George Harman (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Sir George Byng Harman KCB
(30 January 1830 - 9 March 1892) was a senior British Army
officer who went on to be Military Secretary.
, Harman was commissioned into the 34th Regiment of Foot in 1849. He served in the Crimean War
and took part in the assault on the Redan
during the Siege of Sevastopol in 1855 and was severely wounded. He also served with his Regiment in putting down the Indian Mutiny
and was present at the Capture of Lucknow
in 1857. He became Assistant Inspector of Volunteers in 1860 and Assistant Military Secretary in the West Indies in 1866. In 1873 he took command of a Brigade Depot at Pontefract
, in 1874 he became Assistant Adjutant-General at Aldershot
and in 1878 he was appointed Deputy Adjutant-General in Ireland
.
In 1882 he joined the General Staff for the Expedition to Egypt
taking command of the Garrison at Alexandria
.
He became Deputy Adjutant-General at Army Headquarters in 1883 and Military Secretary in 1885. In that capacity he gave evidence to the Camperdown Committee, which were reviewing medical services in the British Army
, and in his evidence accused Medical Officers of "affecting to be combatant officers" in order to secure promotion.
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...
(30 January 1830 - 9 March 1892) was a senior 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 went on to be Military Secretary.
Military career
Educated at Marlborough CollegeMarlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, Harman was commissioned into the 34th Regiment of Foot in 1849. He served in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and took part in the assault on the Redan
Redan
Redan is a term related to fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle toward an expected attack...
during the Siege of Sevastopol in 1855 and was severely wounded. He also served with his Regiment in putting down the Indian Mutiny
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
and was present at the Capture of Lucknow
Capture of Lucknow
The Capture of Lucknow was a battle of Indian rebellion of 1857. The British recaptured the city of Lucknow which they had abandoned in the previous winter after the relief of a besieged garrison in the Residency, and destroyed the organised resistance by the rebels in the Kingdom of Awadh The...
in 1857. He became Assistant Inspector of Volunteers in 1860 and Assistant Military Secretary in the West Indies in 1866. In 1873 he took command of a Brigade Depot at Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
, in 1874 he became Assistant Adjutant-General 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...
and in 1878 he was appointed Deputy Adjutant-General 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 1882 he joined the General Staff for the Expedition to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
taking command of the Garrison at Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
.
He became Deputy Adjutant-General at Army Headquarters in 1883 and Military Secretary in 1885. In that capacity he gave evidence to the Camperdown Committee, which were reviewing medical services in the 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...
, and in his evidence accused Medical Officers of "affecting to be combatant officers" in order to secure promotion.