Major Downes

Downes in 1890

Major General Major Francis Downes, CMG (10 February 1834 – 15 October 1923) was a British army officer, commandant of colonial forces in South Australia.[1]

Downes was the son of William Downes, of Dedham, Essex, England, and was educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; entered the Royal Artillery in 1852, was promoted lieutenant-colonel in 1877, colonel in 1882, and major-general in 1884, the year of his retirement. He served in the Crimean Campaign in 1855 (medal with clasps and Turkish medal); was Instructor in Fortifications at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in 1858-59; commanded the Royal Artillery on Mauritius in 1863-65, and on Saint Helena in 1869–71; was for five years Instructor to the Artillery School for Militia and Volunteer Officers; and subsequently held the position of Commandant of the South Australian Military Forces from 1877 to 1885, serving as a Member of the Royal Commission on Defences in 1881, and as Secretary of Defence for Victoria from 1885 to 1888.[2] In March of the latter year, he was reappointed Commandant of the South Australian Military Forces. Major-General Downes was appointed CMG in 1885.[2]

Downes died in Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on 15 October 1923; he was buried with military honours in the Church of England portion of the Brighton cemetery.[1] Downes had married Helen Maria Chamberlain at Catton, Norwich, on 9 June 1858, and she had died on 21 January 1903 aged 62.[1] They had a daughter and four sons, including Rupert Downes, who became major-general and director-general of medical services of the Australian Military Forces.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Perry, Warren. "Downes, Major Francis (1834–1923)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 Mennell, Philip (1892). "Wikisource link to Downes, Major-General Major Francis". The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co. Wikisource

Further reading


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