This Order was instituted in April 1818 by the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was intended to commemorate the placing of the Ionian Islands under British protection.  It was originally intended for distinguished citizens of the islands, and also of Malta.  At first, the Order was conferred upon those holding high position and commands in the Mediterranean but as the British Empire expanded the Order was extended to those who had given distinguished service in the Dominions and Colonies, as well as in foreign affairs generally.  The Order consists of  three classes: Knight Grand Cross (GCMG), Knight Commander (KCMG), and Companion (CMG).  The Order's motto is Auspicium melioris aevi ('Token of a better age'). The Order features a depiction of the archangel St Michael holding a flaming sword and trampling upon Satan.

The awards for the Boer War were:

GCMG

KCMG

CMG

Total

4

13

198

213

 

GCMG

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 Surname   Forename   Rank   Notes   Unit 
BullerR HGeneralEntered 1858; Colonel, 1879; General, 1896. Staff service: DAAG, Ashanti Expedition, 1873-74; DAAG, Headquarters of Army, 1874-78; Special Service, Cape of Good Hope, 1878-79; ADC to the Queen, 1879-84; AA and QMG, North Britain; Aldershot, 1880-81; DA and QMG, South Africa, 1881; Brigadier-General, South Africa, 1881; DA and QMG, Intelligence Department, Expeditionary Force, Egypt, 1882; AAG, Headquarters of Army, 1883-84; Major General (Chief of Staff), Egypt, 1884-85; DAG to the Forces, Headquarters of Army, 1885-86; Special Service, 1886-87; QMG to the Forces, Headquarters of Army, 1887-90; Adjutant-General to the Forces, Headquarters of Army, 1890-97; Lieutenant General commanding troops, Aldershot, 1898-99; General Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa, October 1899 to January 1900; General Officer Commanding Natal, January 1900. War service: China War, 1860 (medal with clasp); Red River Expedition, 1870; Ashanti, 1873-74; wounded (Despatches, November 1873, March 1874; medal with clasp; Brevet of Major; CB); South African War, 1878-79 (thanked in General Orders; Despatches, 11th, 18th June 1878; 5th, 15th, 28th March; 7th May, 21st August 1879; medal with clasp; Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel; ADC to Queen; VC, CMG); Egyptian Campaign, 1882-84 (Despatches; medal with clasp; bronze star, 3rd class Osmanieh; KCMG); Sudan, 1884 (Despatches, March, April, May, 1884; 2 clasps; promoted Major General for distinguished service); Sudan, 1884-85 (Despatches, March, August, 1885; clasp; KCB); South African War, 1899-1900. Sir Redvers Buller, born in 1839, was the son of Mr J W Buller and the daughter of Lord H M Howard. He married in 1882 the daughter of the 4th Marquis Townshend and widow of the Honourable G T Howard. The General's character has been much discussed, and it is universally allowed that for pluck, obstinacy, and bluntness he cannot find his match. The deeds that won him the Victoria Cross are now world-famous, but the public is less acquainted with the story of his gallantry at El-Teb, and the way he saved the situation at the desperate little battle of Tamai. Of this Mr Charles Lowe, in his interesting book of 'Our Greatest Living Soldiers', says: "Buller's square, composed of the 'Gay Gordons,' the Royal Irish, and the 60th Rifles, amongst the ranks of whom he had first won his spurs, had been assailed in the same furious manner as that of Davis, but had blown away all opposition to its advance, about five hundred yards on the right rear of its fellow-brigade, to whose support it now moved up, steady and machine-like, as if on parade. Encouraged by the splendid steadfastness of Buller's embattled men, Davis's disrupted square was quick to rally, and then the two brigades began to rain such an infernal fire of bullets on their savage foe that the latter were forced to break, and the day was won”. Of his obstinacy an amusing anecdote is told. While he and Lord Charles Beresford were serving together in Egypt, an argument arose as to the direction to be taken by the river steamer. Each doggedly defended his own opinion, but finally, on gaining the day, Sir Redvers triumphed. “I was right' after all!" he cried, when his programme had been fulfilled. "And so was I," replied Lord Charles. “I merely recommended the other because I knew you would go against anything I said!"vvVC, GCB, GCMG, 1887 Jubilee, China (2) Taku Forts 1860 Pekin 1860, Canadian GSM (3) Fenian Raid 1866 Fenial Raid 1870 Red River 1870, AGS (1) Coomassie, Zulu (1) 1878-9, Qgypt (4) Tel El Kebir Suakin El Teb Tamaii The Nile, QSA (6) CC TH OFS RL LN Belf, Khedive Star, Turkey Order of Osmanieh 3rd class. RHQ
Source: List of GCMG recipients. Various sources
Staff
