George Pereira
Encyclopedia
Brigadier-General George Edward Pereira, CB
, CMG
, DSO
(26 January 1865 – 20 October 1923) was a British explorer in Central Asia
, Tibet
and Western China
; a soldier, writer and diplomatist.
, near Reading
, which had profited in the 19th century from the Chinese trade. He was eldest of the three sons of Edward Pereira by the Hon. Margaret Anne Stonor, 8th daughter of Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys
of Stonor Park, Oxfordshire. He was educated at the The Oratory School
in Edgbaston
, where his younger brother Edward Thomas Pereira ('E.P.') (1866–1939) was later principal and benefactor. A third brother was Major-General Sir Cecil Pereira
(1869-1942), KCB, a distinguished commander in the Boer War
and the First World War, notably at the Battle of Loos
; he commanded the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards
(1914-15), the 85th Brigade (1915), the 1st Brigade (1916) and the 2nd Division (1916-19).
and served in China (1900) and South Africa
(1902). During the First World War, he served on the Western Front
as officer commanding the 47th Brigade (from January 1916 to November 1917) and then the 43rd Brigade (1918). He was one of the great characters of the 16th Division. Known to the men as 'Hoppy' because of lameness after a riding accident, he was an irascible fire-eater and firm disciplinarian; characteristics he combined with an obvious concern for the welfare of his men. 'Every officer and soldier of his brigade swears by him', one of his battalion commanders wrote.
in Peking from 1905 to 1910 and was fluent in Chinese. He made many adventurous journeys in China and Tibet, frequently travelling thousands of miles on foot. He was the first European to walk from Peking to Lhasa
, when he described the Amne Machin
massif in eastern Tibet
in 1921-2, sometimes reckoned among the great geographical discoveries of the twentieth century.
His journey from Yunnan
along the Tibetan border in 1923 was his last, as he died of some internal trouble just before reaching Kantze (where he was buried), near Batang
, Sichuan
, in October 1923.
His journals of Chinese exploration were edited shortly after his death. Further extracts from his journals have been published recently (2004-) in the Guards' Magazine, edited by his great nephew, Edward Pereira.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(26 January 1865 – 20 October 1923) was a British explorer in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and Western China
Western China
Western China , refers to the western part of China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers six provinces: Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan; one municipality: Chongqing; and three autonomous regions: Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang.-Administrative...
; a soldier, writer and diplomatist.
Early life and family
George Pereira was descended from an old Roman Catholic family of Portuguese origins, settled at Caversham PlaceCaversham Park
Caversham Park is a Victorian stately home with parkland in the suburb of Caversham, on the outskirts of Reading, England. Historically it was in Oxfordshire, but since 1911 it has been in Berkshire.-Early History:...
, near Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, which had profited in the 19th century from the Chinese trade. He was eldest of the three sons of Edward Pereira by the Hon. Margaret Anne Stonor, 8th daughter of Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys
Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys
Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys was a British MP and member of the peerage.Thomas Stonor sat as a Member of Parliament for Oxford from 1832–1833 and was High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for 1836....
of Stonor Park, Oxfordshire. He was educated at the The Oratory School
The Oratory School
The Oratory School is a Roman Catholic, independent school for boys in Woodcote, Berkshire. It is the last Catholic all-boys boarding school remaining in Great Britain. It has approximately 420 pupils...
in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, where his younger brother Edward Thomas Pereira ('E.P.') (1866–1939) was later principal and benefactor. A third brother was Major-General Sir Cecil Pereira
Cecil Pereira
Major-General Sir Cecil Edward Pereira KCB CMG was a British Army officer who commanded 2nd Division during World War I.-Military career:...
(1869-1942), KCB, a distinguished commander in the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
and the First World War, notably at the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
; he commanded the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
(1914-15), the 85th Brigade (1915), the 1st Brigade (1916) and the 2nd Division (1916-19).
Soldier
George Pereira was commissioned into the Grenadier GuardsGrenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
and served in China (1900) and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(1902). During the First World War, he served on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
as officer commanding the 47th Brigade (from January 1916 to November 1917) and then the 43rd Brigade (1918). He was one of the great characters of the 16th Division. Known to the men as 'Hoppy' because of lameness after a riding accident, he was an irascible fire-eater and firm disciplinarian; characteristics he combined with an obvious concern for the welfare of his men. 'Every officer and soldier of his brigade swears by him', one of his battalion commanders wrote.
Explorer
Pereira had served as British Military attachéMilitary attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Peking from 1905 to 1910 and was fluent in Chinese. He made many adventurous journeys in China and Tibet, frequently travelling thousands of miles on foot. He was the first European to walk from Peking to Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, when he described the Amne Machin
Amne Machin
Amne Machin is the highest peak of a mountain range named Amne Machin , or, in Chinese,Animaqing Shan in the province of Qinghai in west-central China.-Geography:...
massif in eastern Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
in 1921-2, sometimes reckoned among the great geographical discoveries of the twentieth century.
His journey from Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
along the Tibetan border in 1923 was his last, as he died of some internal trouble just before reaching Kantze (where he was buried), near Batang
Batang Town
Batang Town , or Xiaqiong Town , is a town in Batang County, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the China on the main route between Chengdu and Lhasa, Tibet, and just east of the Jinsha River, or Upper Yangtse River...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, in October 1923.
His journals of Chinese exploration were edited shortly after his death. Further extracts from his journals have been published recently (2004-) in the Guards' Magazine, edited by his great nephew, Edward Pereira.