| The Lord Grenfell | |
|---|---|
Lord Grenfell |
|
| Born | 29 April 1841 Swansea |
| Died | 27 January 1925 (aged 83) Windlesham, Surrey |
| Buried at | Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands held | 4th Army Corps Ireland |
| Battles/wars | 9th Cape Frontier War Zulu War Mahdist War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Field Marshal Francis Wallace Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell, GCB, GCMG, PC (29 April 1841 – 27 January 1925) was a British Army officer.
Francis Wallace Grenfell was descended from Pascoe Grenfell. He was born near Kilvey hill in Swansea, the son of Pascoe St Leger Grenfell and Catherine Anne Grenfell (born Du Pre).
His parents paid for him to be educated at Milton Abbas School in Dorset, but he left school early, and, rather than join his family's copper business in Upper and Middle Bank Works in the Lower Swansea Valley, he sat the army entrance examinations, and in 1859 purchased a commission in the 3rd Bn 60th Royal Rifles.[1] In 1873 he purchased a commission as captain (in the last year in which purchase was allowed). After serving in various colonial campaigns in the 1870s, including the 9th Cape Frontier War and the Zulu War, he was made Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General in the Transvaal[1] in 1881, being promoted Colonel the following year. He was also, in 1882, made aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria as well as sent to fight in Egypt, becoming Sirdar of that country's army in 1885.[1]
Appointed CB in 1885,[1] Grenfell was knighted as a KCB[1] the following year and promoted Major General in 1889.[1] He commanded the forces at Suakim and Toski in 1889,[1] and, in recognition of the transformation he had achieved in making the Egyptian Army a successful fighting force,[1] he was appointed GCMG on leaving Egypt in 1892.[1] Two years later he became Inspector General of Auxiliary Forces at the War Office,[1] and in 1897 he returned to Egypt to command the British forces there[1] during the expedition to Khartoum, for which he became GCB the following year. He then became Governor of Malta in 1899,[1] a post he held for four years.
In 1902 he was created Baron Grenfell, of Kilvey in the County of Glamorgan.[1]
In 1904, after commanding the 4th Army Corps, Francis Grenfell was promoted General.[1] That same year he was made Commander in Chief of British forces in Ireland,[1] and retired four years later as a Field Marshal.[1]
He was a founding committee member of the Pilgrims Society in 1902.[2]
Lord Grenfell died aged 83 at Windlesham in Surrey,[1] and was buried at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Redvers Buller |
Colonel-Commandant of the 2nd Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps 1898–1908 |
Succeeded by Sir Edward Hutton |
| Preceded by HRH The Duke of Connaught |
Commander-in-Chief, Ireland 1904–1908 |
Succeeded by Sir Neville Lyttelton |
| Preceded by The Lord Chelmsford |
Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of Life Guards 1905–1907 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Dundonald |
| Preceded by The Lord de Ros |
Colonel of the 1st Regiment of Life Guards 1907–1920 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Allenby |
| Preceded by Sir Redvers Buller |
Colonel-Commandant of the 1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps 1908–1925 |
Succeeded by Sir Thomas Morland |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Grenfell 1902–1925 |
Succeeded by Pascoe Grenfell |