Forestier-WalkerF W E FLieutenant GeneralEducated at Sandhurst and entered the Scots Guards in 1862. Staff Service: ADC to Major General, Mauritius, 1866-67; Assistant Military Secretary to GOC Cape of Good Hope, 1873-78; Military Secretary to Governor, Cape of Good Hope, 1878; Special Service, Cape of Good Hope, 1878-79; AA and QMG, Home District, 1882; AA and QMG, South Africa, 1884-85; Brigadier-General, Aldershot, 1889-90; Major General, Egypt, 1890-93; Lieutenant General, Western District, 1895-99; Lieutenant General, South Africa, 1899. He served in South Africa during the Native Wars of 1878 and became military secretary to Governor Sir Bartle Frere. During the Zulu War he distinguished himself in the Battle of Inyazane and in the occupation of Eshowe (Despatches, March .and May 1879; medal with clasp; CB). He was with the force that occupied Bechuanaland in 1884 (honourably mentioned; CMG). He returned to England and was then transferred to Egypt. During the South African War he commanded the British lines of communication.
Source: List of GCMG recipients. Various sources
Staff
KitchenerH H Lieutenant GeneralBorn in Ireland at Ballylongford, he was trained for the Royal Engineers at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, which he entered in 1867. Commissioned at the age of 21, he was lent to the Palestine Exploration Fund for archaeological work in 1874; did surveying in Cyprus in 1878, and in 1882 began the long career in Egypt and the Sudan that was to make him famous. He rose to be Governor-General of the Eastern Sudan in 1886 and Sirdar or Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian forces in 1892. This led to the conquest of Sudan and to the avenging of General Gordon's death at Khartoum six years later. The next year he was called to South Africa as Chief-of-Staff to Earl Roberts and in 1900 he succeeded the latter as Commander-in-Chief. Kitchener's main ability lay in the field of organisation. He created the blockhouse system, suppressed rebellion in the North-West Cape, and despite many setbacks brought the war to an end with the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902. He spent the ensuing years in India and the East, became Secretary of State for War in 1914, raised 3 million men by voluntary enlistment before the adoption of conscription and protested against the continuance of the Dardenelles expedition. Sent to Russia on the eve of the Revolution he was drowned off Northern Scotland in HMS Hampshire. Probably the most prestigious British military personality since Wellington, he was never known to address a man in the ranks except to give him an order and would have no married officers on his staff.
Born in Ireland in 1850, and is son of Lieutenant Colonel H H Kitchener. He received his early military training at the RMA, Woolwich, passing thence into the Royal Engineers. In 1882, Lieutenant Kitchener, as he then still was, had a command of Egyptian Cavalry. In the following year he got his captaincy, and then promotion came to him rapidly in recognition of his untiring work and frequent active service in Egypt and the Sudan. From that time his war service included the Sudan Expedition in 1884-5, as DAA and QMG (medal with clasp and bronze star); operations round Suakim in 1888, being in command at the action at Handoub (severely wounded); Sudan in 1888-9, action at Gemaizeh, when he was in command of a Brigade of the Egyptian Army, and took part in the action at Toski (two clasps, CB) Dongola Expedition in 1896, in command of the Expeditionary Force; operations of June 7 and Sep 19 (promoted Major-General for distinguished service; KCB; 1st class Osmanieh, and Egyptian medal with two clasps); the Nile Expeditions in 1897-8, acting as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the Expeditionary Forces throughout the operations, including the battles of the Atbara and Khartoum (raised to the Peerage; thanked by the Houses of Parliament; medal and two clasps to Egyptian medal). Soon after the Boer War broke out in Lord Kitchener went out as Chief of the Staff to Lord Roberts, and participated in all the operations in the Orange Free State, Feb-May, including the actions at Paardeberg; the operations in the Transvaal in May and June, 1900; present at the actions near Johannesburg and Pretoria; the operations east and west of Pretoria from July-November, 1900, and in the Orange River and Cape Colonics. Subsequently in November, 1900, Lord Kitchener succeeded Lord Roberts as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in South Africa, directing the operations in the Transvaal, Orange River Colony, on the Zululand Frontier of Natal and in Cape Colony. (Despatches, promoted Lt.