Richard Luard
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Richard George Amherst Luard, CB
(29 July 1827 – 24 July 1891) was a British Army
officer who became General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada
.
, Luard was commissioned into the 51st Regiment of Foot
in 1845. Later that year he transferred to the 3rd Regiment of Foot. In 1854 he transferred to the 77th Regiment of Foot
and served in the Crimean War
as a Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General: he was mentioned in despatches for his part in the Siege of Sevastopol. He served in the Second Opium War
taking part in an expedition to China
in 1857. In 1860 he was appointed Assistant Inspector of Volunteers and in 1875 he was made Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General for the Northern District in England
.
In 1880 he became General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada
. He sought to introduce permanent infantry training schools but also upset Adolphe-Philippe Caron
, the Minister of Militia and Defence
, through his constant criticism of amateur soldiers. He was asked to resign and, in 1884, returned to England to command a Brigade at Aldershot Garrison
.
in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry and was killed near Ypres
in the First World War.
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...
(29 July 1827 – 24 July 1891) 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 became General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada
General Officer Commanding the Forces (Canada)
The General Officer Commanding the Forces was the most senior member of the Canadian Army from 1875 until 1904. With to the withdrawal of the majority of British forces in Canada in 1906, the position was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff which title was used until 1964 when the...
.
Military career
Born the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel John Luard and educated at the Royal Military Academy SandhurstRoyal 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...
, Luard was commissioned into the 51st Regiment of Foot
51st Regiment of Foot
51st Regiment of Foot may refer to:*51st Regiment of Foot, 1755-1881*51st King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 1881-1968...
in 1845. Later that year he transferred to the 3rd Regiment of Foot. In 1854 he transferred to the 77th Regiment of Foot
77th Regiment of Foot
77th Regiment of Foot may refer to:*77th Regiment of Foot *77th Regiment of Foot *77th Regiment of Foot...
and 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...
as a Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General: he was mentioned in despatches for his part in the Siege of Sevastopol. He served in the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
taking part in an expedition to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1857. In 1860 he was appointed Assistant Inspector of Volunteers and in 1875 he was made Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General for the Northern District in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In 1880 he became General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada
General Officer Commanding the Forces (Canada)
The General Officer Commanding the Forces was the most senior member of the Canadian Army from 1875 until 1904. With to the withdrawal of the majority of British forces in Canada in 1906, the position was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff which title was used until 1964 when the...
. He sought to introduce permanent infantry training schools but also upset Adolphe-Philippe Caron
Adolphe-Philippe Caron
Sir Joseph-Philippe-René-Adolphe Caron, PC, KCMG was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He is now best remembered as the Minister of Militia and Defence in the government of Sir John A...
, the Minister of Militia and Defence
Minister of Militia and Defence (Canada)
The Minister of Militia and Defence was the federal government minister in charge of the volunteer army units in Canada prior to the creation of the Canadian Militia, before the creation of the Canadian Army....
, through his constant criticism of amateur soldiers. He was asked to resign and, in 1884, returned to England to command a Brigade at Aldershot Garrison
Aldershot Garrison
Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England. Established in 1854, Aldershot has long been seen as the home of the British Army. The garrison was established when the war department brought a large area of land near to the village of...
.
Family
Luard was married on 8 October 1863 to Hannah Chamberlain. They had seven children including Edward Bourryau Luard (1870–1916), who achieved the rank of Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry and was killed near Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
in the First World War.
External links
- Richard George Amherst Luard at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...