Royal Hospital Chelsea
Encyclopedia
Retirement home
A retirement home is a multi-residence housing facility intended for senior citizens. Typically each person or couple in the home has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. Additional facilities are provided within the building, including facilities for meals, gathering, recreation, and some...
and nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
for 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...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s who are unfit for further duty due to injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
or old age
Old age
Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
, located in the Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
region of central 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...
, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
. It is a true hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in the original sense of the word, that is a place where hospitality was provided. There are just over 300 soldiers (310, as of 10 June 2004) resident in the Royal Hospital, referred to as "in-pensioners" (or more colloquially, as Chelsea pensioner
Chelsea pensioner
A Chelsea pensioner is an in-pensioner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home and nursing home for former members of the British Army located in Chelsea, London...
s).
The grounds of the Royal Hospital have been the site of the annual Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea Flower Show
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London...
since 1913.
History
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, who issued a Royal Warrant authorising the building of the Hospital on 22 December 1681, in order to make provision for old or injured soldiers (to succour and relief of veterans broken by age and war). Many of these soldiers, who were no longer fit for service, had been kept on regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
al rolls so that they could continue to receive payment, because there was an inadequate provision of pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
s for them.
Sir Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
was commissioned to design and erect the building. His design was based on the Hôpital des Invalides
Les Invalides
Les Invalides , officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides , is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The site for the Hospital was an area of Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
which held an incomplete building — "Chelsey College
Chelsea College (17th century)
Chelsea College was a polemical college founded in London in 1609. This establishment was intended to centralize controversial writing against Catholicism, and was the idea of Matthew Sutcliffe, Dean of Exeter, who was the first Provost...
", a theological college founded by James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
in 1610. The area had been donated by Charles II to the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1667, but since the Society had been unable to find a suitable use for the site, it was repurchased by the King in February 1682 to provide the site for the Hospital.
Construction took place at a rapid pace and by the time of Charles II's death, in 1685, the main hall and chapel of the Hospital had already been completed. The first patients included those injured at the Battle of Sedgemoor
Battle of Sedgemoor
The Battle of Sedgemoor was fought on 6 July 1685 and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerset, England.It was the final battle of the Monmouth Rebellion and followed a series of skirmishes around south west England between the forces of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and the...
. In 1686, Wren expanded his original design to add two additional quadrangles to the east and west of the central court.
In 1694 a Royal Charter was established for a direct naval equivalent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Building began in 1696 on the Greenwich Hospital, and it opened in 1705.
Because of its elevation, from 1796 to 1816 the Royal Hospital Chelsea hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in 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...
to its naval ships in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
In 1809, Sir John Soane
John Soane
Sir John Soane, RA was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources...
designed and constructed a new infirmary building, with space for 80 patient
Patient
A patient is any recipient of healthcare services. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, veterinarian, or other health care provider....
s, located to the west of the Hospital building on the site of the current National Army Museum
National Army Museum
The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
. The infirmary was damaged by bombing in the Second World War and later demolished.
The first televised
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
church service
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
in the United Kingdom
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...
was broadcast from the hospital Chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
in 1949.
In 2002, the Sovereign's Mace
Ceremonial mace
The ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the original mace used as a weapon...
was presented to the hospital — up until then, the hospital had had no colours or distinctive device — the Mace is now carried at all the ceremonial events at the Hospital. In 2009 the hospital was opened to women for the first time.
Seven of the Chelsea Pensioners are releasing an album on the 8th November 2010 called Men In Scarlet - all royalties will go to the Chelsea Pensioners' Appeal which is currently raising money to refurbish the 300 year old living accommodation.
Founder's Day
The Royal Hospital Founder's Day takes place close to 29 May each year — the birthday of Charles IICharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, and the date of his restoration as King in 1660. It is also known as Oak Apple Day
Oak Apple Day
Oak Apple Day or Royal Oak Day was a holiday celebrated in England on 29 May to commemorate the restoration of the English monarchy, in May 1660...
, as it commemorates the escape of the future King following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
in 1651, when he hid in the Royal Oak to avoid capture by Parliamentary
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
forces.
On Founder's Day, in-pensioners of the Royal Hospital are reviewed by a member of the British royal family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
. The statue of Charles II in the central court (or Figure Court) of the Hospital is shrouded in oak leaves, and all participants and spectators wear sprigs of oak leaves.
