Penn Symons
Sir William Penn Symons, KCB ( born July 17, 1843 in Hatt, Cornwall, † October 23, 1899 in Dundee, South Africa) was a British general.
Life
On July 17, 1843, the eldest son of William Symons ( 1818-1883 ) was born in hat at Saltash, Cornwall, he entered on March 6, 1863 as ensign in the 24th Infantry Regiment (1881 renamed the South Wales Borderers ) a. In this regiment he served the next 30 years.
When Captain (16 February 1878) and Junior Major 1877-79 he participated in the campaign against the Zulu ( Zulu War → ) and the operations against the Galeka (a sub- group of the Xhosa ) part. On 1 July 1881 he was promoted to Major of the South Wales Borderers and took over 1882 staff use as Assistant Adjutant General for musketry in Madras. These he gave up in 1885 to attend Whites as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General, and to Sir George campaign in Burma ( until 1889 ). There, he organized and led the Mounted Infantry. For his lines he was mentioned several times in the war report and received two brevet promotions, last promoted to brigadier general in the Chin Field Force.
In 1889/90 he took over as leader of the Burma - column part in the Chin- Lushai expedition, for which he was on 14 November 1890 Companion (CB ) of the Order of the Bath appointed.
Since January 31, 1891 Lieutenant Colonel and commander of a battalion of the South Wales Borderers, he was set for April 8, 1893 on half-pay, and went again. Than Assistant Adjutant General for musketry, for two years after Bengal During this time he took in 1894-95 as commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade participated in the led by General Sir William Lockhart campaign against the Waziri.
From March 25 1895 until his transfer to South Africa in May 1899, he was commander in Sirhind district in Punjab with headquarters in Umbala ( Ambala ) in the local rank of brigadier general. When the Tochi Field Force was set up in June 1897 to carry out the criminal action against the village Maizar on the Indo -Afghan border, Symons commanded the 2nd Brigade. 1898/99 he commanded with the rank of Major General the 1st Division of the Tirah Expeditionary Force in the Indian north-west frontier. For his exploration of the Bazar Valley, he was appointed on May 20, 1898 knighted ( KCB ) the Order of the Bath.
15 May 1899 he was transferred in the local rank of brigadier general in command to Natal, South Africa. Since the September 20, 1899 temporary Major General he took on 3 October 1899, simultaneous promotion to Lieutenant General in command of the fourth division of the South Africa Field Force.
In the Battle of Talana Hill on October 20, 1899, he was mortally wounded and died in Dundee three days later. Queen Victoria promoted Colonel Symons ' still on the battlefield ' posthumously to Major General with patent.