Geoffrey Barton
Major General Sir Geoffrey Barton, KCVO, CB, CMG, KStJ (22 February 1844 – 8 July 1922) of the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers), served the British Army from 1862 until 1904. Although he saw service in Ireland, Hong Kong and India, the majority of his campaigns were on the African continent. During the Second Boer War he was put in command of the 6th Brigade of the South Natal Field Force, taking part in the Relief of Ladysmith and the Relief of Mafeking. When he retired to Scotland he took an interest in local politics, the Red Cross Society and the Boy Scout Movement.
Sir Geoffrey Barton
22 February 1844
Stuttgardt, Germany
8 July 1922 (aged 78)
Dumfries, Scotland
1862-1904
Magistrate in Dumfries
Red Cross Society
Boy Scout Movement
Early life and family[edit]
Born in Stuttgart, Germany on 22 February 1844[1] to Charles Cutts Barton and Emelia Ann Hastings Barton, he was educated at Eton College and he purchased his commission as an ensign on 30 October 1862[2] and posted to the 1st Battalion which was at the time stationed in Firozpur, Punjab, India. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1865.
In 1890 he married Beryl Marie Baskerville Mackenzie and they had 3 children; Philip Geoffrey 1891, Charles Henry 1893 & Joanna Katherine 1894.
Military career[edit]
Early years[edit]
Between 1869 and 1873 Barton was an adjutant in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, but in January 1874 he was selected for special service with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers in West Africa for the Ashanti Expedition[3] under General Sir Garnet Wolseley. He was wounded during the campaign and was mentioned in dispatches for his services in the engagements at Jarbinbah and Kumasi. In November 1874 he was drafted into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers as a captain; however, within a year he would transfer back to his old regiment.
In October 1874 Captain Barton was appointed as aide-de-camp to Major General Shipley, the commander of a brigade at Aldershot.
Zulu War[edit]
At the outbreak of the Zulu War in 1879 Captain Barton was initially sent over with an appointment on the general staff but later was put in command of the 4th Battalion, Natal Native Contingent where was present at the Battle of Gingindlovu and he gained a promotion to Brevet (military) Major.
After the war he returned to England and attended Staff College, he was promoted to major by his regiment in July 1881 and passed out of the college in December.
Africa and Asia[edit]
In September 1882 British forces commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Garnet Wolseley landed in the Canal Zone of Egypt to help suppress a revolt led by Ahmed Orabi. Major Barton was appointed as commandant of the Foot Police and was present at the Egyptian attack at Kassasin and the Battle of Tel el-Kebir where he was promoted to Brevet lieutenant colonel.[4]
From January 1884 to February 1885 Lieutenant Colonel Barton served in Hong Kong, China as an assistant military secretary to Major General John Sargent, after which he performed a similar duty in Suakin, Sudan, during the Nile Expedition for Lieutenant General Sir Gerald Graham until June 1885.
He then spent several years in Britain, being promoted to major general on 27 October 1898.
Later life[edit]
Geoffrey Barton retired from the British Army in August 1904 and settled in Craige, Dumfrieshire, Scotland where he took an interest in local affairs, the Red Cross Society and the Boy Scout Movement. He died on 8 July 1922 aged 78.