Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain | |
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| Born | (1820-01-10)10 January 1820 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Died | 18 February 1902(1902-02-18) (aged 82) Lordswood, Hampshire, United Kingdom |
| Allegiance | .svg) East India Company British India |
| Branch | Bengal Army Madras Army |
| Service years | 1837–1886 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands | Madras Army |
| Conflicts | First Anglo-Afghan War Gwalior campaign Second Anglo-Sikh War Indian Rebellion Ambela campaign (WIA) Second Anglo-Afghan War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet (father) |
Sir Neville Bowles ChamberlainGCSI (10 January 1820 – 18 February 1902) was a British general inBritish India. He served in theBengal Army and saw action in theFirst Anglo-Afghan War,Gwalior campaign,Second Anglo-Sikh War,Indian Rebellion,Ambela campaign andSecond Anglo-Afghan War. He later became Commander-in-chief of theMadras Army, and was promoted tofield marshal.
Chamberlain was born inRio de Janeiro, the third son ofSir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet,consul general andcharge d'affaires inBrazil, and his second wife Anna Eugenia née Morgan.[1] His elder brother,William Charles Chamberlain, was an admiral, while younger brothersCrawford Chamberlain, and Charles Francis Falcon Chamberlain, were also army officers.[1]
He was raised inEngland and educated by a private tutor and at school inShooter's Hill,London. In 1833 he entered theRoyal Military Academy, Woolwich, having been nominated for a cadetship byLord Beresford but was withdrawn after a year when it became clear he was unlikely to pass the final examinations.[2] During his time at Woolwich he earned a reputation for fighting and rebellious behaviour, and on his return home he threatened to join theBritish Legion, a body of troops leaving for Spain underSir George de Lacy Evans.[2] Instead, he was encouraged to pursue a career in India, and with help from his late father's contacts he was commissioned as anensign in theBengal Native Infantry on 24 February 1837.[3]
Chamberlain embarked for India on board the shipGeorge and arrived atMadras in May 1837. He remained at Madras for a short time as the guest of the retired generalSir John Doveton before continuing on toCalcutta in June.[2] In Calcutta, Chamberlain stayed with his uncle George and his aunt whilst he acclimatised to his new home.[2] In November he left Calcutta to join the 12th Regiment atBarrackpore and three months later he was posted toLucknow with the 55th Regiment.[2]
In mid 1838, he was transferred to the 16th Regiment based atDelhi who were preparing for theFirst Anglo-Afghan War. His regiment was to become part of the Army of the Indus, serving in the 1st Brigade 1st Division under the command ofSir Willoughby Cotton.[2] He was present at a number of engagements including theBattle of Ghazni in July 1839 and was wounded on several occasions.[4][5] Promoted tolieutenant on 16 July 1842, he transferred to the 1st Cavalry ofShah Shujah's Contingent and took part in a march fromKandahar toKabul in August 1842.[6] During thewithdrawal from Kabul he was again wounded atLandi Kotal in October 1842 and again atAli Masjid in November 1842.[3]
He became attached to the Governor-General's Bodyguard in January 1843 and took part in theBattle of Maharajpur in December 1843 during theGwalior campaign.[3] Chamberlain became military secretary to theGovernor of Bombay in late 1846 and then brigade major with the Bengal Irregular Cavalry in 1848.[7]
He took part in theBattle of Chillianwala in January 1849 and theBattle of Gujrat in February 1849 during theSecond Anglo-Sikh War.[7] He became assistant adjutant-general of the Sirhind division in May 1849 and, having been promoted tocaptain in the 16th Bengal Native Infantry on 1 November 1849 and to brevetmajor on 2 November 1849,[8] he became assistant commissioner in theRawalpindi District in December 1849 and then assistant commissioner in theHazara District in June 1850.[1] Promoted tolieutenant-colonel on 28 November 1854, he was given the command of the Punjab Irregular Frontier Force and led several expeditions against the frontier tribes.[7]
During the Indian Rebellion he served asAdjutant-General of the Indian Army and was severely wounded at theSiege of Delhi in July 1857.[9] For this he was appointed aCompanion of the Order of the Bath on 11 November 1857[10] and promoted tocolonel on 27 November 1857.[11]
Chamberlain was reappointed to the command of the Punjab Irregular Frontier Force in 1858 and led it during theAmbela Campaign during which he was again severely wounded again in November 1863.[7] Advanced toKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 11 April 1863,[12] he returned to the United Kingdom and was promoted tomajor-general for distinguished service on 5 August 1864.[13] He was appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the Star of India on 24 May 1866 and accompanied theDuke of Edinburgh on an official trip to India in 1869.[1] He was promoted tolieutenant-general on 1 May 1872,[14][15] advanced toKnight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India on 24 May 1873[16] and further advanced toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 28 May 1875.[17]
Chamberlain became Commander-in-chief of theMadras Army in February 1876 and, having been promoted to fullgeneral on 1 October 1877,[18] was sent on a mission to theEmir of Afghanistan,Sher Ali Khan, whose refusal to allow him, along with MajorLouis Cavagnari, to enter the country precipitated theSecond Anglo-Afghan War in November 1878.[7] He was a member of theMadras Legislative Council and, for several months, acting military member of the council of theGovernor-General of India.[19] He left India in February 1881 and retired toLordswood nearSouthampton in February 1886.[20]
In retirement, Chamberlain was an active member of theSouthampton Unitarian Church.[21] He was a vocal critic of British policy during theBoer War between 1899 and 1901.[22] He was promoted tofield marshal on 25 April 1900, died at Lordswood on 18 February 1902[23] and was buried atRownhams near Southampton.[7]
In 1873, Chamberlain married Charlotte Cuyler Reid, daughter ofMajor-GeneralSir William Reid, who died in 1896; there were no children.[7]
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| Preceded by | C-in-C, Madras Army 1876–1880 | Succeeded by |
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