Colin Halkett

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Sir Colin Halkett

Sir Colin Halkett (born September 7, 1774 in Venlo , † September 24 or 25, 1856 in Chelsea , London ) was a British officer who came from a family with military tradition. His father was Major-General Frederick Godar Halkett (* 1728, † 1803) and his younger brother General Hugh Halkett .

Military career

Halkett began his military career in the Dutch Army Guard and served in various companies for 3 years. He left the army with the rank of captain in 1795.

From 1800 to 1801 he commanded Dutch troops stationed on Guernsey . On July 28, 1803, Major Halkett received a letter of service from King George III. (a similar document was also sent to Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick of the ceiling ), which authorized him to an infantry - regiment set up with 459 men and the promise of the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel , if the number should rise to 800 men. These men, who followed the call and moved from Hanover to England, formed the core of the King's German Legion (KGL), as the troop was to be named in December 1803. On November 17, 1803 he received the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and was given command of the 2nd light battalion of the King's German Legion. This battalion was part of Cathcart's expedition to Hanover, Rügen and Copenhagen .

In 1811 he was given command of the Light Brigade of the King's German Legion. He held this rank during the war on the Pyrenees Peninsula, beginning with the battle in Albuera until the battle for Toulouse . On January 1, 1812, he was promoted to colonel . Halkett was appointed major-general on June 4, 1814.

At the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, he commanded the 5th Brigade in the 3rd Division, which was commanded by Major-General Carl von Alten . He was wounded four times in the course of the engagement.

Street sign in St. Helier

governor

Between 1821 and 1830 he was Lieutenant Governor of Jersey and was the first to reside in the Government House ( St. Savior ), which is still in use today. During this time he married Letitia Cricket, the widow of a Captain Tyle of the Royal Artillery . They had a son, Frederick (John) Colin Halkett, born June 10, 1826. On July 22, 1830 he was promoted to Lieutenant General .

Sir Colin died in 1856. At that time he was director of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London .

Two streets in Jersey's capital, Saint Helier, are named after Colin Halkett.

Awards

Halkett's passport, in which his titles are listed

literature

  • N. Ludlow Beamish: History of the King's German Legion Volume 1 and. 2. 1832–37 (New edition: Naval and Military Press 1997, ISBN 0-952201-10-0 )
  • Mike Chappell: The King's German Legion (1) 1812-1816 . Osprey 2000, ISBN 1-85532-997-2
  • A genealogical and heraldic dictionary of the peerage and baronetage, Forty-eighth Edition. 1886., Foreign Titles of Nobility borne by British Subjects, 1504

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ British Generals of the Napoleonic Wars 1793-1815: Colin Halkett by Ron McGuigan .
  2. ↑ Family Story Frederick Godar Halkett, Information from Dictionary of National Biography, London  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ancientfaces.com  
  3. ^ Beamish, History of the King's German Legion Volume 1, pp. 75 f.
  4. ↑ Beamish, History of the King's German Legion Volume 2, pp. 524 ff.
personal data
SURNAME Halkett, Colin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Halkett, Sir Colin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British-Hanoverian officer
DATE OF BIRTH September 7, 1774
PLACE OF BIRTH Venlo
DATE OF DEATH September 24, 1856 or September 25, 1856
Place of death Chelsea