List of Old Etonians in the armed services

This is a list of Old Etonians (former pupils of Eton College) who are notable because of their time in any of the armed services, whether those of the United Kingdom and its predecessor states (England, Scotland, Ireland and Great Britain), or of other countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth such as Australia, New Zealand, and British India, or of foreign countries.

Recipients of the Victoria Cross

Thirty-seven Old Etonians have been awarded the Victoria Cross, and the conflicts in which they performed those acts range from the Crimean War to the Falklands War. There have also been four Old Etonians eligible for the George Cross, although one of those eligible did not convert his Empire Gallantry Medal to a George Cross.^[1]

Crimean War
- Lieutenant-General Lord Henry Percy, (1817–1877)
- Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Russell, (1826–1883) politician
- Gerald Goodlake, (1832–1890)
- Robert James Loyd-Lindsay, 1st Baron Wantage, (1832–1901), politician
Indian Mutiny
- Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Fraser, (1829–1895)
- Clement Walker Heneage, (1831–1901)
- Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, (1832–1914), Commander-in-Chief, Madras, 1881–1885, India, 1885–1893, Ireland, 1895–1899, and South Africa, 1899–1900, Commander-in-Chief, 1901–1904,
Umbeyla Expedition
- George Fosbery (1832–1907), firearms expert
Zulu War
- General Sir Redvers Buller, (1839–1908), Adjutant General, 1890–1897, General Officer Commanding Natal, 1899–1900, and I Corps, 1901–1906,
- Lord William Beresford, (1847–1900)
Sudan Campaign
- Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur Knyvet Wilson, (1842–1921), Third Sea Lord, 1897–1901, Flag Officer Commanding Channel Squadron, 1901–1908, and Home Fleet, 1903–1907, First Sea Lord, 1909–1912
- William Edwards, (1855–1912)
- Brigadier General Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, (1872–1955), Governor of South Australia, 1928–1934, and New South Wales, 1935–1936, Governor-General of Australia, 1936–1944.
Malakand Campaign
- Alexander Murray, 8th Earl of Dunmore, (1871–1962)
Boer War
- Charles FitzClarence, (1865–1914)
- Frederick Roberts, (1872–1899)
Somaliland Campaign
- Major-General Sir John Gough, (1871–1915)
First World War
- Brigadier-General John Campbell, (1876–1944)
- George Boyd-Rochfort, (1880–1940)
- Francis Grenfell, (1880–1915)
- Arthur Batten-Pooll, (1891–1971),
- William Congreve, (1891–1916)
- Reginald Graham, (1892–1980)
- John Dunville, (1896–1917)
- Julian Royds Gribble, (1897–1918)
- Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Pugh Evans, (1881–1962)
- Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Borton, (1883–1933)
- Lieutenant-Colonel Neville Elliott-Cooper, (1889–1918)
- Lieutenant Geoffrey Drummond, RNVR (1886–1941)
- Captain Percy Hansen, (1890–1951)
North West Frontier
- Godfrey Meynell, (1904–1935)
Second World War
- William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle, (1909–1991)
- Christopher Furness, (1912–1940)
- Charles Anthony Lyell, 2nd Baron Lyell, (1913–1943)
- Geoffrey Keyes, (1917–1941)
- David Jamieson, (1920–2001)
Falklands War
- H. Jones, (1940–1982)

Recipients of the George Cross

Squadron Leader G. C. N. Close RAF
Cadet D.G.M. Hay RNR (later 12th Marquess of Tweeddale)
Squadron Leader A. H. H. Tollemache, R.Aux.A.F.

Eligible but did not convert Empire Gallantry Medal

Flying Officer G. R. Branch, RAF

Service Chiefs

Name	Took office	Left office	Position
General Sir Mark Carleton Smith	2018	2022	Chief of the General Staff ^[2]
Admiral Sir Benjamin Bathurst	1993	1995	First Sea Lord ^[3]
Field Marshal Edwin Bramall, Lord Bramall	1982 (as CDS)	1985	Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Defence Staff ^[4]^[5]^[6]
General Sir Roland Gibbs	1976	1979	Chief of the General Staff ^[7]^[8]
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound	1939	1943	First Sea Lord ^[9]
Field Marshal Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan	1922	1926	Chief of the Imperial General Staff ^[10]
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur Wilson	1910	1911	First Sea Lord ^[11]
General Sir Neville Lyttelton	1904	1908	Chief of the General Staff ^[12]
Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts	1901	1904	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces ^[13]
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington	1842 (Earlier term 1827-8)	1852 (died in office)	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces ^[14]
Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway	1782	1793	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces ^[15]
Lieutenant General John Manners, Marquess of Granby	1766	1770	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces ^[16]
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe	1763	1765	First Sea Lord ^[17]

Indian Army

Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam, Chief of Staff of the Indian Army (1967–1970)

References

^ Eton College website
^ "Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith appointed new Chief of the General Staff". gov.uk. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
^ Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
^ "Lord Bramall". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
^ "No. 49142". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 October 1982. p. 13571.
^ "No. 47916". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 July 1979. p. 9695.
^ "Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs". The Daily Telegraph. 2 November 2004. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
^ "No. 46965". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 July 1976. p. 9899.
^ Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
^ "No. 32615". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 February 1922. p. 1489.
^ Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
^ "No. 27645". The London Gazette. 12 February 1904. p. 939.
^ "No. 27263". The London Gazette. 4 January 1901. p. 83.
^ "No. 20130". The London Gazette. 16 August 1842. p. 2217.
^ Heathcote 1999, p. 94
^ Massie, Alastair W. (2004). "John Manners, Marquess of Granby". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17958. Retrieved 21 January 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^ Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd. ISBN 0900963948. p51-2

[1] Eton College website

[2] "Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith appointed new Chief of the General Staff". gov.uk. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.

[3] Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.

[4] "Lord Bramall". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2011.

[5] "No. 49142". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 October 1982. p. 13571.

[6] "No. 47916". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 July 1979. p. 9695.

[7] "Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs". The Daily Telegraph. 2 November 2004. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2011.

[8] "No. 46965". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 July 1976. p. 9899.

[9] Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.

[10] "No. 32615". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 February 1922. p. 1489.

[11] Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.

[12] "No. 27645". The London Gazette. 12 February 1904. p. 939.

[13] "No. 27263". The London Gazette. 4 January 1901. p. 83.

[14] "No. 20130". The London Gazette. 16 August 1842. p. 2217.

[15] Heathcote 1999, p. 94

[16] Massie, Alastair W. (2004). "John Manners, Marquess of Granby". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17958. Retrieved 21 January 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

[17] Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd. ISBN 0900963948. p51-2

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