Charles Waddington (army engineer)
Encyclopedia
Charles Waddington CB was a major-general in the Bombay engineers.
, Nottinghamshire
, by his wife, Grace Valentine, daughter of Henry Sykes of London
, was born at Brompton on 24 Oct. 1796. After passing through Addiscombe military college
of the East India Company, he received a commission as a second lieutenant
in the Bombay engineers on 3 April 1813, and arrived in India
on 22 May 1814, He accompanied Colonel Kennedy’s force to the Concan, and is services at the assaults of Madanghar (eighty miles south-east of Bombay
) and of Jamba were favourably mentioned. Towards the end of 1819 he went home on furlough, was promoted to be lieutenant
on 16 November 1820, married in 1822, and on his return to India in 1823 acted as executive engineer at Baroda. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1825, and appointed in October executive engineer of the Baroda subsidiary force. In November 1827 he was moved to Bombay as civil engineer
at the presidency, and in August 1828 acted also as superintending engineer. He was appointed to the command of the engineer corps and to take charge of the Engineer Institution in October 1830. In September 1834 he commanded the engineers at Sirur, returning to the presidency as superintending engineer in January 1835.
On 28 June 1838 Waddington was promoted to be major
, and in May of the following year was appointed superintending engineer of the southern provinces. In September 1841 he went to Sind as commanding engineer. He accompanied Major-general (afterwards Sir) Richard England in his march through the Bolan Pass
in the autumn of 1842, and was favourably mentioned in England’s dispatch of 10 Oct. 1842 for his services at Haikalzai. On 4 November 1842 he was appointed command engineer in Baluchistan
as well as Sind
. He accompanied Sir Charles Napier
as commanding engineer of his force in the celebrated march of eighty-two miles from Dijikote on 6 Jan, 1843 to Imamghar, where they arrived on the 12th. Instructed to demolish the fort, Wadding fired his mines on the 15th. He himself lit the fuses of three mines, and was bending over the train of one when his assistant called upon him to run as the other mines were about to explode. But he deliberately insured that the fuse was well alight before he walked away amid a storm of bursting mines. Napier mentioned him in his dispatch of 22 Jan. 1843 for his gallantry. He called it a grand action, but advised Waddington that he would have done better to appreciate his own worth and reserve his heroism for an occasion where it might turn the crisis of a war.
Waddington took part in the Battle of Miani
on 17 Feb. 1843, where he acted as aide-de-camp to Napier and was mentioned in dispatches. He was also at the Battle of Hyderabad
, or Dubba, on 24 March, when Napier again mentioned him as having 'rendered the most important aid in examining the enemy's position with that cool courage which he possesses in so eminent degree' ). On 4 July he received the medal for Miani and Hyderabad and was appointed a Commander of the military division of the Order of the Bath
and also promoted to lieutenant-colonel.
After a furlough in England, Waddington was employed in special duty at Puna
until October 1847, where he was appointed superintending and executive engineer at Aden, altered to chief engineer in April 1851, the court of directors desiring that 'their high approbation of his valuable services be conveyed to this zealous and able officer' (30 July 1851). He was promoted to colonel
on 24 Nov. 1853 and major-general on 28 November 1854. On 4 May 1854 he was appointed chief engineer in the public works department, Bombay, and his services in making the preparation for the Persian expedition received official acknowledgement on 3 Dec. 1856. In November 1857 Waddington was appointed to the command in Sind. In September 1858 he was compelled by ill-health to leave India, and he died in London on 22 November of that year.
Waddington married, in 1822, Anne Rebecca, daughter of John Pinchard of Taunton
, Somerset
, and by her he left a family of six sons and two daughters. His eldest son, William (b. 1823), colonel Bombay staff corps, served in Persia (medal and clasp) 1856-1857, and became J.P. for Wiltshire. Another son, Thomas (b. 1827), was major-general of the Bombay staff corps.
and other papers
Attribution
Biography
Charles Waddington was the fifth son of William Waddington or WalkeringhamWalkeringham
Walkeringham is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 908. The parish church of St Mary Magdalen is 13th century. It has one public house called The Fox and Hounds, and a post office. It also has a former station house and a...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, by his wife, Grace Valentine, daughter of Henry Sykes of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, was born at Brompton on 24 Oct. 1796. After passing through Addiscombe military college
Addiscombe Military Academy
The East India Company Military Seminary, colloquially known as Addiscombe Seminary, Addiscombe College, or Addiscombe Military Academy was a British military academy at Addiscombe, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon. It was established in 1809, and closed in 1861...
of the East India Company, he received a commission as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Bombay engineers on 3 April 1813, and arrived in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on 22 May 1814, He accompanied Colonel Kennedy’s force to the Concan, and is services at the assaults of Madanghar (eighty miles south-east of Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
) and of Jamba were favourably mentioned. Towards the end of 1819 he went home on furlough, was promoted to be lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 16 November 1820, married in 1822, and on his return to India in 1823 acted as executive engineer at Baroda. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1825, and appointed in October executive engineer of the Baroda subsidiary force. In November 1827 he was moved to Bombay as civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
at the presidency, and in August 1828 acted also as superintending engineer. He was appointed to the command of the engineer corps and to take charge of the Engineer Institution in October 1830. In September 1834 he commanded the engineers at Sirur, returning to the presidency as superintending engineer in January 1835.
