Francis Ward (British Army officer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Francis William Ward
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
RankMajor general
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath

Major-General Francis William Ward CB (1840–1919) was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior ceremonial position in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.

Military career[edit]

Ward was born in 1840, the son of John Ward.[1] He was educated at the East India Company's Military College at Addiscombe in 1856–7, before entering the Bengal Artillery.[1] He then served during the Indian Mutiny of 1857.[1] He was appointed a Lieutenant in the Royal Bengal Artillery in 1862.[2]

He served on the North West Frontier from 1863 to 1864 and took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War from 1879 to 1880.[1] He later became a Colonel on the Staff Commanding the Royal Artillery in the Punjab.[1] He rose through the officer ranks and became a major general in 1895.[3]

He was made Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery on 1 May 1902[4] and then held the position of Master Gunner, St James's Park immediately after World War I.[5]

He died in 1919 in London, England.[6]

Family[edit]

He married Alice MacMullen, daughter of General S. F. MacMullen of the Bengal Cavalry in 1862.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f C. Hayavando Rao, ed. (1915). The Indian Biographical Dictionary. Madras: Pillar & Co. p. 458. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  2. ^ "No. 22621". The London Gazette. 29 April 1862. p. 2232.
  3. ^ "No. 26632". The London Gazette. 7 June 1895. p. 3255.
  4. ^ "No. 27439". The London Gazette. 3 June 1902. p. 3607.
  5. ^ "Royal Artillery at Regiments.org". Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  6. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
Honorary titles
Preceded by Master Gunner, St James's Park
1918–1919
Succeeded by