The statue of King Charles II
The 7' 6" (229 cm) statue of King Charles IICharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
which stands in the central court (the Figure Court) of the Hospital was cast in copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
alloy by Grinling Gibbons
Grinling Gibbons
Grinling Gibbons was an English sculptor and wood carver known for his work in England, including St Paul's Cathedral, Blenheim Palace and Hampton Court Palace. He was born and educated in Holland where his father was a merchant...
in 1676, and originally stood in the precincts of Whitehall Palace.
Following the death of King Charles II, the statue was moved to the Royal Hospital, where it has stood since 1692. In 2002, the statue was regilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
Golden Jubilee.
Public Opening
The great hall and the chapel, the Hospital's museum, and some of its courtyards are open to the public. The site of the 18th century pleasure gardens known as Ranelagh GardensRanelagh Gardens
Ranelagh Gardens were public pleasure gardens located in Chelsea, then just outside London, England in the 18th century.-History:The Ranelagh Gardens were so called because they occupied the site of Ranelagh House, built in 1688-89 by the first Earl of Ranelagh, Treasurer of Chelsea Hospital ,...
now forms part of the grounds of the Hospital, and is open to the public. The National Army Museum
National Army Museum
The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
is adjacent to the Hospital.
Chapel
The Hospital’s chapel was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and is a fine and rare example of Wren’s pure ecclesiastical work. It was designed to accommodate about 500 people, all the staff and pensioners, and rises 42 feet (12.8 m) high. The chapel was built between 1681 and 1687.The chapel contains a fine painting of the Resurrection in the half dome of the apse, painted by Sebastiano Ricci
Sebastiano Ricci
Sebastiano Ricci was an Italian painter of the late Baroque school of Venice. About the same age as Piazzetta, and an elder contemporary of Tiepolo, he represents a late version of the vigorous and luminous Cortonesque style of grand manner fresco painting.-Early years:He was born in Belluno, son...
; the work dates from 1714 when Ricci, accompanied by his nephew Marco (who assisted with the painting at the Royal Hospital) were working in London before travelling on to Paris. It is thought the work was a donation from Queen Anne.
The Chapel was consecrated in August 1691, and compulsory services held twice daily. Nowadays services are confined to Sunday mornings, a Choral Matins
Matins
Matins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe morning services.The name "Matins" originally referred to the morning office also...
and a shortened service of Holy Communion immediately following. In-Pensioners also parade in Figure Court on Sunday mornings.
Music and Liturgy
The Chapel's main Sunday service — Choral Matins — is led by the Chapel Choir, a professional group of twelve singers. The choir is directed by the Organist Ian Curror, and accompanied by an Organ Scholar.List of Church Music Organ Scholars
- Michael Cayton - 1999 - 2000
- James Duddle - 2000 - '01
- Noel Charles - 2001 - '02
- Gabriele Damiani - 2002 - '03
- Jonathan Bunney - 2003 - '04
- Lewis Brito-Babapulle - 2004 - '05
- Timothy Wakerell - 2005 - '06 (later Sub Organist, St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
) - Stephen Moore - 2006 - '08
- Benjamin Horden - 2008 - '09
- Peter Holder - 2009 (commences post in September, 2009)
The Chapel houses a 2 manual Walker instrument, details of which can be found at the National Pipe Organ Register.
Administration
The Hospital is run by a Governor, currently General The Lord Walker GCB CMGOrder 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....
CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
. He is assisted by a Lieutenant-Governor, Major-General A.P.N. Currie CB
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...
. Both of these men are also retired, like the rest of the pensioners. They also sit on an eighteen-strong Board of Commissioners, who hold the Hospital in trust.
Royal Hospital Chelsea Museum
Opened in the Great Hall in 1866, the Royal Hospital Chelsea Museum features military artefacts and memorabilia that were donated by deceased in-pensionersChelsea pensioner
A Chelsea pensioner is an in-pensioner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home and nursing home for former members of the British Army located in Chelsea, London...
. The displays include items associated with the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, and other uniforms, medals, weapons, paintings and models. The Royal Hospital Chelsea also has a small Souvenir Shop right next to the Museum, frequented by the In-Pensioners and tourists.
Admission of women
In March 2009 the first women in the Hospital’s 317 year history were admitted as In-PensionersChelsea pensioner
A Chelsea pensioner is an in-pensioner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home and nursing home for former members of the British Army located in Chelsea, London...
