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Sir Francis Grenfell, later Lord Grenfell, was born on 29th April 1841 and educated at Blandford. He was Initiated into Bulwer Lodge of Cairo during his time in Egypt and the Sudan between 1882 and 1899. A brief history of this distinguished soldier’s career written by an unknown author around the turn of the last century follows.
Some years ago, General Grenfell made a ceremonious visit to the place of his birth and, like the tactful man he is, won all hearts by the full pride he displayed in the endearing appellation “The Swansea Boy”. This faculty of saying, as well as doing, the right thing at the right moment, has stood Sir Francis Grenfell in good stead throughout his career, and has gone far to wards making him one of the most popular as well as the most respected officers in the British Army.
Sir Francis Wallace Grenfell, born in 1841, the fourth son of the late Pascoe St. Leger Grenfell, Esq., of Maesteg, Glamor ganshire. He entered the old 60th Rifles, now the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, in 1859 and led the pleasant and not unprofitable life of a “regimental duty wallah” in that fine corps until after he had attained his captaincy in 1871. In 1873 he was appointed A.D.C. to the General Officer Commanding at the Cape of Good Hope, and two years later found him employed in the Expedi tion to Griqualand West, his first experience of active service. In 1878,
Captain Grenfell again went campaigning, and served with marked distinction in the Kaffir, Zulu and Transvaal cam paigns which made up the South African War of 1878 to 1891. He was present at Ulundi, was repeatedly mentioned in Des patches, and received brevet promotions, first to Major and then to Lieutenant-Colonel.
In the Egyptian Expedition of 1882, Colonel Grenfell served as Assistant Adjutant General on the Head Quarters Staff, and was present at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir. This campaign brought him the coveted honour of an ADC-ship to the Queen, and in 1884-5 he was naturally again selected for an important position on the staff of the Nile Expedition with temporary rank as Brigadier General.
But it was in the Soudan (sic) between 1885 and 1889 that “The Swansea Boy” attained special distinction - as an admin istrator, organiser and fighting leader. He had been appointed in 1883 to special employment with the Egyptian Army, and in 1885 he was given a command in the Frontier Force with local rank as Major-General. He commanded a division at the action of Giniss, and in 1886 was made Sirdar of the Egyptian Army. In that capacity, he initiated the reformation of the “Gippy” which was afterwards so splendidly carried to its logical conclusion by Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. In 1888, Sir Francis Grenfell (he was Knighted in 1886) was in command at Gemaizah and again the following year at Toski.
General Grenfell’s connection with the Egyptian Army as Sirdar terminated in 1892 and, on his return home, employ ment was found for him at Army Headquarters, first as Deputy Adjutant General for militia and Yeomanry, and subsequently in the dual capacity of Inspector-General both of Auxiliary Forces and Recruiting. As a Head Quarters Officer, General Grenfell was greatly liked and worked hard, but it is doubtful whether he ever appreciated this sort of employment.
In 1897 he went once more to Egypt, this time as Major-GeneralCommanding the British Forces, and very shortly he was in the thick of the preparations for the coming advance on Khartoum. Although he himself had strong claims to be appointed the leader of the Expedition, he acted throughout as Lord Kitchener’s staunch helper, and it was largely owing to his generous self-effacement and untiring efforts that there was a complete absence of anything like friction or other trouble at the base of
operations. It was therefore extremely fitting that, at the close of the campaign, Sir Francis Grenfell should be bracketed with Lord Kitchener as the recipient of one of the highest distinctions attainable in our Service, the Grand Cross of the Bath. Yet another honour awaited this fine soldier. On January 1st 1899, he
became Governor of Malta, a post to which only officers of exceptional services are appointed, and the tenure of which may, at any moment, necessitate the display of just those qualities of firmness and tact, coupled with real sagacity, that have habitual ly characterised Sir Francis Grenfell’s honourable career.
Sir Francis was created First Baron Grenfell of Kilvey in 1902. He commanded the 4th Army Corps in 1903-4 and was Com mander in Chief in Ireland from 1904 until 1908, when he was promoted to Field Marshall. He died in 1925.
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