Howard Craufurd Elphinstone
Encyclopedia
Major-General
Sir Howard Craufurd Elphinstone VC
KCB
CMG
(12 December 1829 – 8 March 1890) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
Elphinstone joined the Corps of Royal Engineers as a gentleman cadet at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and was commissioned as a second lieutenant
in December 1847. With the outbreak of the Crimean War
, Elphinstone was posted to the Crimea and it was during the Siege of Sebastopol that he won the Victoria Cross.
in the Royal Engineers, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
His citation read:
, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
who appointed him to the 5th class of the Order of the Medjidie.
in the Royal Engineers but was promoted to the substantive Army (but not Corps) rank of Major in 1858.
In 1859 he joined the Royal Household
of Queen Victoria as governor to Prince Arthur
, the third son of Queen Victoria, and later also governor to Prince Leopold
, Her Majesty's fourth son. In 1865 the Queen rewarded him for his service as governor by appointing him as a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Civil division)
. In 1868 he was appointed a brevet Lieutenant-Colonel and in 1870 he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
.
Further honours came Elphinstone's way when Prince Arthur obtained his majority
in 1871, firstly in May he was appointed Comptroller of the Household
to Prince Arthur, the same month he was made a Companion of the Military Division of Order of the Bath, and finally in July was knight
ed as a Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Order of the Bath. Promotions also followed; in 1872 his substantive promotion to Major was confirmed and the following year he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel.
Returning to military service Elphinstone served as an Aide-de-camp
to the Queen in 1877 and was promoted to Colonel at the end of 1881 and was appointed as Officer Commanding Royal Engineers in Mauritius
, a post he was reluctant to take up, so much so that he was prepared to resign from the army; however under customs then allowed in the British Army, a posting could be avoided if an other officer was prepared to take the posting instead. Normally this involved payment to the substitute officer but Elphinstone was fortunate to meet fellow Royal Engineer officer, Colonel Gordon
(Gordon of Khartoum) who was willing to take the posting to Mauritius without payment. During 1884–5 he served as military attache
in Berlin In 1887 he was promoted to Major-General but drowned in 1890 when he fell overboard while on a trip to Madeira
.
. It names the people who attended Elphinstone's memorial service in the cathedral - a large number were royalty and Queen Victoria sent a representative. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum
, London.
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
Sir Howard Craufurd Elphinstone VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
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...
CMG
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....
(12 December 1829 – 8 March 1890) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Early career and the Crimean War
Born in LivoniaLivonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
Elphinstone joined the Corps of Royal Engineers as a gentleman cadet at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and was commissioned 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 December 1847. With the outbreak of 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...
, Elphinstone was posted to the Crimea and it was during the Siege of Sebastopol that he won the Victoria Cross.
Victoria Cross
On 18 June 1855, he was 25 years old, and a LieutenantLieutenant
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...
in the Royal Engineers, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
His citation read:
Further honours
With the end of the war he was decorated by both Napoleon III, Emperor of France being appointed as a Knight of the Legion of Honour; and Abdülmecid IAbdülmecid I
Sultan Abdülmecid I, Abdul Mejid I, Abd-ul-Mejid I or Abd Al-Majid I Ghazi was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on July 2, 1839. His reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories...
, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
who appointed him to the 5th class of the Order of the Medjidie.
Subsequent career
Elphinstone ended the Crimean War as a brevet Major and as a substantive second captainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the Royal Engineers but was promoted to the substantive Army (but not Corps) rank of Major in 1858.
In 1859 he joined the Royal Household
Royal Households of the United Kingdom
The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the organised offices and support systems for the British Royal Family, along with their immediate families...
of Queen Victoria as governor to Prince Arthur
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, the third son of Queen Victoria, and later also governor to Prince Leopold
Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
The Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany was the eighth child and fourth son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold was later created Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, and Baron Arklow...
, Her Majesty's fourth son. In 1865 the Queen rewarded him for his service as governor by appointing him as a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Civil division)
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...
. In 1868 he was appointed a brevet Lieutenant-Colonel and in 1870 he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
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....
.
Further honours came Elphinstone's way when Prince Arthur obtained his majority
Age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of...
in 1871, firstly in May he was appointed Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
to Prince Arthur, the same month he was made a Companion of the Military Division of Order of the Bath, and finally in July was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed as a Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Order of the Bath. Promotions also followed; in 1872 his substantive promotion to Major was confirmed and the following year he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel.
Returning to military service Elphinstone served as an Aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Queen in 1877 and was promoted to Colonel at the end of 1881 and was appointed as Officer Commanding Royal Engineers in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, a post he was reluctant to take up, so much so that he was prepared to resign from the army; however under customs then allowed in the British Army, a posting could be avoided if an other officer was prepared to take the posting instead. Normally this involved payment to the substitute officer but Elphinstone was fortunate to meet fellow Royal Engineer officer, Colonel 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....
(Gordon of Khartoum) who was willing to take the posting to Mauritius without payment. During 1884–5 he served as military attache
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Berlin In 1887 he was promoted to Major-General but drowned in 1890 when he fell overboard while on a trip to Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
Memorial
There is a brass plaque to his honour in the Nave of Exeter CathedralExeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon in South West England....
. It names the people who attended Elphinstone's memorial service in the cathedral - a large number were royalty and Queen Victoria sent a representative. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
, London.