Lieutenant-General Sir Francis Booth Norman (25 April 1830 – 25 June 1901) was an English officer of the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Gover ...

, who led

Bengal Native Infantry The regiments of Bengal Native Infantry, alongside the regiments of Bengal European Infantry, were the regular infantry components of the East India Company's Bengal Army from the raising of the first Native battalion in 1757 to the passing in ...

troops during the

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

, the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dy ...

, and a number of small conflicts on the frontiers of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

Career

Francis Norman was the younger brother of Sir

Henry Wylie Norman Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Sir Henry Wylie Norman, (2 December 1826 – 26 October 1904) was a senior British Indian Army, Indian Army officer and colonial administrator. He served in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the campaign a ...

, and was born on 25 April 1830 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He entered

Addiscombe Addiscombe is an area of south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located south of Charing Cross, and is situated north of Coombe and Selsdon, east of Croydon town centre, south of Woodside, and west of Shirley. ...

, and obtained his commission in the Bengal Army on 8 December 1848. After his regiment participated in the

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

, he was attached to the 14th (Ferozepore Sikh) Regiment, and he remained at

Ferozepore Firozpur, (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Punjabi, ɪroːzpʊr also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in the Firozpur District of Punjab, India. After the Partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the In ...

during subsequent operations. He received the

Indian Mutiny Medal __NOTOC__ The Indian Mutiny Medal was a campaign medal approved in August 1858, for officers and men of British and Indian units who served in operations in suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The medal was initially sanctioned for award ...

for his service during the rebellion. In 1863, Norman took part in the

Ambela Campaign The Ambela campaign (also called Umbeyla, Umbeylah, and Ambeyla) of 1863 was one of many expeditions in the border area between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the North-West Frontier of British India against the 'fanatics' at Malka, a colony of ...

, and was present at the storming of the Conical Hill and at the destruction of Laloo. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

, and added the India General Service Medal with clasp to the Mutiny Medal. In the three following years he was engaged during the Bhutan Campaign in the capture of Dewangiri and of the stockades in the Gurugaon Pass, serving as assistant quartermaster-general and receiving the "Bhootan" clasp and the brevet rank of

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 1868, he took part in the Hazara Campaign as second-in-command of the 24th (Punjab) Regiment, again receiving the clasp. After an interval of ten years, the

(1878–80) brought him fresh opportunities of distinction. He commanded the 24th Regiment in the Bazar Valley and the defence of Jagdallak, marching with General Roberts's force from

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

and taking part in the Battle of Kandahar on 1 September 1880. Mentioned in several despatches, he received the Afghanistan Medal with clasp "Kandahar", the bronze star, a Companionship of the Order of the Bath, and brevet

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

cy. 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 ...

of 1885, he commanded the Bengal Army brigade of the Upper Burma field force, assisting in the occupation of

Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...

and

Bhamo Bhamo ( ''ban: mau mrui.'', also spelt Banmaw), historically known as Manmaw (; ) or Hsinkai () is a city in Kachin State in northern Myanmar, south of the state capital, (Myitkyina). It is on the Ayeyarwady River. It lies within of the border ...

. He was thanked by the government of British India and promoted to be Knight Commander of the Bath. He attained the rank of major-general on 1 September 1889. He was later promoted on the retired list.

Personal life

Francis Norman left India in 1891. He died on 25 June 1901 at

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of H ...

, and was buried in

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...

. He was twice married: in 1852 to Eliza Ellen, daughter of lieutenant Nisbett, Bengal Army, who died at Rawal Pindi in 1870; and in March 1892 to Caroline Matilda, daughter of the Rev. W. W. Cazalet and widow of Major E. F. J. Rennick, Bengal Staff Corps, who survived him. He left three sons and three daughters, one of the latter, Edith, being the wife of Sir Louis W. Dane, lieutenant-governor of the Punjab.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Francis 1830 births 1901 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath British East India Company Army officers Graduates of Addiscombe Military Seminary British Indian Army generals Military personnel from London Burials at West Norwood Cemetery British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British military personnel of the Bhutan War British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Burmese War