. Dorothy Hughes (aged 85) was the first, soon followed by Winifred Phillips (aged 82). Hughes had joined 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...
in 1941 aged 18, later working as part of 450 Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery in the London Division. In 1945 the Battery was deployed near Dover to defend against V1 rocket attacks. She retired with the rank of Sergeant. Phillips trained as a nurse and later joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service
Auxiliary Territorial Service
The Auxiliary Territorial Service was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War...
in 1948 before enlisting in the Women's Royal Army Corps
Women's Royal Army Corps
The Women's Royal Army Corps was the corps to which all women in the British Army except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chaplains and nurses belonged from 1949 to 1992.-History:The...
in 1949 while serving in 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...
. After 22 years service she retired with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2.
List of Governors
The following is a list of Governors:- Brigadier General Thomas StanwixThomas StanwixBrigadier General Thomas Stanwix was a British Army officer, politician and Governor of Gibraltar.-Career:Stanwix joined the Army and had become a Captain-Lieutenant in Hasting's Foot Regiment by 1692. In March 1702 he was elected Member of Parliament for Carlisle...
1714-1720 - Lieutenant General Charles ChurchillCharles Churchill (governor)Lieutenant General Charles Churchill was a British Army General and a Member of Parliament.-Career:Born the natural son of Elizabeth Dodd and General Charles Churchill and so the nephew of the 1st Duke of Marlborough, Churchill spent his early career in the British Army during the War of the...
1720-1722 - Lieutenant General William EvansWilliam Evans (British Army officer)Lieutenant-General William Evans was a British Army General who became Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.-Military career:In 1713, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Evans was invited by the Duke of Ormonde to serve in Flanders and acquired a Regiment of Dragoons when Viscount Cobham...
1722-1740 - Field Marshal Sir Robert RichSir Robert Rich, 4th BaronetField Marshal Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet was a British cavalry officer.-Career:Rich was commissioned into the 1st Foot Guards in 1700...
1740-1768 - Field Marshal Sir George Howard 1768-1795
- Field Marshal The Marquess TownshendGeorge Townshend, 1st Marquess TownshendField Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, PC , known as The Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a British soldier who reached the rank of field marshal.-Early life:...
1795-1796 - General Sir William FawcettWilliam Fawcett (British Army officer)General Sir William Fawcett KCB was an Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:Educated at the Free School in Bury in Lancashire, William Fawcett was commissioned into the 33rd Foot in 1748....
1796-1804 - General Sir David DundasSir David Dundas, 1st BaronetGeneral Sir David Dundas, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British general who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces from 1809 to 1811.-Military service:...
1804-1820 - Field Marshal Sir Samuel HulseSamuel HulseField Marshal Sir Samuel Hulse, GCH was a British Army officer.-Military career:Born the second son of Sir Edward Hulse, 2nd Baronet, Samuel Hulse was commissioned into the 1st Regiment of Footguards. He was appointed Commanding Officer of the Regiment in 1793 and served in that capacity in Flanders...
1820-1837 - General Sir Edward PagetEdward PagetGeneral Sir Edward Paget GCB was a British Army officer.-Career:Born the fourth son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, Edward Paget became a cornet in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards in 1792...
1837-1849 - General Sir George Anson 1849
- General Sir Colin HalkettColin HalkettGeneral Sir Colin Halkett GCB GCH GCTE was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.-Family:Halkett came from a military family...
1849-1856 - Field Marshal Sir Edward BlakeneyEdward BlakeneyField Marshal Sir Edward Blakeney PC GCB GCH was a British Army Field Marshal.-Background:Born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Blakeney, was the fourth son of Colonel William Blakeney, who sat in the Parliament of Ireland, and his wife Sarah née Shields...
1856-1868 - Field Marshal Sir Alexander WoodfordAlexander George WoodfordField Marshal Sir Alexander George Woodford, KCB, KCMG was a British Army officer.-Military career:Woodford was born at 30 Welbeck Street, London, the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel John Woodford , and his second wife, Lady Susan Field Marshal Sir Alexander George Woodford, KCB, KCMG (15 June...
1868-1870 - General Sir John PennefatherJohn Lysaght PennefatherGeneral Sir John Lysaght Pennefather GCB was a British soldier who won two very remarkable victories. Firstly, at Meanee, India, where it was said that 500 Irishmen defeated 35,000 Indians...
1870-1872 - Lt-General Sir Sydney CottonSydney CottonLieutenant-General Sir Sydney John Cotton GCB was a British Army officer.-Military career:He was the second son of Henry Calveley Cotton of Woodcote, Oxfordshire, England, and his wife Matilda, daughter and heiress of John Lockwood of Dews Hall, Essex.He joined the British Army in 1810 as a Cornet...
