George Hampden Whalley, later George Hampden White (1851–1917) was a British

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician and soldier. The son of

George Hammond Whalley George Hammond Whalley (22 January 1813 – 8 October 1878) was a British lawyer and Liberal Party politician. He became chairman of the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway. Biography He was the eldest son of James Whalley, a merchant and banker f ...

, Member of Parliament (MP) for

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

, he was born at the family estate of

Plas Madoc Plas Madoc is a housing estate and former electoral ward near Acrefair, in the Cefn community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is located seven miles to the south-west of Wrexham, and contains The Land adventure playground, and a communit ...

in 1851. Educated at

Brighton College Brighton College is a fee-charging, co-educational, boarding and day public school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton and Hove, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18), Brighton Co ...

and on the

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

''Britannia'', he afterwards entered the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. Whalley received a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

's commission in the 6th Royal Lancaster Regiment of Militia on 9 March 1871. He resigned his commission on 1 June 1872, and was commissioned a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

in the

Denbighshire Yeomanry The Denbighshire Hussars was a Welsh Yeomanry regiment of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw service in the First World War before being converted into a unit of the Royal Artillery. The lineage has been continued by 398 (Flint & Denbighsh ...

on 29 June 1872. Whalley was promoted lieutenant, then

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

on 4 December 1878. In 1879, Whalley commanded C Troop of Lonsdale's Horse, a local colonial unit, in 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 ...

. A convoy under his command from Fort Tenedos to Fort Chelmsford successfully beat off a Zulu ambush. Whalley was elected Liberal MP for Peterborough in 1880, like his father (who had occupied the seat until his death in 1878). He resigned by becoming

Steward of the Manor of Northstead The office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead functions as a procedural device to allow a member of Parliament (MP) to resign from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. As members of the House of Commons are forbidde ...

in June 1883. He was adjudged

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

later that year. In April 1884, Whalley and his wife rented a house in

South Kensington South Kensington is a district at the West End of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with the advent of the ra ...

. They were evicted in August, after Whalley's draft for the rent had proved uncollectable, but by this time Whalley had broken into a locked room and stolen £200 of the owner's goods and pawned them. He was subsequently convicted of theft at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

and sentenced to nine months at hard labour. He subsequently changed his surname to White, and emigrated to

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, with his wife and infant daughter, in 1885 or 1886. He died in

Innisfail, Queensland Innisfail (from Irish language, Irish: Inis Fáil) is a regional town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The town was originally called Geraldton until 1910. In the , the town o ...

in 1917.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whalley, George Hampden 1851 births 1917 deaths British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British Yeomanry officers Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Royal Navy officers UK MPs 1880–1885 Politics of Peterborough British people convicted of theft British politicians convicted of crimes Denbighshire Hussars officers