General
Sir Frederick Forestier-Walker
GCMG KCB KStJ
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

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.

Early life

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

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

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

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

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

References

  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

Military offices Preceded bySir James Dormer GOC British Troops in Egypt 1890–1895 Succeeded bySir Charles Knowles Preceded bySir Richard Harrison GOC Western District 1895–1899 Succeeded bySir William Butler Honorary titles Preceded bySomerset M. Wiseman Clarke Colonel of the King's Own Scottish Borderers 1905−1910 Succeeded byCharles Louis Woollcombe Government offices Preceded bySir George Stuart White Governor of Gibraltar 1905–1910 Succeeded bySir Archibald Hunter
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