-General and General for distinguished service; QSA with three clasps, KSA and two clasps; GCMG) Having brought the Boer War to a successful conclusion, Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the E Indies, in which position he immediately set about the reorganisation of the Indian Army and a redistribution of the troops, in order to effectively resist any possible invasion of the North. These radical changes brought him into frequent conflict with the Viceroy, although it was characteristic of Lord Kitchener's methods that his views received no airing by the aid of an inspired Press crusade. However, with the change of Government in 1906, a modus vivendi by a satisfactory compromise was arranged. The burden of Lord Kitchener's original complaint was that although he was the Commander in Chief in India, the real control of the Army under the Viceroy was not vested in himself, but in a junior General at Simla, who has since been displaced; Lord Kitchener now being directly responsible to the Viceroy. He was unmarried.
Source: List of GCMG recipients. Various sources
Royal Engineers
WhiteG SGeneralEntered 1853. Lieutenant General, 1895. Staff service: Military Secretary to Viceroy, India, 1880-81; Special Service, Egypt, 1885; AA and QMG, Egypt, 1885; Brigadier General, Madras, 1885; Commanding Brigade, Burmese Expedition 1885-86; Commanding Upper Burmah Field Force, 1886-89; Major General, Bengal, 1889-93; Commander in Chief, E Indies, 1893-98; QMG Headquarters of Army, 1898-99; Lieutenant General, Natal, 1899-1900; Governor and Commander in Chief, Gibraltar, July 1900. War service: Indian Mutiny (medal); Afghan War, 1879-80 (Despatches; medal with 3 clasps; bronze star; Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel; VC, CB); Sudan Expedition 1884-85 (medal with clasp; bronze star); Burmese Expedition 1885-89 (thanked by Govt. of India; Despatches; KCB; promoted Major General); Operations of Zhob Field Force, 1890 (Despatches); Operations NW Frontier of India (Despatches); Boer War, 1899-1900; GOC Natal Field Force. Sir George White, born in 1835, was the son of Mr J R White and the daughter of Mr G Steuart. He married in 1874 Miss Bayley, daughter of the Archdeacon of Calcutta. Before the Afghan War General White was comparatively unknown, but after that date honours rained thickly upon him. From the outset Lord Roberts had noted his splendid ability, and in “Forty-one Years in India" he showed his readiness to recognise how much of the success of the victory of Charasiah he owed to his gallant subordinate. The following passage serves to show the generosity of the one, and the gallantry of the other: “Major White explained to me his part in the victory of the previous day. From my inspection of the ground I had no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that much of the success which attended the operations on this side was due to White's military instincts, and, at one supreme moment, his extreme personal gallantry. It afforded me very great pleasure, therefore, to recommend this officer for the Victoria Cross, an honour of which more than one incident in his subsequent career proved him to be well worthy”. In the prosaic language of the London Gazette the "supreme moment" is thus described: “Finding that the artillery and rifle fire failed to dislodge the enemy from a fortified hill, which it was necessary to capture, Major White led an attack upon it in person. Advancing with two companies of his regiment, and climbing from one steep ledge to another, he came upon a body of the enemy, strongly posted, and outnumbering his force by about eight to one. His men being much exhausted, and immediate action being necessary, Major White took a rifle and, going on by himself, shot the leader of the enemy. This act so intimidated the rest that they fled round the side of the hill, and the position was won”. The "gallant and ever-foremost Major White", was again eulogised by the conqueror of Kandahar, who wrote in-spiritingly of the intrepidity with which he and the dauntless Gordons dashed themselves against the one remaining entrenched position: “It now became necessary to take this position by storm, and recognising the fact with true soldierly instinct, Major White, who was leading the advanced companies of the 92nd, called upon the men for just one charge more, 'to close the business.' The battery of screw guns had been shelling the position, and under cover of its fire, and supported by a portion of the 2nd Gurkhas and 23rd Pioneers, the Highlanders, responding with alacrity to their leader's call, dashed forward and drove the enemy from their entrenchments at the point of the bayonet. Major White was the first to reach the guns, being closely followed by Sepoy Inderbir Lama, who, placing his rifle on one of them, exclaimed. 'Captured in the name of the 2nd (Prince of Wales's Own) Gurkhas!"
VC GCB GCSI GCIE GCVO. RHQ.
Source: List of GCMG recipients. Various sources
Staff

