Eric John Eagles Swayne
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Sir Eric John Eagles Swayne CB |
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| Commissioner of British Somaliland | |
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In office 1902–1905 |
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| Preceded by | Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux |
| Governor of British Honduras | |
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In office 13 August 1906 – 9 May 1913 |
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| Preceded by | Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott |
| Succeeded by | Wilfred Collet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 May 1863 Darmstadt, Germany |
| Died | 9 September 1929 (aged 66) |
| Citizenship | British |
| Military service | |
| Unit | Welsh Regiment, Indian Staff Corps |
Sir Eric John Eagles Swayne CB (14 May 1863 – 9 September 1929) was a British army officer and colonial administrator. He served in British Somaliland, where he was appointed Commissioner, and as Governor of British Honduras, now Belize.
Swayne was born on 14 May 1863.
He was educated abroad and at St Edward's School, Oxford, before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst as a Gentleman Cadet for a year. In 1882 he joined the Welsh Regiment, and later transferred to the Indian Staff Corps. Swayne served in the Burma Campaign (1885–1887), the African Campaign (1898), and in British Somaliland.
The Somali patriot leader Sheikh Haji Mohammed Abdullah Hassan was known by the British at the time as the "Mad Mullah" since he would not accept colonial rule.
In 1900, a part of the first British Somaliland expedition at Samala drove off Hassan with heavy losses. Hassan retreated south towards Ferdiddin, near Damot, where he engaged with the main force of the British expedition under Swayne, who was by 1901 commander of the Somaliland Field Force. Hassan again suffered high losses and fled to Italian territory. The next year, Hassan was the victor against Swayne in an engagement at Erego on 17 June 1901. An account of the fighting written by Swayne himself is included in the London Gazette dated 18 April 1902.
Swayne was promoted to Lieutenant colonel on 18 November 1901, in recognition of his services during the fighting. In March 1902 he was appointed Commissioner, Commander-in-Chief and Consul General of the Somaliland Protectorate, with the local rank of Colonel whilst commanding the troops in Somaliland. In all, he led four military expeditions in British Somaliland.
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