Frederick Forestier-Walker

General Sir Frederick William Edward Forestier-Walker, GCMG, KCB, KStJ (17 April 1844 – 30 August 1910) was a British senior military officer and Governor of Gibraltar.

General
Sir Frederick Forestier-Walker
In The Sketch, 23 August 1899
Governor of Gibraltar
In office
1905–1910
Preceded bySir George White
Succeeded bySir Archibald Hunter
Personal details
Born(1844-04-14)14 April 1844
Bushey, Hertfordshire
Died30 August 1910(1910-08-30) (aged 66)
Tenby, Pembrokeshire
Spouse
Mabel Louisa Ross
(after 1887)
RelationsFrancis Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Seafield (grandfather)
Children1
Parent(s)Sir Edward Forestier-Walker
Lady Jane Ogilvy-Grant
Alma materRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Years of service1862–1910
RankGeneral
CommandsCape Colony
Western District
British Troops in Egypt
Battles/warsCape Frontier Wars
Anglo-Zulu War
Second Boer War
AwardsMentioned in Despatches

Early life

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Forestier-Walker was born on 17 April 1844 in Bushey, Hertfordshire. He was the eldest son of General Sir Edward Forestier-Walker (previously Walker), by his first wife, Lady Jane Ogilvy-Grant, daughter of the 6th Earl of Seafield. He was educated at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[1]

Career

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Forestier-Walker was commissioned into the Scots Guards as ensign and lieutenant, by purchase, on 5 September 1862,[2][1] and was appointed a lieutenant and captain, by purchase, on 11 July 1865.[3]

 
President Theodore Roosevelt at Gibraltar with Forestier-Walker and the American consul, 1909
 
Caricature of General Sir Frederick Forestier-Walker, Vanity Fair, December 1902

In 1873 he was appointed Military Secretary to the General Officer Commanding Cape Colony and 15 October 1878 was promoted colonel.[4] Forestier-Walker saw action in the Cape Frontier Wars, for which he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in November 1878,[5] and in the Anglo-Zulu War.[1] He was promoted to captain and lieutenant colonel of the Scots Guards 20 March 1880.[6] In 1882 he was appointed Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General[7] for the Home District but shortly after returned to South Africa.[1] From 1884 he served in Bechuanaland, and in January 1886, for services in that protectorate, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.[8]

He was appointed a brigadier at Aldershot in 1889 and Commander of British Troops in Egypt in 1890, during which he was knighted and promoted to a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.[9] Upon returning from Egypt in 1895, he was appointed General Officer Commanding Western District, serving until 1890.[1]

In 1899, he again returned to Africa, becoming GOC Cape Colony and acting as lieutenant general in command of Lines of Communication, South Africa Field Force, 1899–1901.[10] He was thus responsible for disembarkation of troops and military stores and sending them to the front. In a despatch dated 31 March 1900, the Commander-in-Chief in South Africa, Lord Roberts, wrote how Forestier-Walker carried out his duties "with credit to himself and with advantage to the public service".[11] He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in November 1900 for his services in South Africa,[12] and was a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John from 1901.[13] Following the end of the war, Forestier-Walker was promoted to the rank of general on 6 July 1902.[14]

Later life

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He was Governor of Gibraltar from 1905 until shortly before his death in 1910, and also acted as General Officer Commanding Mediterranean in 1909.[15]

In retirement, he became a Director of the Cold Storage Company.[16]

Personal life

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In 1887 he married Mabel Louisa Ross, a daughter of Lt. Col. A. Ernest Ross.[1] Together, they had one son:[17][18]

  • Ian Frederick Walter Forestier-Walker (b. 1888), a Lieutenant in the Scots Guards.[19]

Sir Frederick died on 30 August 1910 at Tenby, Pembrokeshire.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Frederick Forestier-Walker." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]
  2. ^ "No. 27659". The London Gazette. 5 September 1862. p. 4372.
  3. ^ "No. 22990". The London Gazette. 11 July 1865. p. 3486.
  4. ^ "No. 24668". The London Gazette. 14 January 1879. p. 172.
  5. ^ "No. 27650". The London Gazette. 28 November 1878. p. 66838.
  6. ^ "No. 24832". The London Gazette. 9 April 1880. p. 2439.
  7. ^ "No. 25140". The London Gazette. 22 August 1882. p. 3919.
  8. ^ "No. 25554". The London Gazette. 29 January 1886. p. 440.
  9. ^ "No. 26516". The London Gazette. 26 May 1894. p. 3116.
  10. ^ "A NEW BRITISH COMMANDER.; Grave Situation Indicated by the Sending of Lieut. Gen. Walker to South Africa". The New York Times. 16 August 1899. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  11. ^ "No. 27282". The London Gazette. 8 February 1901. p. 845.
  12. ^ "No. 27306". The London Gazette. 19 April 1901. p. 2698.
  13. ^ "No. 27293". The London Gazette. 12 March 1901. p. 1763.
  14. ^ "No. 27460". The London Gazette. 1 August 1902. p. 4970.
  15. ^ Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008
  16. ^ Army Estimates Hansard, 4 August 1902
  17. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 1466.
  18. ^ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1910). Armorial Families: A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-armour. T.C. & E.C. Jack. p. 1666. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  19. ^ Army, Great Britain (1908). The Monthly Army List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 78. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  20. ^ "DEATH OF SIR F. FORESTIER-WALKER DISTINGUISHED GENERAL". The Daily Telegraph. 1 September 1910. p. 11. Retrieved 13 December 2023.

Sources

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Military offices
Preceded by GOC British Troops in Egypt
1890–1895
Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC Western District
1895–1899
Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC-in-C Mediterranean
(temporary)

1909–1910
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Colonel of the King's Own Scottish Borderers
1905−1910
Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Governor of Gibraltar
1905–1910
Succeeded by