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 Cecil James East (10 July 1837 – 14 March 1908) was a

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 ...

officer who became Governor and Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst.

Military career

East was commissioned as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the 82nd Regiment of Foot in 1854 and fought 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 ...

. He also served in the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form ...

and was wounded at

Cawnpore Kanpur ( Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary financial and commercial centre of northern India. Founded ...

. He transferred to the

41st Regiment of Foot The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1719. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881. History Early h ...

and served as Assistant Quartermaster-General on the Lushai expedition in 1871 before being appointed Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster-General during the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

of 1879 and then becoming Commander of the 1st Division during the

Third Anglo-Burmese War The Third Anglo-Burmese War (), also known as the Third Burma War, took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance continuing into 1887. It was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the Br ...

in 1885. He went on to command several districts in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and became Governor and Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst from 1893 to 1898. He was promoted to

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 ...

on 27 August 1902. In retirement he lived in Fairhaven near

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 N ...

. He is buried at

Kings Worthy Kings Worthy is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hampshire, England, approximately two miles north-east of Winchester, Hampshire, Winchester. Kings Worthy was a Tithe, tithing of Barton Stacey when the Domesday Book was w ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. He is author of a book entitled ''The Armed Strength of France''.''The Armed Strength of France''
by Cecil James East,

Family

In 1863 he married Jane Catharine Smith; they had a son and a daughter, Charles Conran East and Kate Florence East. Then in 1875 he married Frances Elizabeth Mogg; they had one daughter.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:East, Cecil 1837 births 1908 deaths 20th-century British Army personnel Burials in Hampshire British Army generals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Commandants of Sandhurst South Lancashire Regiment officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 41st Regiment of Foot officers British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Burmese War British military personnel of the Lushai Expedition