Sir Garnet Wolseley
General Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley (1833-1913) was born in Dublin, the eldest son of a Major in the 25th Foot ( King's Own Scottish Borderers). He was commissioned into the 12th Foot, later the Suffolk Regiment, in 1852 and from the point of view of his future career he was fortunate to see plenty of active service in his early years - Second Burma War, Crimea, Indian Mutiny and Second China War. He was in Canada for the better part of ten years and in 1870 he was given command of the Red River expedition; this period in Canada enhanced his reputation considerably. He commanded the expedition to Ashanti in 1873, went to S Africa to restore the position after Isandhlwana.
His most famous achievements were the brilliant defeat of Arabi Pasha, leader of an Egyptian army revolt, at Tell el Kebir in 1882 and his attempt to relieve General Charles G. Gordon at Khartoum (188485), for which he was made a viscount. A tireless advocate of army reform, he became (1871) Assistant Adjutant General at the War Office and worked with Viscount Cardwell to achieve shorter periods of enlistment, abolition of the purchase of commissions, and the creation of an Army Reserve. As Quartermaster General (188082), Adjutant General (188290), Commander in Chief for Ireland (189095), and Commander in Chief of the Army (18951901), he continued to press for reform and was responsible for the modernization of training and equipment. He wrote The Story of a Soldier's Life (1903).
