Horatio Gordon Robley
| Horatio Gordon Robley | |
|---|---|
H. G. Robley c.1887
|
|
| Born |
28 June 1840 Funchal, Madeira |
| Died | 29 October 1930 (aged 90) London |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1858-1887 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | |
| Commands held | Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders |
| Battles/wars | |
Horatio Gordon Robley (28 June 1840 – 29 October 1930) was a soldier, artist and macabre collector of Mokomokai and antiquities.
Robley was born at Funchal, Madeira on 28 June 1840, the son of Captain John Horatio Robley and Augusta June Penfold. Robley followed in his father's footsteps and became a professional soldier. However he also inherited his mother's artistic skills and became an accomplished sketcher and watercolourist.
In 1858 Robley purchased an ensigncy in the 68th Durham Light Infantry for 450 pounds. After a short period of training in Ireland he joined his regiment in Burma where he remained for nearly five years. There he observed the people and learned the language. In addition to his military duties Robley continued with his sketching and made visits into the countryside to document daily life. When sketching Buddhist temples he became friendly with several Buddhist monks and had an image of Buddha tattooed in red on his right arm. This was the start of a lifelong interest in the practice of tattooing. The numerous sketches made during this period formed the basis for his illustrations some years later, when he was asked by the firm Cassells & Co. to contribute to their publication, Races of Mankind.
In 1860 Robley was sent home to England for a period of sick leave. He began to specialise in rifle shooting, applying for and being granted a term in the School of Musketry. Rejoining his regiment he was present at the siege of Delhi (1857); afterwards, at Rangoon, he assumed command of the guard of the exiled Mughal Bahadur Shah II.
In 1863 the 68th Regiment left Burma for the New Zealand land wars and landed at Auckland, New Zealand on 8 January 1864. Again displaying a desire to absorb his new surroundings, Robley purchased a Māori vocabulary and other books about Māori. In the following April, Robley took his troops to Tauranga to join General Cameron's forces attacking Pukehinahina also known as Gate Pā. British forces suffered a humiliating defeat in the Battle of Gate Pā on 29 April 1864, with 31 killed and 80 wounded despite vastly outnumbering their Māori foe. Gate Pā was the single most devastating defeat suffered by the British military in the New Zealand wars: while British casualties totaled more than a third of the storming party, Māori losses totaled about 25.
...
Wikipedia