General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Sir Arthur James Herbert KCB (21 January 1820 – 24 November 1897) was a Welsh officer in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

who was

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 ...

Early life and education

Herbert was born in

Llansantffraed, Monmouthshire Llansantffraed is the smallest parish in Monmouthshire, Wales, located four miles to the west of Raglan, north of the A40 between Raglan and Abergavenny. There is no community, only the Llansantffraed Court estate and the church. History Ll ...

,''1871 England Census'' the second son of James A. Jones of

Llanarth, Monmouthshire Llanarth is a privately owned estate village and community (Wales), community within a conservation area in the Wales, Welsh county of Monmouthshire. Llanarth is roughly east of Abergavenny and west of Raglan, Monmouthshire, Raglan. History O ...

, and Lady Harriet Plunkett, daughter of

Arthur Plunkett, 8th Earl of Fingall Arthur James Plunkett, 8th Earl of Fingall KP (9 September 1759 – 30 July 1835), styled Lord Killeen until 1793, was an Irish peer. A prominent Roman Catholic, he was a leading supporter of the cause of Catholic emancipation. He was at the s ...

, a prominent Irish Roman Catholic peer. He was educated at Prior Park Roman Catholic College and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, earning a B.A. in 1877 and M.A. in 1882. Along with other members of his family, he changed his surname to Herbert in 1848.

Military career

Herbert was commissioned into the

23rd Regiment of Foot Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

of the

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

in 1839. He rose through the officer ranks becoming a

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1854. He served in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and made sketches of the action. In 1856 he was appointed Deputy Quartermaster-General in the

Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...

before becoming Assistant Adjutant-General at Headquarters. He was appointed

in 1882 and retired in 1887.

Personal life

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

in 1854, Herbert married Elizabeth Hill Ferguson, the daughter of Charles John Hill and widow of Captain George Ferguson, of Houghton Hall, Carlisle, Cumberland.''Newfoundland, Canada, Index of Birth, Marriage & Death Notices from Newspapers, 1810–1890'' He died at his home after a long illness.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Arthur James 1820 births 1897 deaths Welsh Roman Catholics Welsh people of Irish descent People educated at Prior Park College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford British Army generals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Royal Welch Fusiliers officers