Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain (10 January 1820 – 18 February 1902) was a British general in

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 ...

. He served in 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 ...

and saw action in the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War () was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan ( Bara ...

Gwalior campaign The Gwalior campaign was fought between the British and Scindia forces in Gwalior in India, December 1843. Background The Maratha Empire had controlled most of central and northern India but fell to the British in 1818, giving the British ...

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company which took place from 1848 to 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab region, Punjab and what sub ...

Indian Rebellion 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 ...

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

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 ...

. He later became Commander-in-chief of the

Madras Army The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations manda ...

, and was promoted to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Background and early life

Chamberlain was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, the third son of

Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet (1773– 31 July 1829) was a British diplomat, Consul (representative)#consul general, consul general to Portugal and chargé d'affaires to Brazil. He was created a baronet on 22 February 1828. Henry was ...

consul general A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

and

charge d'affaires Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aq ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and his second wife Anna Eugenia née Morgan. His elder brother,

William Charles Chamberlain Rear-Admiral William Charles Chamberlain (21 April 1818 – 27 February 1878) was a rear admiral in the Royal Navy. Family He was the eldest son of the diplomat Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet, by his second wife Anne Eugenia née Morgan. Cha ...

, was an admiral, while younger brothers Crawford Chamberlain, and Charles Francis Falcon Chamberlain, were also army officers. He was raised in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and educated by a private tutor and at school in

Shooter's Hill Shooter's Hill is a district of South East London, England, straddling the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north of Eltham and south of Woolwich. With a height of , it is the highest point in the Borough of ...

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 ...

. In 1833 he entered the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of Officer (armed forces), commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers o ...

, having been nominated for a cadetship by Lord Beresford but was withdrawn after a year when it became clear he was unlikely to pass the final examinations. G. W. Forrest (2013), ''Life of Field Marshal Sir Neville Chamberlain'', Read Books During his time at Woolwich he earned a reputation for fighting and rebellious behaviour, and on his return home he threatened to join the

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British Charitable organization, charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. ...

, a body of troops leaving for Spain under

Sir George de Lacy Evans General (United Kingdom), General Sir George de Lacy Evans (7 October 1787 – 9 January 1870) was an Irish people, Irish officer in the British Army who served in four of the United Kingdom's 19th century wars. He became a long-serving Member ...

. Instead, he was encouraged to pursue a career in India, and with help from his late father's contacts he 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

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 ...

on 24 February 1837.Heathcote, p. 83

India

Chamberlain embarked for India on board the ship ''George'' and arrived at

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

in May 1837. He remained at Madras for a short time as the guest of the retired general Sir John Doveton before continuing on to

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

in June. In Calcutta, Chamberlain stayed with his uncle George and his aunt whilst he acclimatised to his new home. In November he left Calcutta to join the 12th Regiment at

Barrackpore Barrackpore (), also known as Barrackpore,is a city and municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the India, Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Barrackpore subdivision. The city is a part of the area covered by Ko ...

and three months later he was posted to

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

with the 55th Regiment. In mid 1838, he was transferred to the 16th Regiment based at

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

who were preparing for the

. His regiment was to become part of the Army of the Indus, serving in the 1st Brigade 1st Division under the command of Sir Willoughby Cotton. He was present at a number of engagements including the

Battle of Ghazni The Battle of Ghazni took place in the city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan on Tuesday, 23 July 1839, during the First Anglo-Afghan War. Prelude In the 1830s, the British were firmly entrenched in India but by 1837, feared a Russian invasio ...

in July 1839 and was wounded on several occasions. Promoted to

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 ...

on 16 July 1842, he transferred to the 1st Cavalry of Shah Shujah's Contingent and took part in a march from

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 ...

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 ...

in August 1842. During the withdrawal from Kabul he was again wounded at

Landi Kotal Lanḍī Kōtal (, ) or Lwargai ( ''Lwāṛgai'') is a town in the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, and the administrative capital of Khyber District. It was one of the largest towns in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas, an ...

in October 1842 and again at

Ali Masjid Ali Masjid (Pashto and ) is the narrowest point of the Khyber Pass. It is located in Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is around east of the city of Landi Kotal (West of Peshawar) and has an elevation of . The width of the Kh ...

in November 1842. He became attached to the Governor-General's Bodyguard in January 1843 and took part in the Battle of Maharajpur in December 1843 during the

