Mowbray Thomson

Sir Mowbray Thomson
Sir Mowbray Thomson
Born	April 1, 1832 Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
Died	25 February 1917 Reading, UK
Buried	Cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, London
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Indian Army
Rank	General
Battles / wars	Indian Mutiny
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire

Colonel Mowbray Thomson from an Afghanistan photo book with the work of John Burke (photographer), Benjamin Simpson, and others

General Sir Mowbray Thomson KCIE (April 1, 1832 – February 25, 1917) was an officer in the British East India Company.

Early life and education

Mowbray Thomson was born in "Bhurtpore" (modern day Bharatpur, Rajasthan), India on April 1, 1832, son of Dr Richard Mowbray Martin Thomson (c. 1799-1849), a marine surgeon at Calcutta, and Mary, née Prendergast. He was educated in England and attended Addiscombe Military Seminary as a cadet.

Military career

In 1853 he received a commission in the 53rd Bengal Native Infantry, a regiment in the British East India Company. During the Indian Mutiny of 1857, Thomson played a key role in the defense of Wheeler's Entrenchment during the Siege of Cawnpore. He was one of the few survivors of the siege and subsequent massacre at Sati Chaura Ghat .

Thomson was invalided to England, heavily wounded, and promoted to brevet-major. While convalescing in England, he wrote The Story of Cawnpore, a first-hand account of the siege, which was published in 1859. After returning to India, he was given a civilian post as political agent at Manipur, and later appointed Governor-General's agent for Wajid Ali Shah, the former King of Oudh. He retired in 1885, with the Army rank of major-general, and was promoted to full general in 1894.

Thomson died in Reading, England on February 25, 1917. The funeral service was held on February 28 in Saint Bartholomew's church, Reading and his body cremated at Golders Green Crematorium in London.

Sources

• Obituary: p. 162, The Annual Register: a review of public events at home and abroad, for the year 1917. London: Longmans, Green and Co. 1918.