William Anson McCleverty

William Anson McCleverty
William Anson McCleverty, c.1852
National Army Museum
Born11 February 1806[1]
Chatham, Kent[1]
Died6 October 1897 (1897-10-07) (aged 91)
Wrotham, Kent, England
Buried
Wrotham Cemetery, Kent
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch British Army
Years of service1824–
RankGeneral
Unit48th Regiment[1]
CommandsNew Zealand, 1847
Madras Army
Campaigns
Spouse(s)
Anne McGildowney
​
​
(m. 1846⁠–⁠1868)​
[2]

General William Anson McCleverty (11 February 1806 – 6 October 1897) was a British soldier who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army from 1867 to 1871.

Early life

Born the son of Major General Robert McCleverty, McCleverty was commissioned in the 48th Regiment of Foot in 1824.[3]

Military career

McCleverty served in campaigns against the Maharajah of Coorg (1834) and in New Zealand during the Wanganui Campaign (1847).[3][4] He lived in New Zealand from 1846 to 1857, and later returned to New Zealand for another period.[5] Promoted to major-general, he became commander of Madras district in 1860, General Officer Commanding South-Eastern District in October 1866 and Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army in November 1867 before retiring from that post in March 1871.[6]

From 1868 to 1875 he held the colonelcy of the 108th (Madras Infantry) Regiment of Foot from which he transferred as colonel in 1875 to the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot, continuing on its amalgamation in 1881 as colonel of the 1st Battalion of the resultant Northamptonshire Regiment, a position he held until his death.[7] He was promoted to the rank of general on 17 March 1876.[8]

McCleverty died on 6 October 1897 at the age of ninety-one.[3]

Art

McCleverty painted in watercolours and several of his works are held by the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington and the National Library of Australia in Canberra.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c WO 25/794/89: Folio 179. Statement of Services of Capt Wm Anson McCleverty of the 48th Regiment of Foot with a Record of such Particulars as may be useful in case of his Death, The National Archives, p. 178
  2. ^ Cotton, Julian James (1945). Baliga, B. S. (ed.). List of Inscriptions on Tombs & Monuments Madras, Possessing Historical or Acaeological Interest. Vol. 1. p. 95.
  3. ^ a b c Buckland, C. E. (1906). Dictionary of Indian Biography. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. pp. 281.
  4. ^ "Obituary". The Press. Vol. LIV, no. 9853. 9 October 1897. p. 8. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b Platts, Una (1980). "McCleverty, Lieut.Col. William Anson 1806?–1897". Nineteenth Century New Zealand Artists. Christchurch: Avon Fine Prints. p. 157. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  7. ^ "The Northamptonshire Regiment". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 3 January 2006. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Brevet". The London Gazette. No. 24310. 31 March 1876. p. 2216.


Military offices
Preceded by GOC South-Eastern District
1866–1867 		Succeeded by
Preceded by C-in-C, Madras Army
1867–1871 		Succeeded by