KCMG

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 Surname   Forename   Rank   Notes   Unit 
CleryC FMajor GeneralEntered 1858; Major General, 1894. Staff service: Instructor Royal Military College, 1871-72; Professor, Tactics, 1872-75; DAA and QMG, Headquarters, Ireland, 1875-77; DAA and QMG, Aldershot, 1877-78; Special Service, Cape of Good Hope, 1878-79; Brigade-Major, Expeditionary Force, Egypt, 1882; AA and QMG, Egypt; DA and QMG, Egypt, 1882-85; Brigade-General Chief of Staff, Egypt, 1886-87; Command Staff College, 1888-93 Major General, Infantry Brigade, Aldershot, 1895-96; DAG to the Forces, Headquarters of Army, 1896-99; Lieutenant General, Infantry Division, South Africa, 1899. War Service—South African War, 1879 (Despatches, March and August 1879; medal with clasp; Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel); Egyptian Expedition, 1884 (Despatches, March and May 1884; medal with 2 clasps; bronze star; promoted Colonel, CB); Sudan Expedition, 1884-85 (clasp); South African War, 1899-1900. General Clery, who is renowned in the classroom as in the field, was born in 1838. In the art of war he has long been the recognised authority, and his "Clery on Tactics," has passed through several editions, and become a textbook in Germany, Russia, America, and Italy. In addition to this work, his influence has made itself felt at the War Office on behalf of the British soldier, to whom he has always been a sincere and practical friend. He is popular in all ranks of society, save perhaps with the Cadets at examination times.
Source: List of KCMG recipients. Various sources
Staff
FrenchJ D PLieutenant GeneralHe served in the Royal Navy from 1866 to 1870. In 1874 he was commissioned into the 19th Hussars, via Suffolk Artillery Militia. Between 1884-85, he was in the expedition that failed to relieve Gordon in Khartoum. He was with White in Ladysmith in 1899 commanding the cavalry and left on the last train with Haig, then in command round Colesburg. Commanded the cavalry division with Roberts' army in the relief of Kimberley and the capture of Bloemfontein and Pretoria. In 1901 he was sent to Cape Colony to try to suppress the Boer rebels there. Chief of Imperial General Staff 1912-14. 1914-15 commanded British Expeditionary Force until he resigned. 1916-18 Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces. 1918-21 Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.
Source: List of KCMG recipients. Various sources
Staff
FrenchSomerset RichardSomerset Richard French was born in 1848, the son of the late Robert French. After being educated at a private school, he entered the Money Order Department of the General Post Office in London in 1866, but was transferred to the Secretary's Department in 1869, and in the next year assisted in the transfer of telegraphs to the State. He was in charge of the Intelligence and Special Arrangements Branch of the Telegraph Service from 1870 to 1880, and in 1878 he went to Cyprus with an expeditionary force under Lieutenant-General Sir Garnet Wolseley to organize a postal and telegraph service in that island. He was appointed Secretary and Accountant-General of the Post Office of Cape Colony in 1880, Controller of the Savings Bank in 1884, and Postmaster-General of the Colony in 1892. Whilst acting as Secretary, he introduced the Postal Savings Bank system in the Colony. His next appointment was Postmaster-General of British Bechuanaland, and from 1893-97 he was manager of the Rhodesian Telegraph Service, and of the African Trans-Continental Telegraph Company. He was awarded the CMG in 1896 in recognition of these services. He represented the Cape Colony, Natal, and Rhodesia at the Universal Postal Union Congresses at Washington in 1897, and Rome in 1906, and was largely responsible for the introduction of the Imperial Penny Postage scheme. He supervised the Military and Postal Telegraph Services in the Cape Colony during the South African War, in connection with which he received the special thanks of the Imperial Government and Field-Marshal Lord Roberts, and was created KCMG in 1901, in recognition of these services. In 1907 Sir Thomas Fuller retired from the post of Agent-General for Cape Colony in London, and Sir Somerset French succeeded him. He married in 1893, Josephine, only daughter of Beauval Murphy, RN. There were two children, a daughter who died during the early part of the War, and a son, who was killed in action in 1918. Sir Somerset French died in Sussex on 11 May 1929.
QSA (0) (Sir S French KCMG GPO Staff). DNW Jun 00. £1,500.
Source: List of KCMG recipients. Various sources
Unknown
GallweyT JColonelWar service: Afghan War, 1879 (medal with clasp); Egyptian Expedition, 1882 (medal with clasp; bronze star); Sudan Expedition, 1884-85 (Despatches; clasp; promoted Surgeon-Major); Expedition to Dongola, 1896 (Despatches; CB; Egyptian medal with clasp); Nile Expedition, 1897; Nile Expedition, 1898 (Despatches, May and September 1898; promoted Colonel; 2 clasps, Egyptian medal); South African War, 1899-1900.
Source: List of KCMG recipients. Various sources
Royal Army Medical Corps
GirouardEdouard Percy CranwilCaptainThe son of a French Canadian, who is a Judge of the supreme Court of Canada, the highest appellate Court for the whole Dominion. He was born in 1867, and educated at the Canadian Royal Military College, from which he graduated, proceeding at once to an appointment on the engineering staff of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Here he had that splendid training which fitted the young student for the great work which he was destined to do in the service of his country. He entered the Royal Engineers in 1888 and proceeded to Woolwich, where his great knowledge of practical railway work led so rapid promotion. At the age of 23 he was appointed Traffic Manager of the Royal Arsenal Railways, and it was here that the keen eyes of Lord Kitchener discerned in young Girouard the very man to undertake the construction of the railway across the Sudan which was to enable Lord Kitchener to push forward his advance from Dongola to Khartoum. Colonel Girouard carried out this work as Director of Sudan Railways, and afterwards was appointed President of the Egyptian Railway Board. In 1889 he accompanied Sir Redvers Buller to the Cape as Director of Military Railways. He later settled in England and in 1907 became High Commissioner for Northern Nigeria, Governor from 1908 to 1909 and Governor of East African Protectorate 1909-1912. In the Great War he served as Director General of Munitions. He married, Sep 10, 1903, Mary Gwendolen, only child of the Hon Sir Richard Solomon, KCMG, CB, KC, Attorney General of the Transvaal, and Lady Solomon, Governor N Nigeria, 1907.
See Glen 13 Dec 89.
Source: List of KCMG recipients. Various sources
Royal Engineers
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CMG

