Charles Tucker (British Army officer)

Sir Charles Tucker
Lt. Gen. Sir Charles Tucker
Died	22 December 1935
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Commands held	Scottish Command
Battles/wars	Zulu War Second Boer War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

Lieutenant General Sir Charles Tucker GCB, GCVO (died 22 December 1935) was a British Army officer during the late nineteenth and early years of the twentieth centuries.

Military career

Tucker was commissioned into the 22nd Foot in 1855.^[1]

He first came to prominence during the Zulu war when, as a major, he commanded the Fort at Kopje Allein in 1879.^[2]

By the time of the Second Boer War he was a senior commander and was ordered by Lord Roberts to garrison the City of Pretoria.^[3] He later held the command of the Bloemfontein garrison in the Orange River Colony, until he left South Africa in March 1902.^[4] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in November 1900, in recognition of his services in South Africa,^[5] and invested as such by King Edward VII on 13 May 1902, after his return to the UK.^[6]

Tucker returned to South Africa with his newly married wife in June 1902.^[7]

He became General Officer Commanding Scottish District in 1903 and, subsequently, the first General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Scottish Command in 1905:^[8] he retired later that year.^[9]

He was also Colonel of the Cheshire Regiment^[10] and of the South Staffordshire Regiment.^[11]

Family

He married first, in 1865, Matilda Frederica Hayter (d 1897), daughter of John Hayter, Painter-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria, and 2nd, in 1902, Nelly O´Connell, only daughter of Sir Maurice O’Connell, 2nd Bt.^[12]

Decorations

Most Honourable Order of the Bath

• CB - Companion - 1879
• KCB - Knight Commander - 29 November 1900 - in recognition of services in connection with the Campaign in South Africa 1899-1900^[5]
• GCB - Knight Grand Cross - 1912

Royal Victorian Order

• GCVO - Knight Grand Cross - 1905

References

1. The London Gazette: no. 21818. p. 4369. 23 November 1855. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
2. Memories of Forty-Eight Years Service - The Zulu War The War Times Journal
3. A question of treason By Francis Hugh De Souza, Page 144 Kiaat, 2004, ISBN 978-0-620-32030-6
4. "Latest intelligence - Orange River colony" The Times (London). Friday, 7 March 1902. (36709), p. 3.
5. The London Gazette: no. 27306. p. 2695. 19 April 1901.
6. "The King´s Levée and Investiture" The Times (London). Tuesday, 13 May 1902. (36766), p. 11.
7. "The Army in South Africa - the Reinforcements" The Times (London). Saturday, 7 June 1902. (36788), p. 9.
8. The London Gazette: no. 27841. p. 6631. 3 October 1905. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
9. The London Gazette: no. 27861. p. 8814. 8 December 1905. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
10. The London Gazette: no. 28310. p. 8554. 19 November 1909. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
11. The London Gazette: no. 28541. p. 7464. 13 October 1911. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
12. Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008