Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford
General Frederic Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford, GCB, GCVO (31 May 1827 – 9 April 1905) was a British Army officer who rose to prominence during the Anglo-Zulu War, when an expeditionary force under his command suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of a Zulu force at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879. Despite this defeat, he was able to score several victories against the Zulus, culminating in the British victory at the Battle of Ulundi, which ended the war and partly restored his reputation in Britain.
General The Right Honourable
The Lord Chelmsford
Early life[edit]
Frederic Augustus Thesiger was born 31 May 1827, the eldest child of Frederic Thesiger, a lawyer who later became Lord Chancellor and was created Baron Chelmsford. Thesiger was educated at Eton College.[1]
Thesiger's great-uncle Sir Frederick Thesiger was aide-de-camp to Lord Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.
Personal life[edit]
His sister, Julia (1833–1904), was married to Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis (1814–1862)[14] who commanded the British forces during the Siege of Lucknow in 1857. She later wrote of her experiences during the siege in her diary, which was later published.[15]
In 1867 Thesiger married Adria Fanny Heath (1845-1926). The couple had six sons, two of whom died in infancy.[1] The eldest succeeded as 3rd Baron Chelmsford and later became Viceroy of India and first Viscount Chelmsford. Another son was Lieutenant Colonel Eric Thesiger who served in the First World War and was also a Page of Honour for Queen Victoria. The diplomat Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger, who served in Addis Ababa in 1916, was another son, and father of the author and explorer Wilfred Thesiger.[1] He was the uncle of the actor Ernest Thesiger.
Death[edit]
Chelmsford had a seizure and died while playing billiards at the United Service Club in London on 9 April 1905 in his 78th year. His body was buried in Brompton Cemetery in London.[2]
In popular culture[edit]
Peter O'Toole portrayed Chelmsford in the film Zulu Dawn (1979), which depicted the events at the Battle of Isandlwana.