. Chamberlain became military secretary to the

Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay consisted of seven islands separated by shallow sea. These seven islands were part of a larger archipelago in the Arabian sea, off the western coast of India. The date of city's founding is unclear—historians tr ...

in late 1846 and then brigade major with the Bengal Irregular Cavalry in 1848.Heathcote, p. 84

Punjab

He took part in the

Battle of Chillianwala The Battle of Chillianwala (also spelled Chillianwallah) was fought in January 1849 during the Second Anglo-Sikh war in the Chillianwala region ( Mandi Bahauddin) of Punjab, now part of Pakistan. The battle was one of the bloodiest fought by t ...

in January 1849 and the

Battle of Gujrat The Battle of Gujrat was a decisive battle in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, fought on 21 February 1849, between the forces of the East India Company, and a Sikh army in rebellion against the company's control of the Sikh Empire, represented by ...

in February 1849 during the

. He became assistant adjutant-general of the Sirhind division in May 1849 and, having been promoted to

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 ...

in the 16th Bengal Native Infantry on 1 November 1849 and to brevet

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 ...

on 2 November 1849, he became assistant commissioner in the

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropo ...

in December 1849 and then assistant commissioner in the

Hazara District Hazara District was a district of Peshawar Division in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It existed until 1976, when it was split into the districts of Abbottabad and Mansehra, with the new district of Haripur subsequently splitti ...

in June 1850. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 28 November 1854, he was given the command of the Punjab Irregular Frontier Force and led several expeditions against the frontier tribes.

Indian Rebellion of 1857

During the Indian Rebellion he served as Adjutant-General of the Indian Army and was severely wounded at the

Siege of Delhi The siege of Delhi was a decisive conflict of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but was essentially sparked by the mass uprising by the ...

in July 1857. For this he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

on 11 November 1857 and promoted to

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 ...

on 27 November 1857. Chamberlain was reappointed to the command of the Punjab Irregular Frontier Force in 1858 and led it during 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 ...

during which he was again severely wounded again in November 1863. Advanced to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

on 11 April 1863, he returned to the United Kingdom and was promoted to major-general for distinguished service on 5 August 1864. He was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

on 24 May 1866 and accompanied the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

on an official trip to India in 1869. He was promoted to

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 normall ...

on 1 May 1872, advanced to

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

on 24 May 1873 and further advanced to

Knight Grand Cross of the 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 ...

on 28 May 1875. Chamberlain became Commander-in-chief of the

in February 1876 and, having been promoted to full

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 1 October 1877, was sent on a mission to the

Emir of Afghanistan This article lists the heads of state of Afghanistan since the foundation of the first modern Afghan state, the Hotak Empire, in 1709. History The Hotak Empire was formed after a successful uprising led by Mirwais Hotak and other Afghan tr ...

Sher Ali Khan Sher Ali Khan (Dari/; c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan. Life Sher Al ...

, whose refusal to allow him, along with Major

Louis Cavagnari Sir Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari (4 July 1841 – 3 September 1879) was a British soldier and military administrator. Cavagnari was the son of Count Louis Adolphus Cavagnari, of an old family from Parma in the service of the Bonaparte family ...

, to enter the country precipitated the

in November 1878. He was a member of the

Madras Legislative Council Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initia ...

and, for several months, acting military member of the council of the

Governor-General of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the emperor o ...

. He left India in February 1881 and retired to Lordswood near

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 February 1886.

Later life and death

In retirement, Chamberlain was an active member of the Southampton Unitarian Church. He was a vocal critic of British policy during the

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 an ...

between 1899 and 1901. He was promoted to

on 25 April 1900, died at Lordswood on 18 February 1902 and was buried at

Rownhams Rownhams is a village in the civil parish of Nursling and Rownhams, in the Test Valley district, in Hampshire, England, situated just outside the boundaries of the City of Southampton, to the north-west. Rownhams services is a nearby service s ...

near Southampton.

Family

In 1873, Chamberlain married Charlotte Cuyler Reid, daughter of Major-General Sir William Reid, who died in 1896; there were no children.

References

Sources

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chamberlain, Neville Bowles 1820 births 1902 deaths British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India British field marshals British East India Company Army officers British Indian Army generals British military personnel of the Umbeyla Campaign British military personnel of the Gwalior Campaign Commanders-in-chief of Madras Members of the Madras Legislative Council Unitarian Universalists Younger sons of baronets British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War