1872-1874 - Field Marshal Patrick GrantPatrick GrantField Marshal Sir Patrick Grant, GCB, GCMG was a senior British Army officer.-Military career:He was the second son of Major John Grant, of the 97th Regiment of Foot, of Auchterblair, Invernessshire, where he was born....
1874-1895 - Field Marshal Sir Donald Stewart 1895-1901
- Field Marshal Sir Henry NormanHenry Wylie NormanField Marshal Sir Henry Wylie Norman GCB, GCMG, CIE , Field Marshal and colonial Governor.-Early life:He was born 2 December 1826, only son of James Norman, merchant, and his wife Charlotte, née Wylie....
1901-1904 - Field Marshal Sir George White 1905-1912
- General Sir Neville LytteltonNeville LytteltonGeneral Sir Neville Gerald Lyttelton GCB, GCVO, PC was a British Army Officer. He served as Chief of the General Staff.-Army career:...
1912-1931 - General Sir Walter BraithwaiteWalter BraithwaiteGeneral Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite, GCB was a British general during World War I. After being dismissed from his position as Chief of Staff for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, he received some acclaim as a competent divisional commander on the Western Front...
1931-1938 - General Sir Harry KnoxHarry KnoxGeneral Sir Harry Hugh Sidney Knox KCB DSO is a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:Educated at St. Columba's College, Harry Knox was commissioned into the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1893. He served on the North-West Frontier between 1897 and 1898.He fought in World War I and...
1938-1943 - General Sir Clive LiddellClive Gerard LiddellGeneral Sir Clive Gerard Liddell KCB CMG CBE DSO was Adjutant-General to the Forces of the British Army.-Military career:Clive Liddell joined the British Army in 1902. He was an Adjutant from 1908 to 1911 and then became Staff Captain at 6th District of Northern Command in 1912...
1943-1949 - General Sir Bernard PagetBernard PagetGeneral Sir Bernard Charles Tolver Paget GCB, DSO, MC was a British officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars.-Military career:...
1949-1956 - General Sir Cameron NicholsonCameron NicholsonGeneral Sir Cameron Gordon Graham Nicholson GCB KBE DSO & Bar MC is a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:Cameron Nicholson was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1915...
1956-1961 - General Sir Frank SimpsonFrank Simpson (British Army officer)General Sir Frank Ernest Wallace Simpson GBE KCB DSO was a British Army General during the 1940s.-Military career:Educated at Bishop Cotton Boys' School, Frank Simpson was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1916...
1961-1969 - General Sir Charles JonesCharles Phibbs JonesGeneral Sir Charles Phibbs Jones GCB CBE MC was a British Army General who reached high office in the 1950s.-Military career:Charles Jones was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1925...
1969-1975 - General Sir Anthony ReadAnthony Read (British Army officer)General Sir John Antony Jervis Read GCB, CBE, DSO, MC was a senior British Army officer who became Quartermaster-General to the Forces.-Military career:...
1975-1981 - General Sir Robert FordRobert Ford (British Army officer)General Sir Robert Cyril Ford GCB CBE is a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:Born in Devon to John and Gladys Ford, Robert Ford was educated at Musgrave's College and was later commissioned into the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards in 1943. He served in North West Europe during...
1981-1987 - General Sir Roland GuyRoland GuyGeneral Sir Roland Kelvin Guy GCB CBE DSO was a senior British Army officer who was Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:...
1987-1993 - General Sir Brian KennyBrian Kenny (British Army officer)General Sir Brian Leslie Graham Kenny GCB CBE is a British Army General who was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.-Military career:Educated at Canford School, Brian Kenny was commissioned into the 4th Queen's Own Hussars in 1954....
1993-1999 - General Sir Jeremy MackenzieJeremy MackenzieGeneral Sir John Jeremy Mackenzie GCB, OBE, DL is a former British Army General who became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.-Military career:...
1999-2006 - General Lord Walker 2006–2011
- General Sir Redmond WattRedmond WattGeneral Sir Charles Redmond "Reddy" Watt KCB, KCVO, CBE was Commander-in-Chief at Land Command.-Army career:Reddy Watt was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford and was commissioned into the Welsh Guards in 1972...
2011-Present
See also
- Chelsea Flower ShowChelsea Flower ShowThe RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London...
- Royal Hospital Kilmainham (equivalent in Dublin)
- Institution des Invalides de la Legion EtrangereInstitution des Invalides de la Legion EtrangereInstitution des Invalides de la Legion Etrangere is a detatchment of the French Foreign Legion for wounded Legionnaires....
(French Foreign Legion equivalent)