William Earle (British Army officer)
Major General William Earle CB (18 May 1833 – 10 February 1885) was a British Army officer of the 19th centruy.[1]
He was born in Liverpool, the son of a merchant Sir Hardman Earle and his wife Mary (née Langton), and married Mary Codrington on 21 July 1864.[2] He had a successful military career, recognised by honours including a Companion of the Order of the Bath.[2]
He fought in the Crimean War, was later part of the Nile Expedition attempting to relieve General Gordon at Khartoum. He was killed following the Battle of Kirbekan.[1][2]
There is a bronze statue of him outside St George's Hall, Liverpool, by sculptor Charles Bell Birch.[2] There is also a stone bust of General Earle at St Mark's Anglican Church in Alexandria, Egypt. This bust is mentioned by E M Forster in his Alexandria: A History and a Guide, and by Lawrence Durrell in his novel Justine, the first volume of The Alexandria Quartet.
References
- 1 2 Soldiers of the Queen Major General William Earle (with photograph)
- 1 2 3 4 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 15 April 2011