Sir Alexander Woodford | |
|---|---|
 Sir Alexander Woodford | |
| Born | 15 June 1782 |
| Died | 26 August 1870 (aged 88) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1794–1843 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands | 1st battalionColdstream Guards 2nd battalionColdstream Guards |
| Battles / wars | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Field MarshalSir Alexander George Woodford,GCB,KCMG (15 June 1782 – 26 August 1870), 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 commanded the 2nd battalion of the Coldstream Guards at theBattle of Quatre Bras, theBattle of Waterloo and the storming ofCambrai. He went on to becomelieutenant governor and brigade commander atMalta, lieutenant governor and brigade commander atCorfu and then commander of the British garrison on theIonian Islands before being appointedGovernor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar.
Born at 30 Welbeck Street, London,[1] the son of Lieutenant-Colonel John Woodford and Lady Susan Gordon (daughter ofCosmo Gordon, 3rd Duke of Gordon), Woodford was educated atWinchester College andRoyal Military Academy, Woolwich before being commissioned as anensign in the9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot on 6 December 1794.[2] He was promoted tolieutenant in the22nd (the Cheshire) Regiment of Foot on 15 July 1795 and transferred back to the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot in September 1799[3] before seeing action at theBattle of Alkmaar in October 1799 (where he was wounded) during theAnglo-Russian invasion of Holland.[4] Promoted tocaptain lieutenant on 14 December 1799,[5] he transferred to theColdstream Guards on 28 December 1799[6] and becameaide-de-camp to Major-GeneralSir James Forbes inSicily in 1803.[2] He took part in theBattle of Copenhagen in August 1807 before rejoining Lord Forbes' staff in Sicily in March 1808.[4] After returning London, he was promoted tolieutenant colonel on 8 March 1810.[4]
Woodford was deployed toSpain in early 1811 and, after arriving atIsla de León, he took part in theSiege of Cádiz in March 1811, theSiege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812 and theSiege of Badajoz in March 1812 before also fighting at theBattle of Salamanca in July 1812 and theSiege of Burgos in September 1812 during thePeninsular War.[4] He commanded the 1st battalion of the Coldstream Guards at theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813, theSiege of San Sebastián in August 1813 and theBattle of Nivelle in November 1813 as well as theBattle of the Nive in December 1813 and theBattle of Bayonne in April 1814.[4] He was appointed an aide-de-camp to thePrince Regent with the rank ofcolonel on 4 June 1814.[7]
During theHundred Days, Woodford commanded the 2nd battalion of the Coldstream Guards at theBattle of Quatre Bras, theBattle of Waterloo and the storming ofCambrai in June 1815.[4] During the closing stages of the Battle of Waterloo, Woodford fought his way into theChâteau d'Hougoumont, one of the key landmarks on the battlefield, and then took command of it as theDuke of Wellington ordered a general advance on the French.[8] Woodford was appointed aCompanion of the Order of the Bath on 4 June 1815[9] and a Knight of the AustrianMilitary Order of Maria Theresa on 2 August 1815.[10] He remained in command of his battalion when it formed part of the Army of Occupation of France.[2]
Promoted tomajor general on 27 May 1825,[11] Woodford becamelieutenant governor and brigade commander atMalta in 1825 and lieutenant governor and brigade commander atCorfu in 1827.[4] Advanced toKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 13 September 1831[12] and appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George on 30 June 1832, he became commander of the British garrison on theIonian Islands (where he also briefly served as actingLord High Commissioner) in 1832.[4] He went on to be Lieutenant-Governor ofGibraltar in February 1835 andGovernor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar in September 1836.[13]
Promoted tolieutenant general on 28 June 1838,[14] Woodford retired from active military service in 1843.[4] Advanced toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 6 April 1852[15] and having been promoted to fullgeneral on 20 June 1854,[16] he became Lieutenant-Governor of theRoyal Hospital Chelsea in September 1856[17] and was appointed to aRoyal Commission to inquire into the system of Promotion and Retirement in the higher ranks of the Army in May 1863.[18] Promoted tofield marshal on 1 January 1868,[19] he was raised to the office of Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in August 1868.[20] He also served as colonel of the40th Regiment of Foot and then as colonel of theScots Fusilier Guards.[21] He died at the governor's residence at the Royal Chelsea Hospital on 26 August 1870 and was buried atKensal Green Cemetery.[4]
Woodford's father was descended maternally fromRalph Brideoake, a 17th-century clergyman who becameDean of Salisbury.[22]
In 1820 Woodford married Charlotte Mary Ann Fraser; they had two sons one of whom, Charles John Woodford, was killed at theSiege of Cawnpore during theIndian Mutiny and is commemorated by a memorial stone in the floor of the north transept ofWestminster Abbey.[23]
The elder son, the ReverendAdolphus Frederick Alexander Woodford, left the Coldstream Guards for a career in the Anglican Church, later becoming a prominent historian of Freemasonry.[24]
Woodford also had a younger brother,John George Woodford (1785–1879), who enjoyed a similarly respectable military career.[25] During this career, he fought in numerous battles in theNapoleonic Wars, includingWaterloo, where some sources (Medieval Dead with Tim Sutherland) state that he was thelast living British officer to have served at the battle upon his death. He also contributed a large part to military reform in the nineteenth-century, particularly such acts as the abolishment of thepurchase of commissions and certain punishment methods. He is also noted for the archaeological excavations that he carried out at the supposed battle-field site ofAzincourt. His brother died at the age of ninety-four inKeswick in 1879.[25]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Colonel of the40th Regiment of Foot 1842–1861 | Succeeded by Richard Greaves |
| Preceded by | Colonel of theScots Fusilier Guards 1861–1870 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands (acting) 1832 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Gibraltar 1836–1842 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea 1868–1870 | Succeeded by |
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Civil commissioners (1799–1813) | |
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