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 Surname   Forename   Rank   Notes   Unit 
A Court-RepingtonCharlesLieutenant ColonelBorn in 1858 and entered Rifle Brigade, 1878; Brevet Lieutenant Colonel 1899. Staff service: Staff Captain (Intelligence.) Headquarters of Army, 1890-93; DAAG (Intelligence.) Headquarters of Army, 1893-95; DAAG, Egypt, 1897-98; Brig, Major Sudan Expedition Force, 1898; Military Attache (temp.) Brussels and The Hague, 1899; DAAG, South Africa, 1899-1900. War service: Afghan War, 1878 (medal with clasp); Nile Expedition 1898 (Despatches, May and September 1898; Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel; Egyptian medal with clasp; medal); Boer War, 1899-1900; with Ladysmith Relief Force; Spion Kop (Despatches, QSA (3)).
Source: List of CMG recipients. Various sources
Staff
AireyH P Lieutenant ColonelList of CMG recipients. Various sourcesNew South Wales contingent
BartonGMajor GeneralBorn 1844. Entered 1862; Major General, 1898. Staff service: Special Service, Ashanti Expedition, 1873-74; ADC to Brigadier-General, Aldershot, 1874-77 J Special Service, South Africa, 1878-79; DAA and QMG (commandant Foot Police); Expeditionary Force, Egypt, 1882; Assistant Military Secretary, China, 1884-85; Assistant Military Secretary to Lieutenant General, Expeditionary Force, Suakim, 1885; AAG Thames District, 1895-97, North-West District, 1897-98; Major General Infantry Brigade, South Africa, 1899. War service: Ashanti, 1873-74, wounded (Despatches; medal with clasp; promoted Captain); South African War, 1879 (Despatches; medal with clasp; Brevet of Major); Egyptian Expedition, 1882 (Despatches; medal with clasp; bronze star; Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel, 4th class, Osmanieh); Sudan Expedition, 1885 (clasp); South African War, 1899-1900; on Staff; wounded February 27, 1900. Played a prominent part on the relief of Ladysmith. During the guerrilla war, he operated in the western Transvaal and engaged de Wet at the battle of Frederikstad. In 1901, he commanded the garrison in Pretoria.
Source: List of CMG recipients. Various sources
Staff
Bathurst, EarlS HLieutenant ColonelList of CMG recipients. Various sourcesGloucestershire Regiment
BauchopALieutenant ColonelList of CMG recipients. Various sourcesNew Zealand contingent
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