Sir William Maynard Gomm | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byWilliam Salter (oil on canvas, 1834–1840) | |
| Born | 10 November 1784 |
| Died | 15 March 1875(1875-03-15) (aged 90) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Service years | 1799–1856 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands | Northern District Commander-in-Chief, India |
| Conflicts | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
| Other work | Constable of the Tower |
Field MarshalSir William Maynard Gomm,GCB (10 November 1784 – 15 March 1875) was aBritish Army officer. After taking part in theAnglo-Russian invasion of Holland, he served in most of the battles of theNapoleonic Wars. During theHundred Days he took part in both theBattle of Quatre Bras and theBattle of Waterloo. He went on to be Commander of the troops inJamaica and in that role established new barracks atNewcastle, Jamaica, high in the mountains. After that he becameGovernor of Mauritius and, finally,Commander-in-Chief, India, in which role he introduced promotion examinations for officers.
Born the son of Lieutenant-Colonel William Gomm (who served in the46th Foot during theAmerican Revolutionary War[1] and was killed in the attack onGuadeloupe in April 1794) and Mary Alleyne Gomm (née Maynard), Gomm was commissioned as anensign in the9th Regiment of Foot on 24 May 1794,[2] at the age of nine, in recognition of the services rendered by his father.[3] Promoted tolieutenant on 14 April 1795,[4] he continued his full-time education at a private school inWoolwich.[5]
Gomm joined his regiment in 1799 and was deployed to theNetherlands where he fought under theDuke of York and Albany at theBattle of Bergen in September 1799 and at theBattle of Alkmaar in October 1799 during theAnglo-Russian invasion of Holland.[5] He also took part inSir James Pulteney's expedition toFerrol inSpain in August 1800 and, having been promoted tocaptain on 19 July 1803,[6] he joined the Senior Division of the newRoyal Military College atHigh Wycombe.[5] He then served as assistant quartermaster-general underEarl Cathcart at theBattle of Copenhagen in August 1807.[5]
Gomm joinedSir Arthur Wellesley's army, again as assistant quartermaster-general, and fought at theBattle of Roliça and theBattle of Vimeiro in August 1808 during thePeninsular War.[5] After theConvention of Sintra Gomm returned toPortugal and served onSir John Moore's staff at theBattle of Corunna in January 1809.[5] Gomm was also on theEarl of Chatham's staff during the disastrousWalcheren Campaign of Autumn 1809.[5]
Gomm returned to Portugal in March 1810 and, as a staff officer, took part in theBattle of Bussaco in September 1810 and theBattle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811 before being promoted tomajor on 10 October 1811.[7] He went on to fight at theSiege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812, theSiege of Badajoz in April 1812 (where he was wounded) and theBattle of Salamanca in July 1812 before being promoted tolieutenant colonel on 17 August 1812.[8] After that he took part in theSiege of Burgos in September 1812, theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813 and theSiege of San Sebastián in July 1813 as well as theBattle of Nivelle in November 1813 and theBattle of the Nive in December 1813 (where he was wounded again).[8] Following his return to England, he transferred into theColdstream Guards on 25 July 1814[9] and was appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 2 January 1815.[3]
During theHundred Days, as a staff officer with the5th Division, Gomm took part in theBattle of Quatre Bras and theBattle of Waterloo in June 1815.[8] At Waterloo he rode a charger called "George", which survived until 1841.[1]
He was awarded the RussianOrder of St. Anna, 2nd Class on 8 October 1815.[10] He acquired a property at 6 Upper Grosvenor Street inLondon in 1826.[11]
Gomm was promoted tocolonel on 16 May 1829[12] and tomajor-general on 10 January 1837.[13] He became Commander of the troops inJamaica in 1839 and in that role observed thatyellow fever, a major cause of death among the British troops stationed in Jamaica, was far less prevalent in the mountains and he therefore established new barracks atNewcastle, Jamaica, high in the mountains.[14] He was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Laws degree byCambridge University in 1842.[15]
Gomm was brieflyGeneral officer commandingNorthern District in early 1842 before being appointed theGovernor of Mauritius in June 1842.[16] Promoted tolieutenant-general on 9 November 1846,[17] he was sent out toIndia in Summer 1849 to becomeCommander-in-Chief, India arriving only to discover that his appointment had been cancelled in favour ofSir Charles Napier.[8] Gomm was then initially chosen to become Commander-in-chief of theBombay Army with the local rank ofgeneral in September 1850[18] but, following Napier's resignation as Commander-in-Chief, India, Gomm succeeded him in December 1851.[8] In that role Gomm introduced promotion examinations for officers.[8]
Promoted to full general on 20 June 1854,[19] he retired from active service in 1856 and, after advancement toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 21 June 1859[20] and after further promotion tofield marshal on 1 January 1868,[21] he becameConstable of the Tower in October 1872.[22] He also served as honorary colonel of the13th Regiment of Foot.[23] He died atBrighton inSussex on 15 March 1875 and was buried at Christ's Church inRotherhithe.[3] Under his widow's will £15,000 was left toKeble College, Oxford to endow scholarships in his memory.[8]
In 1817 Gomm married Sophia Penn, great-granddaughter ofWilliam Penn; following the death of his first wife in 1827 he married Elizabeth Kerr, eldest daughter of Major-General Lord RobertKerr, who was the son ofWilliam Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian, in 1830. He had no children by either marriage.[8]
Lady Elizabeth died in 1877, leaving £5000 to theSir William and Lady Gomm Charity to benefit elderly people inRotherhithe. This endowed the Lady Elizabeth Memorial Mission Hall and Accident Hospital in Hawkstone Road next toSouthwark Park. The former hospital building survives as Lady Gomm House.[24]
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Media related toWilliam Maynard Gomm at Wikimedia Commons| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by | GOC Northern District 1842 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Mauritius 1842–1849 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Colonel of the13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot 1846–1863 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, India 1851–1856 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of theColdstream Guards 1863–1875 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Constable of the Tower Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets 1872–1875 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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