in January 1900 as overall commander in South Africa by Lord Roberts. Defeats and questionable ability as commander soon earned him the nickname "Reverse Buller" among troops. He remained as second-in-command and suffered two more setbacks in his attempts to relieve

Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to: * Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada * Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States * Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia * Ladysmith, Virginia, United States * Ladysmith Island, Queenslan ...

at the battles of Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz. On his fourth attempt, Buller was victorious in the

Battle of the Tugela Heights The Battle of Tugela (or Thukela) Heights, consisted of a series of military actions lasting from 14 February through to 27 February 1900 in which General Sir Redvers Buller's British army forced Louis Botha's Boer army to lift the Siege of Lad ...

, lifting the siege on 28 February 1900, the day after

Piet Cronje Piet may refer to: People *Piet (given name), a common name in the Netherlands and South Africa *Henri Piet (1888–1915), French lightweight boxer *Tony Piet (1906–1981), American Major League Baseball player Schools *Purushottam Institute of ...

at last surrendered to Roberts at Paardeberg. After Roberts took Bloemfontein (13 March 1900), Buller correctly predicted that the Boers would take to guerrilla warfare. Later he was successful in flanking Boer armies out of positions at

Biggarsberg Biggarsberg is a series of hills in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, stretching south of Glencoe and Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Ki ...

Laing's Nek Laing's Nek, or Lang's Nek is a pass through the Drakensberg mountain range, South Africa, immediately north of Majuba, at at an elevation of 5400 to . It is the lowest part of a ridge which slopes from Majuba to the Buffalo River, and before ...

and

Lydenburg Lydenburg, officially known as Mashishing, is a town in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, on the Mpumalanga highveld, South Africa. It is situated on the Sterkspruit/Dorps River tributary of the Lepelle River at the summit of the Long Tom Pass. ...

. It was Buller's veterans who won the

Battle of Bergendal The Battle of Berg-en-dal (also known as the Battle of Belfast or Battle of Dalmanutha) took place in South Africa during the Second Anglo-Boer War. The battle was the last set-piece battle of the war, although the war was still to last another t ...

in the war's last set-piece action. Buller was also popular as a military leader amongst the public in England, and he had a triumphal return from South Africa with many public celebrations, including those on 10 November 1900 when he went to Aldershot to resume his role as General Officer Commanding Aldershot District, later to be remembered as "a Buller day". He spent the following months giving lectures and speeches on the war, was promoted to a

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(GCMG) in Nov 1900, and received the Honorary Freedom of the Borough of

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

in April 1901. However, his reputation had been damaged by his early reverses in South Africa, especially within the Unionist government. When public disquiet emerged over the continuing guerrilla activities by the defeated Boers, the Minister for War, St. John Brodrick and Lord Roberts sought a scapegoat. The opportunity was provided by the numerous attacks in the newspapers on the performance of the British Army. The matter came to a head when a virulent piece written by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'' journalist Leo Amery was publicly answered by Buller in a speech on 10 October 1901. Brodrick and Roberts saw their opportunity to pounce and, summoning Buller to an interview on 17 October, Brodrick, with Roberts in support, demanded his resignation on the grounds of breaching military discipline. Buller refused and was summarily dismissed on half pay on 22 October. His request for a court martial was refused, as was his request to appeal to the King.

Later life

Statue of General Sir Redvers Buller - geograph

There were many public expressions of sympathy for Buller, especially in the West Country, where in 1905 by public subscription a notable statue by Adrian Jones of Buller astride his war horse was erected in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

on the road from his home town of

Crediton Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter and around from the M5 motorwa ...

(facing away from Crediton to the annoyance of its inhabitants). He received the Honorary Freedom of the borough of Blandford on 1 December 1902. Buller described himself as a Whig and a

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a politic ...

, but declined a number of offers, from both sides, to stand for Parliament at the 1906 election. Buller continued his quiet retirement, until on 29 May 1907 he accepted the post of Principal Warden of the

Goldsmiths' Company The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, commonly known as the Goldsmiths' Company and formally titled The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London, is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of Londo ...

which he held until his death in 1908.

Marriage and progeny

In 1882 at the age of 43 he married Lady Audrey Jane Charlotte Townshend (d. 1926), widow of Greville Howard (son of

Charles Howard, 17th Earl of Suffolk Charles John Howard, 17th Earl of Suffolk, 10th Earl of Berkshire (7 November 1805 – 14 August 1876), styled Viscount Andover between 1820 and 1851, was a British peer and Whig politician. Background Suffolk was the son of Thomas Howard, 16t ...

) by whom she had issue, and daughter of John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend by his wife Elizabeth Jane Crichton-Stuart, daughter of Lord George Stuart, younger son of

John Crichton-Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute PC, FRS (30 June 1744 – 16 November 1814), styled Lord Mount Stuart until 1792 and known as The Earl of Bute between 1792 and 1794, was a British nobleman, coalfield owner, diplomat and politician who sat in ...

. By his wife he had issue an only child and daughter: * (Audrey Charlotte)

Georgiana Buller Dame Audrey Charlotte Georgiana Buller (4 August 1884 – 22 June 1953) was a British hospital administrator and the founder of the first school dedicated to occupational therapy in the United Kingdom. Buller was born in Crediton, Devon, the ...

(1884–1953), awarded the Royal Red Cross (R.R.C.) and a Dame Commander,

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(1920), of Bellair House, Exeter. She served as an administrator of the War Hospitals in Exeter during World War I and died unmarried in 1953.

