1833 Born in Woolwich, South East London
1848 Entered the Royal military academy as a gentleman cadet
1852 Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, posted to depot in Chatham, Kent.
1853 Posted to Pembroke Dock in South Wales
1854 Posted to the Crimea, decorated by French for bravery under fire.
1856 Appointed to the Boundary Commission to settle the border between Russia and Turkey.
1860 Posted to China, eventually promoted to Major, and went on to command the "Ever victorious Army," helped to suppress the Taiping rebellion.
1865 Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and posted to Gravesend as commandant of Royal Engineers remodelling the Lower Thames Forts. Very active in charitable work amongst local people.
1871 Promoted to full colonel and appointed as British Commissioner on the Danube Commission.
1874 Commands troops in the Sudan
1880 Appointed Private Secretary to Viceroy of India.
1882 Commandant of forces in the Mauritius islands
1884 Appointed Governor General of the Sudan for the second time. Told to evacuate troops.
1885 Besieged in Khartoum by the Mahdi. Killed on 26th January.

Last modified August 2000