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 Henry John Thoroton Hildyard, (5 July 1846 – 25 July 1916) 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 saw active service in the

Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt, also known as the Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...

of 1882 and the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. He was

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

, South Africa, from 1905 to 1908.

Early life

The youngest of the three sons of Thomas Blackborne Thoroton-Hildyard, a member of parliament, of Flintham Hall, Flintham, near Newark, Hildyard was educated at Burney's Royal Naval Academy,

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

.'HILDYARD, Gen. Sir Henry John Thoroton', in ''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It has been published annually in the form of a hardback book since 1849, and has been published online since 1999. It has also been published on CD-ROM. It lists, and gives information on, people from around ...

'' (London: A. & C. Black, 1920–2008
online ed.
by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, December 2007. Retrieved 8 February 2011 His brothers were Thomas Blackborne Thoroton Hildyard (1843–1928) and Robert Charles Thoroton Hildyard (1844–1885).Biography of Thomas Blackborne Thoroton Hildyard (1821–1888)
at nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2011

Military career

Hildyard 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 ...

as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

and served in the navy from 1859 to 1864. In 1867, he joined the

, 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

5th Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution and ...

, later transferring to the

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First World War, First and World War II, Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 t ...

, in which he was lieutenant and

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

for nearly seven years, and in 1876 was promoted captain. In 1877 he passed the Staff College and transferred into the

Somerset Light Infantry The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Som ...

, was promoted major in 1882 and brevet lieutenant colonel later the same year;

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 ...

in 1886, and a temporary major general in 1898, made substantive the following year.High Ranking Officers
at armynavyairforce.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2011 Hildyard served with the Egyptian Expedition of 1882 as Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General, and was at

Kassassin Kassassin () is a village of Lower Egypt by rail west of Ismailia, a major city on the Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea throu ...

and Tel el-Kebir, where 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 ...

, was employed with the

Egyptian Army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...

from 1883 to 1888, and was appointed an aide-de-camp to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in 1886. From 1893 to 1898 he was on home postings, as Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General and Assistant Adjutant-General at Headquarters, then as Assistant Adjutant-General at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

and as Commandant of the Staff College, then commanded the 3rd Brigade at Aldershot from 1898 to 1899. During the

, Hildyard was posted to South Africa and commanded the 2nd Brigade from 1899 to 1900, again being mentioned in despatches and seeing active service at the

Battle of Colenso The Second Battle of Colenso, also known as 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 a ...

. On 8 January 1900,

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, in the theatre of war as a special correspondent, asked Hildyard what formation his 2nd Brigade was in, and he replied "Formation for taking advantage of ant-heaps". Hildyard remained in South Africa to command the 5th Division from 1900 to 1901, during which time he took part in the

Battle of the Tugela Heights The Battle of Tugela (or Thukela) Heights, also known as the Battle of Pieters Hill, Battle of the Pieters, or the Battle of the Tugela River, consisted of a series of military actions lasting from 14 February through to 27 February 1900 in whic ...

. In October 1901 he returned to the United Kingdom as a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 the battlefield, who was norma ...

temporary in command of the 1st Army Corps (the

Aldershot Command Aldershot Command was a Home Command of the British Army. History After the success of the Chobham Manoeuvres of 1853, reformers of the British Army decided to create a permanent training camp at Aldershot. To begin the preliminary work a smal ...

), pending the return from South Africa of Sir John French, who was to receive the command in succession to General

Sir Redvers Buller General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, (7 December 1839 – 2 June 1908) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He served as Commander-in-Chief o ...

, recently dismissed. French returned to the United Kingdom after the war had formally ended in June 1902, but did not relieve Hildyard of the command until 15 September 1902. The following year Hildyard was appointed to the new post of Director-General of Military Education and Training, serving only a year until 1904, when he became lieutenant general on the

Imperial General Staff Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board; he is also the Chair of the Executive Committee of the ...

commanding troops in South Africa, 1904 to 1905. He was

, South Africa, from 1905 to 1908, and retired from service in 1911. In 1903, Hildyard had been appointed Colonel of the Highland Light Infantry and he continued to serve at the head of the regiment until his death in 1916, when he was succeeded by Sir William Pitcairn Campbell.

Private life

In 1871, Hildyard married Annette, the daughter of Admiral James Charles Prevost, and they had three sons, Harold Charles Thoroton Hildyard (born 1872), Gerald Moresby Thoroton Hildyard (1874–1956) and General Sir

Reginald John Thoroton Hildyard General Sir Reginald John Thoroton Hildyard, (11 December 1876 – 29 September 1965) was a British Army officer who saw active service in the Second Boer War and the First World War. He was Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda from 1936 ...

(1876–1965), and one daughter, Edith Mary Thoroton Hildyard, who in 1895 married Edward Bromley, a lawyer. Hildyard died on 25 July 1916. At the time of his death he was living at

Aspley Heath Aspley Heath is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The village is a linear settlement. It adjoins Woburn Sands, which is part of the City of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire; Aspley Guis ...

, Bedfordshire, and was buried there at St Michael's church on 29 July. His widow was buried with him on 19 February 1919, from 3, St Catherine's Road,

Littlehampton Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is south south-west of London, west of Brighton and ...

Publication

*Henry John Thoroton Hildyard, ''Historical Record of the Seventy-First Regiment, Highland Light Infantry'' (Reissued in paperback by Kessinger Publishing, 2007)

Decorations

Most Honourable Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

* CB: Companion – ''1897'' (

1897 Diamond Jubilee Honours The Diamond Jubilee Honours for the British Empire were announced on 22 June 1897 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria on 20 June 1897. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and ar ...

) * KCB: Knight Commander – ''29 November 1900'' – in recognition of services in connection with the Campaign in South Africa 1899–1900 * GCB: Knight Grand Cross – ''1911'' (

1911 Coronation Honours The Coronation Honours 1911 for the British Empire were announced on 19 June 1911, to celebrate the Coronation of George V which was held on 22 June 1911. The honours were covered in the press at the time, including in ''The Times'' on 20 June 1 ...

)

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hildyard, Henry 1846 births 1916 deaths Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officers Burials in Bedfordshire British Army generals Highland Light Infantry officers Somerset Light Infantry officers Royal Navy officers British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People from Newark and Sherwood (district) Commandants of the Staff College, Camberley 19th-century Royal Navy personnel Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley