Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement/Havelock-Allan, Henry Marshman
HAVELOCK-ALLAN, Sir HENRY MARSHMAN (1830–1897), lieutenant-general, colonel of the royal Irish regiment, eldest son of Major-general Sir Henry Havelock (1795–1857) [q. v.], was born at Chinsurah, India, on 6 Aug. 1830. Educated at the Rev. Dr. Cuthbert's school in St. John's Wood, London, he was commissioned as ensign in the 39th foot on 31 March 1846, was promoted to be lieutenant in the 86th foot on 23 June 1848, and transferred to the 10th foot to take the adjutancy on 13 Feb. 1852. His further commissions were dated: captain 18th foot (royal Irish regiment) 9 Oct. 1857, brevet major 19 Jan. 1858, brevet lieutenant-colonel 26 April 1859, unattached major 28 June 1864, brevet colonel 17 June 1868, major-general 18 March 1878, lieutenant-general 9 Dec. 1881, colonel of the royal Irish regiment of foot 27 Nov. 1895.
On his way out to India in the autumn of 1848 Havelock got a severe sunstroke, which obliged him to return to England on sick leave in 1849, and its effects clung to him through life, causing periodical fits of mental excitement and eccentricity. On the expiration of his sick leave he went back to India, but came home again after a few years, hoping to be employed in the war with Russia. In this he was not successful, but in 1856 went to the staff college, and returned to the East in time to take part in the Persian war.
Havelock was appointed, from 22 Jan. 1857, acting deputy-assistant quartermaster-general of the division commanded by his father in the expedition under Sir James Outram [q.v.] against Persia, and took part in the bombardment and capture on 26 March of Mohamra. He was mentioned in despatches for his services (London Gazette, 18 Aug. 1857), and received the medal. He accompanied his father to Calcutta, where he arrived after the outbreak of the mutiny on 17 June, and, on his father's appointment to command a column for the relief of Cawnpore and Lucknow, went with him to Allahabad as aide-de-camp from 23 June. He took part in the victorious march to Cawnpore, in the actions of Fathpur on 12 July, Aong and Pandu-Nadi on the 15th, and Cawnpore on the 16th, where he greatly distinguished himself, advancing steadily on horseback in front of the 64th foot towards a 24-pounder gun, which was pouring forth first round shot and then grape. The gun was captured by a gallant charge. For this service he received the Victoria Cross on 15 Jan. 1858. Some controversy resulted from the action of the general in thus recommending his son, but there was no question as to the gallantry of young Havelock, whose daring and energy were acknowledged by all.
On 21 July Havelock was appointed deputy-assistant adjutant-general to the force. On the first advance from Cawnpore to Lucknow he was present at the actions of Onao on 29 July, Bashiratganj on 5 Aug., when his horse was shot under him, and again on the 12th, and at Bithor on 16 Aug. In the second advance from Cawnpore, after Outram had joined the force with reinforcements, he took part in the actions at Mangalwar on 21 Sept., where he distinguished himself in the pursuit of the enemy; and at the Alambagh on 23 Sept., where, it is stated, he twice saved Outram's life. Two days later he displayed great gallantry at the successful attack on the Char-bagh bridge of Lucknow, where an entrance to the city was gained. He was recommended by Outram for the Victoria Cross (Malleson, Hist. of the Indian Mutiny, i. 537 et seq.) He was dangerously wounded on this occasion, and his horse was shot under him.
As soon as he was convalescent he took part in the defence of the residency at Lucknow until the relief of the garrison by Sir Colin Campbell. When Sir Colin had gained the Moti-Mahal on 17 Nov. 1857 young Havelock and some other officers accompanied his father and Outram across the half-mile of open space between it and the residency to confer with Sir Colin. A heavy musketry fire opened on the party, and with three others Havelock was struck down, severely wounded. In spite of his wound he attended his father's deathbed on 24 Nov., and his funeral at the Alambagh on the 26th. The baronetcy and pension of 1,000/. a year proposed to be conferred upon his father for his distinguished services was bestowed upon him. The creation was dated 22 Jan. 1858.
In December 1857, though still suffering from his wounds, Havelock was appointed, at his own request, deputy-assistant adjutant-general to the Azimgarh and Janpur field force under Brigadier-general Franks, with whom he had served for some years as adjutant of the 10th regiment. He now assisted him in the operations against the rebel chief Mahudi Haisan in the successful actions at Nasratpur on 23 Jan. 1858, at Chanda and Hamirpur on 19 Feb., Sultanpur on 23rd, and the check at Dhaorara on 4 March, when the column joined the commander-in-chief at the siege of Lucknow. He distinguished himself on 14 March at the storm of the Imambara, forced his way into a palace which commanded three bastions of the Kaisar-Bagh and cleared them of defenders, taking part the same day in the storm and capture of the Kaisar-Bagh. On 19 March Lucknow was won.
On 29 March Havelock, as deputy-assistant adjutant-general to the field force in the Behar and Ghazapur districts, accompanied Sir E. Lugard's column to the relief of Azimgarh, and was present at the successful actions of Metahi on 11 April and of 15 April. The rebels were pursued into the jungles of Jagdispur, where a desultory warfare ensued. In October Havelock proposed to mount some of the infantry to make up for the deficiency in cavalry, and was given the command of a small flying column of mounted infantry. He pursued the Shahabad rebels for two hundred miles in five days, fighting three actions on 19, 20, and 21 Oct., finally driving them into the Kaimur hills. He was again wounded during the operations.
