Lord William Paulet | |
|---|---|
 Lord William Paulet | |
| Born | 7 July 1804 Andover, Hampshire |
| Died | 9 May 1893 (aged 88) St. James's Square, London |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1821–1870 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands | 1st Brigade atAldershot South-West District |
| Battles / wars | Crimean War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Field MarshalLord William Paulet,GCB (7 July 1804 – 9 May 1893) was a seniorBritish Army officer. During theCrimean War he served as Assistant Adjutant-General of the Cavalry Division, underLord Lucan, at theBattle of Alma in September 1854, at theBattle of Balaklava in October 1854 and at theBattle of Inkerman in November 1854 as well as at theSiege of Sevastopol during theCrimean War. He was then given command of the rear area, including theBosphorus,Gallipoli and theDardanelles before returning to England. He later became Commander of the 1st Brigade atAldershot in 1856, General Officer Commanding South-West District in 1860 and finallyAdjutant-General to the Forces in 1865.
Born the fourth son ofCharles Paulet, 13th Marquess of Winchester and Anne Paulet (née Andrews),[1] Paulet was educated atEton College before beingcommissioned into the85th (Duke of York's Own) Light Infantry on 1 February 1821.[2] He became a lieutenant in the7th Royal Fusiliers on 23 May 1822[3] and was promoted tocaptain in an unattached company on 25 February 1825.[4]
Paulet transferred back to 85th (Duke of York's Own) Light Infantry on 21 April 1825[5] before briefly serving with the63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and then transferring to the21st Royal North British Fusiliers on 4 December 1828[6] before being promoted to major on 10 September 1830.[7] He transferred to the68th Light Infantry on 18 January 1833[8] and was appointed commanding officer of that regiment with promotion tolieutenant colonel on 21 April 1843.[9] In February 1851 he became anequerry to theDuke of Cambridge.[10]
During theCrimean War Paulet served as Assistant Adjutant-General of the Cavalry Division, underLord Lucan, earning promotion to brevetcolonel on 20 June 1854.[11] He fought at theBattle of Alma in September 1854, at theBattle of Balaklava (where his hat was shot off) in October 1854 and at theBattle of Inkerman in November 1854 as well as at theSiege of Sevastopol which was on-going at that time.[7] He was then given command of the rear area, including theBosphorus,Gallipoli and theDardanelles, with promotion to the substantive rank oflieutenant colonel on 28 November 1854 and to the local rank ofbrigadier-general on 19 January 1855:[12] in this capacity he gave his support toFlorence Nightingale in her efforts to modernise medical support in the field.[7] Promoted to the local rank ofmajor-general inTurkey on 9 November 1855,[13] he briefly commanded theLight Division before returning to England.[7]
Paulet became Commander of the 1st Brigade atAldershot with the local rank of major-general in August 1856[14] (back-dated to 24 July 1856)[15] and then, having been promoted to the substantive rank of major-general on 13 December 1858,[16] he became General Officer CommandingSouth-West District (which had its headquarters inPortsmouth) in 1860 andAdjutant-General to the Forces in July 1865.[17] In May 1866 he was invited to join aRoyal Commission to consider the existing system for recruitment in the British Army which was considered too large at the time.[18] He was promoted tolieutenant general on 8 December 1867[19] and stood down as Adjutant-General in September 1870[20] but still received further promotions to full general on 7 October 1874[21] and tofield marshal on 10 July 1886.[22]
Paulet was also colonel of the87th Regiment of Foot[23] and later of the68th Light Infantry (1st Battalion of theDurham Light Infantry from 1881).[24] He died, unmarried, at his home inSt. James's Square in London on 9 May 1893.[1]
Paulet's honours included:
Paulet never married; he had no children.[1]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | GOC South-West District 1860–1865 | Succeeded by Sir George Buller (As GOC Southern District) |
| Preceded by | Adjutant General 1865–1870 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of the87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot 1863–1864 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of the68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) (1st Battalion of theDurham Light Infantry from 1881) 1864–1893 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
