Henry Wylie Norman

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Sir Henry Wylie Norman GCB, GCMG, CIE (1826-1904), field-marshal and colonial governor, was born 2nd of December 1826 only son of James Norman, merchant, and his wife Charlotte, née Wylie.

In 1840 Norman's father, who had been for many years a merchant in Cuba, became a partner in a mercantile house in Calcutta, where he was joined by his wife and son in 1842 whereupon Henry entered the Indian army at the age of seventeen.

In 1844 Henry obtained a cadetship. He went through the second Sikh campaign and, having attracted the favourable notice of Sir Colin Campbell, was selected by him to accompany an expedition against the Kohat Pass Afridis in 1850 as officiating brigade-major.

The subaltern of twenty-four was given a substantive appointment in this capacity for a splendid deed of gallantry, which is recorded by Sir Charles Napier in the following terms:

"In the pass of Kohat a sepoy picket, descending a precipitous mountain under fire and the rolling of large stones, had some men killed and wounded. Four of the latter, dreadfully hurt, crept under some rocks for shelter. They were not missed until the picket reached the bottom, but were then discovered by our glasses, high up and helpless. Fortunately the enemy did not see them, and some sepoys volunteered a rescue, headed by Norman of the 31st Native Infantry and Ensign Murray of the 7Oth Native Infantry. These brave men would that the names of all were known to me for record ascended the rocks in defiance of the enemy, and brought the wounded men down."

Norman served in numerous frontier expeditions between 1850 and 1854, and in the suppression of the Sonthal rebellion of 1855-56. In the Mutiny campaign he was constantly engaged, being present at the siege of Delhi, the relief of Lucknow and a number of other affairs. As adjutant-general of the Delhi Field Force, Wylie was one of the leading spirits of the siege, and afterwards became its chief chronicler. Altogether he was mentioned twenty-five times in dispatches. He afterwards became assistant military secretary for Indian affairs at the Horse Guards, military secretary to the government of India, military member of the viceroy's council and member of the secretary of state For India's council.

At Peshawar in India on 14 April 1853 Henry had married Selina Eliza Davidson (d.1862), by whom he had three daughters.

He married a widow Jemima Anne Temple, née Knowles, in September 1864, but she died next year.

On 1 March 1870 he married Alice Claudine Sandys

During 1883 Sir Henry succeeded Sir Anthony Musgrave as governor of Jamaica and thus began his colonial career as governor of Jamaica

Sir Henry was transferred in 1888 to the governorship of Queensland.

He accepted the governorship of Queensland on 12 November 1888 when Sir Henry Blake's nomination proved unacceptable and arrived in Brisbane on 1 May 1889

Declining the post of viceroy of India in September 1893, Norman left Queensland on 14 November 1895 for London where he acted for a year as agent-general for the colony in London. I

In 1897 he was chairman of the royal commission of inquiry into the condition of the West Indies.

In April 1901 he was appointed governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in succession to Sir Donald Stewart.

In 1902 he was promoted to field-marshal.

Sir Henry died at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, on the 26th of October 1904. He was buried in Brompton cemetery with military honours, survived by his third wife, two sons and one daughter

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.