William Manning (colonial governor)
Encyclopedia
Brigadier-General Sir William Henry Manning GCMG
KBE
CB
(19 July 1863–1 January 1932) was a British
soldier and colonial administrator.
Manning was educated at the University of Cambridge
as a non-collegiate student
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned a Lieutenant
in the South Wales Borderers in 1886. In 1888 he transferred to the Indian Army
, and served in the 51st Sikhs. He was wounded in the Second Burmese War and also served in the First Miranzai Expedition and the Hazara Expedition on the North-West Frontier
in 1891. He commanded the Mlanja and Chirad-Zulu expeditions in British Central Africa
in 1893–1894.
In 1897 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner and Consul-General for British Central Africa and commander of its Armed Forces with the local rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and served as Acting Commissioner for nearly two years.
He commanded the operations against Chief Mpezeni
in North-East Rhodesia
in 1898, for which he was promoted Brevet Major
in 1898 and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in 1899.
During this time he raised and commanded the Central Africa Regiment and was the first Inspector-General of the King's African Rifles
, 1901–1907, with the local rank of Brigadier-General (although his substantive rank was still Captain).
From December 1902 to 1903 he also commanded the Somaliland Field Force and from 1903 to 1904 he commanded its 1st Brigade.
In April 1903 he defeated the Mad Mullah's army in battle, inflicting 2,000 casualties.
For services in Somaliland he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1903 and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KCMG) in 1904. In February 1904 he was promoted Brevet Colonel
and in August 1904 he was finally promoted to the substantive rank of Major
.
In February 1910 Manning was appointed Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief of the Somaliland Protectorate and in November 1910 Governor and C-in-C of the Nyasaland Protectorate. He retired from the Indian Army in December 1910.
In February 1913 he became Governor of Jamaica and was granted the perpetual honorary rank of Brigadier-General, which he had held for most of his service since 1901. In September 1918 he was appointed Governor of Ceylon
. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918 and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 1921 New Year Honours. He retired in 1925.
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....
KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CB
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...
(19 July 1863–1 January 1932) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier and colonial administrator.
Manning was educated at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
as a non-collegiate student
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in England.The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to study...
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the South Wales Borderers in 1886. In 1888 he transferred to the Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, and served in the 51st Sikhs. He was wounded in the Second Burmese War and also served in the First Miranzai Expedition and the Hazara Expedition on the North-West Frontier
North-West Frontier (military history)
The North-West Frontier was the most difficult area, from a military point of view, of the former British India in the Indian sub-continent. It remains the frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the...
in 1891. He commanded the Mlanja and Chirad-Zulu expeditions in British Central Africa
British Central Africa
The British Central Africa Protectorate existed in the area of present-day Malawi between 1893 and 1907.-History:The Shire Highlands south of Lake Nyasa and the lands west of the lake had been of interest to the British since they were first explored by David Livingstone in the 1850s, and...
in 1893–1894.
In 1897 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner and Consul-General for British Central Africa and commander of its Armed Forces with the local rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and served as Acting Commissioner for nearly two years.
He commanded the operations against Chief Mpezeni
Mpezeni
Mpezeni was warrior-king of one of the largest Ngoni groups of central Africa, based in what is now the Chipata District of Zambia, at a time when the British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodes was trying to take possession of the territory for the British Empire...
in North-East Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
in 1898, for which he was promoted Brevet Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1898 and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in 1899.
During this time he raised and commanded the Central Africa Regiment and was the first Inspector-General of the King's African Rifles
King's African Rifles
The King's African Rifles was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the East African colonies as well as external service as...
, 1901–1907, with the local rank of Brigadier-General (although his substantive rank was still Captain).
From December 1902 to 1903 he also commanded the Somaliland Field Force and from 1903 to 1904 he commanded its 1st Brigade.
In April 1903 he defeated the Mad Mullah's army in battle, inflicting 2,000 casualties.
For services in Somaliland he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1903 and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KCMG) in 1904. In February 1904 he was promoted Brevet Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and in August 1904 he was finally promoted to the substantive rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
In February 1910 Manning was appointed Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief of the Somaliland Protectorate and in November 1910 Governor and C-in-C of the Nyasaland Protectorate. He retired from the Indian Army in December 1910.
In February 1913 he became Governor of Jamaica and was granted the perpetual honorary rank of Brigadier-General, which he had held for most of his service since 1901. In September 1918 he was appointed Governor of Ceylon
Governor of Ceylon
The British Governor of Ceylon was an official who ruled Ceylon during the British colonial period between 1798 and 1948....
. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918 and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 1921 New Year Honours. He retired in 1925.