Buried at Bath, Somerset Allegiance United Kingdom Awards Order of the Bath | Name Charles Straubenzee | |
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Commands held 3rd Bn the Buffs1st Brigade of the Light DivisionCommander of British Troops in China and Hong KongBombay ArmyMalta Battles/wars Gwalior CampaignCrimean WarSecond Opium War Died August 10, 1892, Bath, United Kingdom People also search for Charles Rigault de Genouilly, Michael Seymour, Ye Mingchen | ||
Place of burial Bath, United Kingdom | ||
General Sir Charles Thomas van Straubenzee, GCB (17 February 1812 – 10 August 1892), was a British Army officer. He served as Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong, and Governor of Malta.
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Military career
Van Straubenzee was born at Fort Ricasoli, Malta, in 1812 as the second son of Major Thomas Van Straubenzee (1782–1843), R.A., of Spennithorne, Yorkshire, and his wife Maria, youngest daughter of Major Henry Bowen.
A member of an old and distinguished military family, van Straubenzee was commissioned into the Ceylon Rifles in 1828. He transferred to the 39th Regiment of Foot in 1833 and, during the Gwalior Campaign, he took part in the Battle of Maharajpore in 1843: he took temporary command of his Regiment when the Commanding Officer was wounded and brought the Regiment out of action.
In 1846 he transferred to 3rd battalion the Buffs of which he became Commanding Officer in 1851 and fought in the Crimean War commanding the 1st Brigade of the Light Division and taking part in both assaults on the Redan during the Siege of Sevastopol. In 1857 he became Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong and led an attack on Canton during the Second Opium War. In 1862 he was made General Officer Commanding a Division of the Bombay Army at Ahmedabad and subsequent took overall command of the Bombay Army.
He was Colonel of the 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot from 1865 to 1867 and of the 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot from 1867 until they became part of the Dorset Regiment in 1881, after which he continued as Colonel of the 2nd Battalion until 1892. He became Governor of Malta in 1872.
He is buried at Bathwick cemetery near Bath.
Family
He married Charlotte Louisa Richardson in 1841, daughter of General John Luther Richardson.