William Earle (British Army officer)
Major General William Earle CB (18 May 1833 – 10 February 1885) was a British Army officer of the 19th century.[1]
He was born in Liverpool, the son of the merchant Sir Hardman Earle, 1st Baronet 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
- Soldiers of the Queen Major General William Earle (with photograph)
- Stearn, Roger T. "Earle, William". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8402. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)