| Sir Henry Havelock-Allan, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
"The soldier who couldn't draw his sword" - a caricature of Havelock-Allan in the House of Commons by Leslie Ward, 1879 |
|
| Born | 6 August 1830 Cawnpore, India |
| Died | 30 December 1897 (aged 67) Khyber Pass, Afghanistan |
| Buried at | Harley Street Cemetery, Rawalpindi |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | 10th Regiment of Foot |
| Battles/wars | Anglo-Persian War Indian Mutiny New Zealand Wars |
| Awards | Victoria Cross GCB |
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Marshman Havelock-Allan, 1st Baronet, VC, GCB, DL (6 August 1830 – 30 December 1897) was an Indian-born British soldier and politician.
Havelock was born in Cawnpore, India, the son of Major General Sir Henry Havelock KCB and his wife, Hannah née Marshman - herself the daughter of the eminent missionaries Joshua Marshman and his wife Hannah.
He was 26 years old, and a lieutenant in the 10th Regiment of Foot during the Indian Mutiny when on 16 July 1857 at Cawnpore, the 64th Regiment had suffered badly under artillery fire. When the enemy was seen rallying their last 24-pounder, the order was given to advance, and Lieutenant Havelock immediately placed himself, on his horse, in front of the centre of the 64th, opposite the muzzle of the gun and moved on at a foot pace, in the face of shot and grape fired by the enemy. The advance went steadily on, led by the lieutenant and finally the gun was rushed and taken by the 64th. For this deed, Havelock was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 25 September 1857 he was badly wounded in the Siege of Lucknow.[1]
In 1858 he was granted the baronetcy originally intended for his father (who died a year earlier) and he and his mother were granted a parliamentary pension of £1,000 a year. He later went to England and became an MP in 1874 for his father's birth-town of Sunderland until 1881. He inherited Blackwell Grange, the former property of his cousin Robert Allan, changed his surname to Havelock-Allan (as was required by the will of the latter) and became an MP for South East Durham from 1885 to 1892. He was re-elected in 1895 and also became colonel of the Royal Irish Regiment, stationed in India, that year. It was there that he was killed by Afridi clansmen on the Afghanistan side of the Khyber Pass in 1897 and he was later buried in Rawalpindi.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Candlish Edward Gourley |
Member of Parliament for Sunderland 1874–1881 With: Edward Gourley |
Succeeded by Edward Gourley Samuel Storey |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for South East Durham 1885–1892 |
Succeeded by Joseph Richardson |
| Preceded by Joseph Richardson |
Member of Parliament for South East Durham 1895–1897 |
Succeeded by Joseph Richardson |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Robert Fraser |
Colonel of the Royal Irish Regiment 1895–1897 |
Succeeded by Charles Gregorie |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New creation |
Baronet (of Lucknow) 1858–1897 |
Succeeded by Henry Havelock-Allan |