Death, burial and succession

Buller died on 2 June 1908, at the family seat, Downes House, Crediton, Devon, and is buried in the churchyard of Holy Cross Church in Crediton. The entire western side of the chancel arch inside the church forms an elaborate monument to Sir Redvers. As he died without male progeny he was succeeded in the family estates by his next surviving younger brother Arthur Tremayne Buller (born 1850), his father's fifth son.

Legacy

Historian Richard Holmes (1946–2011) commented that Buller has gone down as "one of the bad jokes of Victorian military history", and quotes a famous verdict that he was "an admirable captain, an adequate major, a barely satisfactory colonel and a disastrous general".

Viscount Esher Viscount Esher, of Esher in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 November 1897 for the prominent lawyer and judge William Brett, 1st Baron Esher, upon his retirement as Master of the Rolls. ...

called him "a gallant fellow but no strategist". Wolseley praised his "stern determination of character". At least one recent historian has been kinder to his reputation:

Place name tributes

England

In England the

Royal Corps of Transport The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army Corps established to manage all matters in relation to the transport of men and material for the Army and the wider Defence community. It was formed in 1965 and disbanded in 1993; its units and ...

barracks at

is named after him, as is a road in

North Camp North Camp is a suburb of Farnborough, Hampshire. It covers most of the southern part of the town, adjoining Aldershot Military Town as part of the Farnborough/Aldershot_Built-up_Area . History North Camp has been closely linked to both Aldersho ...

between Farnborough and Aldershot, and Buller Court in Farnborough (built upon the site of Buller House). Two adjacent roads in

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...

, London, namely Redvers Road and Buller Road (adjacent to Mafeking Road), bear his name, as do a road in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, Redvers Buller Road in Chesterfield, Derbyshire (adjacent to Baden Powell Road and Lord Roberts Road (after Lord Roberts of Kandahar)), Buller Street in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

, Buller Road in Croydon and Buller Street and Mews in

Bury, Lancashire Bury ( ) is a market town on the River Irwell in Greater Manchester, England. Metropolitan Borough of Bury is administered from the town, which had an estimated population of 78,723 in 2015. The town is within the historic county boundarie ...

(yards from the old Lancashire Fusiliers Wellington Barracks on Bolton Road). Chatham also has a Redvers Road and a Buller Road next to each other, opposite a Natal Road, and adjacent to roads and avenues named after some other Boer War Generals: Haig, Kitchener,

Symons Symons is a surname which may refer to: Arts and entertainment * A. J. A. Symons (1900–1941), English author *Arthur Symons (1865–1945), English poet * Elaine Symons (born 1974), Irish actress *Emily Symons (born 1969), Australian actress * Ge ...

and

. Leicester also has a Buller Road adjacent to other streets named after Anglo Boer War Generals. Brighton also has a Redvers and a Buller Road, along with other references to the war: Mafeking Road, Ladysmith Road and Kimberley Road nearby. Buller Road in Exeter is close to Redvers Road, crossed by Nelson Road. Exeter School has a Buller House.

Canada

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

Buller Street in

is named after him, near Roberts Street and Kitchener Street. The town of

Redvers Redvers may refer to: Places *Redvers, Saskatchewan Redvers is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the first town one passes through travelling west from Manitoba on the Red Coat Trail, the path taken by the North-West Mounted Pol ...

, in Saskatchewan, is named after him. In

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Buller Street in

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

is named after him.

Trinidad and Tobago

Buller Street in

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a muni ...

is one of seven streets bearing the names of officers of the British Army who distinguished themselves during the

: Roberts, Kitchener,

Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...

, Buller, Methuen, MacDonald and William Forbes Gatacre.

Monuments

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, England.

Winchester Cathedral

There is a memorial to Buller, in the form of his recumbent effigy, in the north transept of

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

, England. The inscription reads, "A great leader – Beloved of his men."

Exeter

A bronze equestrian statue of Buller by Adrian Jones (1905) is situated in Exeter at the junction of New North Road and Hele Road, on the route between the city and Buller's home at

Downes, Crediton Downes House is situated about one mile east of Crediton in Devon. The house is an 18th-century Palladian re-modelling of an earlier house.Cherry & Pevsner, pp.339–40 It was classed Grade II* listed on 20 May 1985. Nearby is the site of a R ...

, and since 1970 it has stood outside Exeter College. In January 2021, Exeter City Council voted to move the statue away from the college on the grounds that its connection to "British imperialism" meant it was "inappropriate" to be "outside an educational establishment which includes young people from diverse backgrounds". In February 2021, the council abandoned plans to move the statue, though temporary information boards will be installed and the council will consider removing the words "He saved Natal" from the plinth.

Crediton

The entire western side of the chancel arch inside Holy Cross Church in Crediton forms an elaborate monument to Buller, designed by William Douglas Caröe with sculpture of St George by Nathaniel Hitch (1845–1938). A brass mural tablet was erected in Crediton Church by his only daughter Georgiana Buller. The

Wetherspoons J D Wetherspoon plc (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a pub company operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based in Watford. It ...

public house in Crediton bears his name.

Citations

General and cited references

* * * * * * * * *

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Devonshire)''
General Sir Redvers Buller Statue in Exeter

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Buller, Redvers Henry ategory:1839 births 1908 deaths Anglo-Zulu War recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army generals British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of the Second Opium War British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel of the 9th Cape Frontier War British military personnel of the First Boer War British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War British recipients of the Victoria Cross

Burials in Devon Governors of Natal King's Royal Rifle Corps officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Military personnel from Devon People educated at Eton College People from Crediton People of the Fenian raids People of the Red River Rebellion Under-Secretaries for Ireland