Francis Clery
Encyclopedia
General
Sir (Cornelius) Francis Clery KCB
KCMG
(13 February 1838 – 25 June 1926) was a British Army
officer who commanded 2nd Division during the Second Boer War
.
in County Kildare
, Clery was commissioned into the 32nd Regiment of Foot in 1858. He became Professor of Tactics at the Royal Military College Sandhurst
in 1872 and then became Deputy Assistant Adjutant & Quartermaster-General first in Ireland
in 1875 and then at Aldershot
in 1877.
He took part in the Anglo-Zulu War
, being present at the Battle of Isandlwana
in June 1879 and the Battle of Ulundi
in July 1879, and the Egyptian Campaign of 1882. He was appointed Chief of the Staff to the Suakin Expedition
of 1884, Deputy Adjutant-General to the Nile Expedition
to relieve Major-General Gordon
in 1884 and Chief of the Staff to the Egyptian Army of Occupation in 1886. He went on to be Commandant
of the Staff College, Camberley
in 1888, Commander of an Infantry Brigade at Aldershot
in 1894 and General Officer Commanding
2nd Division in 1899 leading it during the Second Boer War
. He led his Division at the Battle of Spion Kop
but made little progress and the British forces were ultimately defeated in that action. Clery was eccentric and had a habit of dyeing his prominent side-wiskers blue.
He retired due to ill health in 1901 and wrote a manual on military tactics.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir (Cornelius) Francis Clery KCB
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...
KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(13 February 1838 – 25 June 1926) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who commanded 2nd Division during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
Military career
Educated at Clongowes Wood CollegeClongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College is a voluntary secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane in County Kildare, Ireland. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1814, it is one of Ireland's oldest Catholic schools, and featured prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the...
in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Clery was commissioned into the 32nd Regiment of Foot in 1858. He became Professor of Tactics at the Royal Military College Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in 1872 and then became Deputy Assistant Adjutant & Quartermaster-General first in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1875 and then at Aldershot
Aldershot Command
-History:After the success of the Chobham Manoeuvres of 1853, a permanent training camp was established at Aldershot in 1854 on the recommendation of the Commander-in-Chief, Viscount Hardinge...
in 1877.
He took part in the Anglo-Zulu War
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom.Following the imperialist scheme by which Lord Carnarvon had successfully brought about federation in Canada, it was thought that a similar plan might succeed with the various African kingdoms, tribal areas and...
, being present at the Battle of Isandlwana
Battle of Isandlwana
The Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom...
in June 1879 and the Battle of Ulundi
Battle of Ulundi
The Battle of Ulundi took place at the Zulu capital of Ulundi on 4 July 1879 and was the last major battle of the Anglo-Zulu War. The British army finally broke the military power of the Zulu nation by defeating the main Zulu army and immediately afterwards capturing and razing the capital of...
in July 1879, and the Egyptian Campaign of 1882. He was appointed Chief of the Staff to the Suakin Expedition
Suakin Expedition
The Suakin Expedition refers to two military expeditions led by Major-General Sir Gerald Graham V.C. to Suakin in Sudan with the intention of destroying the power of Osman Digna, the first in February 1884 and the second in March 1885.-The first expedition:...
of 1884, Deputy Adjutant-General to the Nile Expedition
Nile Expedition
The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition , was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan after Britain decided to abandon the country in the face of a...
to relieve Major-General Gordon
Charles George Gordon
Major-General Charles George Gordon, CB , known as "Chinese" Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British army officer and administrator....
in 1884 and Chief of the Staff to the Egyptian Army of Occupation in 1886. He went on to be Commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in 1888, Commander of an Infantry Brigade at Aldershot
Aldershot Command
-History:After the success of the Chobham Manoeuvres of 1853, a permanent training camp was established at Aldershot in 1854 on the recommendation of the Commander-in-Chief, Viscount Hardinge...
in 1894 and General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
2nd Division in 1899 leading it during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. He led his Division at the Battle of Spion Kop
Battle of Spion Kop
The Battle of Spion Kop was fought about west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa from 23–24 January 1900...
but made little progress and the British forces were ultimately defeated in that action. Clery was eccentric and had a habit of dyeing his prominent side-wiskers blue.
He retired due to ill health in 1901 and wrote a manual on military tactics.