Major Downes
Major Francis Downes | |
---|---|
Born | Dedham, Essex, England | 10 February 1834
Died | 15 October 1923 Brighton, Victoria, Australia | (aged 89)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1848–1885 1888–1893 1899–1902 |
Rank | Major General |
Commands held | South Australian Military Forces |
Battles/wars | Crimean War |
Awards | Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Spouse(s) | Ann Davey |
Children | Rupert Downes |
Major General Major Francis Downes, CMG (10 February 1834 – 15 October 1923) was a British Army officer, who served as commandant of the 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 War 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 a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1885.[2]
Downes died in Brighton, Melbourne, 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 a major general and director-general of medical services of the Australian Military Forces.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Perry, Warren. Downes, Major Francis (1834–1923). Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ a b Mennell, Philip (1892). . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
Further reading
- Brighton cemetery
- Immigration Place
- Obituary, The Argus, 16 October 1923
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Use dmy dates from December 2013
- Use Australian English from December 2013
- All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
- Articles without Wikidata item
- AC with 0 elements
- 1834 births
- 1923 deaths
- Academics of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
- 19th-century Australian public servants
- Australian generals
- British Army personnel of the Crimean War
- Burials in Victoria (Australia)
- Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
- People from Dedham, Essex
- Public servants of Victoria (Australia)
- Royal Artillery officers
- Military personnel from Essex