On 25 Nov. 1858 Havelock was appointed to the command of the 1st regiment of Hodson's horse, which he held until March 1859. He led it through the campaign in Oude under Lord Clyde, including the successful action of Bajadua on 26 Dec., the capture of Masjadua on the following day, the defeat of the rebels near Bandi on the Rapti on 31 Dec., and other operations until the end of the campaign. He was frequently mentioned in despatches for his services during the mutiny (ib. 13 Oct. 1857, 17 Feb., 31 March, 25 May, 17 July, 31 Aug., and 16 Nov. 1858 ; 31 Jan., 22 Feb., and 24 March 1859). He received the medal and two clasps, a year's service for Lucknow, and the brevets of major and lieutenant-colonel.
On Havelock's return home in 1860 he joined his regiment (the royal Irish) at Shorncliffe camp. On 1 Oct. 1861 he was appointed deputy-assistant adjutant-general at Aldershot. In August 1863 he accompanied his regiment to New Zealand, and on 25 Oct. was appointed deputy-assistant quartermaster-general to the forces in that colony, serving throughout the Maori war of 1863-4 under Major-general (afterwards General Sir) Duncan Alexander Cameron. He took part in the Waikato campaign and was present at the storm and capture of Rangiriri on 20 and 21 Nov. 1863. He commanded the troops engaged in the affair of Waiari in January 1864, was present at the action of Paterangi and Rangiawhia on 20 and 21 Feb. and at the siege and capture by storm on 2 April of Orakau. For his services he was mentioned in despatches (ib. 19 Feb. and 14 May 1864), received the war medal, and was made a companion of the order of the Bath, military division, on 10 Aug. 1866.
Havelock returned to England at the beginning of 1865, obtained an unattached majority, and married. From 13 March 1867 he served as assistant quartermaster-general in Canada until 31 March 1869, when he returned home, and on 1 Aug. was appointed in the same capacity to the headquarters staff in Dublin. He obtained leave of absence to see part of the Franco-German war of 1871-2, and in 1877 to visit the theatre of the Russo-Turkish war, acting as 'occasional correspondent' of the newspaper press. In January 1874 he unsuccessfully contested Stroud as a candidate for parliament in the liberal interest, and in February was returned as member for Sunderland, for which borough he sat until 1881, when he resigned his seat to take command, on 1 April, of the second infantry brigade at Aldershot. On 17 March 1880 he had assumed by royal license the additional surname of Allan, in compliance with the terms of the will of his cousin, Henry Allan of Blackwell Grange, Durham. He retired from the active list on 9 Dec. 1881, with the honorary rank of lieutenant-general. In 1882 he visited Sir Garnet (afterwards Viscount) Wolseley's headquarters at Ismailia, and was present at the battle of Kassassin on 28 Aug.
In 1885 Havelock-Allan was returned to parliament in the liberal interest by the south-east division of Durham county, and in the following year he was returned as a liberal unionist, and held the seat until 1892, when he was defeated, but was again elected in 1895. He was promoted to be K.C.B. on 21 June 1887, on the occasion of the queen's jubilee. His pluck and indomitable energy were as evident in his political career as in his military. Shrewd and well-meaning, but impetuous and choleric, he held strong opinions on many subjects, and made no concealment of his likes and dislikes. He was chairman of the parliamentary naval and military service committee. In the recess of 1897 he went to India to study the Indian army question, and visited the British troops carrying on the campaign against the hill tribes on the Afghanistan frontier. He was moving down from Ali Masjid after a visit to Landi Kotal, when a fresh horse, which he had been given at the last halt on 30 Dec., gave him some trouble, and in giving it a good gallop to steady it he got into broken ground on the flank, where Khaibaris were watching to catch him if they could. One of them fired at the horse and killed it, but the ball passed through Havelock's leg, cutting an artery, and he bled to death. The man who fired the shot is now in our ranks. The intention was to put Havelock-Allan to ransom, and the Khaibaris were disappointed at his death. When his body was found, it was taken to Rawul Pindi, where his regiment, the royal Irish, was then quartered.
Havelock-Allan had been honorary colonel of the Durham militia artillery since 7 May 1887, and in command of the Tyne and Tees volunteer infantry brigade from 17 Oct. 1888. He was a justice of the peace for the North Riding, Yorkshire, and for the county of Durham, of which he was a deputy lieutenant. He was also an alderman of the Durham county council.
He married, on 10 May 1865, Lady Alice Moreton, who survived him, second daughter of Henry George Francis, second earl of Ducie (d. 2 June 1853), by his wife Elizabeth (d. 15 March 1865), elder daughter of John, second lord Sherborne. He left two sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Henry Spencer Moreton, born in Dublin on 30 Jan. 1872, succeeded him in the baronetcy. The second son, Allan, was born on 30 March 1874. The daughter Ethel, born at Montreal on 1 Nov. 1867, married, on 19 Oct. 1886, Joseph Albert Pease, M.P., second son of Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, first baronet.
Havelock-Allan was the author of 'Three Main Military Questions of the Day: (i.) A Home Reserve Army; (ii.) The more economic Tenure of India; (iii.) Cavalry as affected by Breech-loading Arms,' London, 1867, 8vo.
[Despatches; Army Lists; Baronetage; Times, 1 and 7 Jan. 1898; Kaye's History of the Sepoy War; Malleson's History of the Indian Mutiny; Shadwell's Life of Lord Clyde; W. Fox's New Zealand War, 1863-4; Marshman's Life of Sir Henry Havelock; private sources; Alexander's Bush Fighting, illustrated by Incidents of the Maori War, New Zealand.]