On 28 June 1838 Waddington was promoted to be major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, and in May of the following year was appointed superintending engineer of the southern provinces. In September 1841 he went to Sind as commanding engineer. He accompanied Major-general (afterwards Sir) Richard England in his march through the Bolan Pass
Bolan Pass
The Bolan Pass is a mountain pass through the Toba Kakar Range of Balochistan province in western Pakistan, 120 kilometres from the Afghanistan border....
in the autumn of 1842, and was favourably mentioned in England’s dispatch of 10 Oct. 1842 for his services at Haikalzai. On 4 November 1842 he was appointed command engineer in Baluchistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
as well as Sind
Sind Division
The Sind Division was the name of Sindh after being annexed by the Bombay Presidency province of British India in 1843 , following a British Indian conquest led by then Major-General Charles Napier. The region separated from the Bombay Presidency to become the Sind Province on 1936-04-01....
. He accompanied Sir Charles Napier
Charles James Napier
General Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
as commanding engineer of his force in the celebrated march of eighty-two miles from Dijikote on 6 Jan, 1843 to Imamghar, where they arrived on the 12th. Instructed to demolish the fort, Wadding fired his mines on the 15th. He himself lit the fuses of three mines, and was bending over the train of one when his assistant called upon him to run as the other mines were about to explode. But he deliberately insured that the fuse was well alight before he walked away amid a storm of bursting mines. Napier mentioned him in his dispatch of 22 Jan. 1843 for his gallantry. He called it a grand action, but advised Waddington that he would have done better to appreciate his own worth and reserve his heroism for an occasion where it might turn the crisis of a war.
Waddington took part in the Battle of Miani
Battle of Miani
The Battle of Miani was a battle between British forces under Sir Charles Napier and the Talpur Amirs of Sindh, Pakistan.-Background:...
on 17 Feb. 1843, where he acted as aide-de-camp to Napier and was mentioned in dispatches. He was also at the Battle of Hyderabad
Battle of Hyderabad
The Battle of Hyderabad was fought in March 1843 between the British colonial empire and the Talpur Emirs of Sindh near Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. A small British force, led by Captain James Outram, who were attacked by the Balochis and forced to make a fort of the British residency, which they...
, or Dubba, on 24 March, when Napier again mentioned him as having 'rendered the most important aid in examining the enemy's position with that cool courage which he possesses in so eminent degree' ). On 4 July he received the medal for Miani and Hyderabad and was appointed a Commander of the military division of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
and also promoted to lieutenant-colonel.
After a furlough in England, Waddington was employed in special duty at Puna
Puna
Puna may refer to:* Puna grassland, a type of grassland in the central part of the high Andes* Puna , the king of Hiti-marama or of Vavau in the Tuamotu legend of Rata* Puna , a type of wind in the Andes...
until October 1847, where he was appointed superintending and executive engineer at Aden, altered to chief engineer in April 1851, the court of directors desiring that 'their high approbation of his valuable services be conveyed to this zealous and able officer' (30 July 1851). He was promoted to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
on 24 Nov. 1853 and major-general on 28 November 1854. On 4 May 1854 he was appointed chief engineer in the public works department, Bombay, and his services in making the preparation for the Persian expedition received official acknowledgement on 3 Dec. 1856. In November 1857 Waddington was appointed to the command in Sind. In September 1858 he was compelled by ill-health to leave India, and he died in London on 22 November of that year.
Waddington married, in 1822, Anne Rebecca, daughter of John Pinchard of Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, and by her he left a family of six sons and two daughters. His eldest son, William (b. 1823), colonel Bombay staff corps, served in Persia (medal and clasp) 1856-1857, and became J.P. for Wiltshire. Another son, Thomas (b. 1827), was major-general of the Bombay staff corps.
Works
Waddington contributed to the professional papers of the corps of royal engineers, (quarto series)- Account of the Battle Meanee vol. ix. [Miani]
- Doctrines of Carpentry in their Application to the Construction of Roofs vol. x.
and other papers
Referred works
- Vibart, Henry Meredith. Addiscombe its heroes and men of note (1894)
- India Office RecordsIndia Office RecordsThe India Office Records are a very large collection of documents relating to the administration of India from 1600 to 1947, the period spanning British rule in India...
- Despatches
- Kelly's Handbook
- Royal Engineers' Records
Attribution