Penn Symons
| Sir William Penn Symons | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 17 July 1843 Hatt, Cornwall |
| Died | 23 October 1899 (aged 56) Talana Hill, Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal |
| Buried at | Talana Hill, Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal (28°6′49″S 30°12′18″E / 28.11361°S 30.20500°ECoordinates: 28°6′49″S 30°12′18″E / 28.11361°S 30.20500°E) |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1863–1899 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | 24th Foot |
| Battles/wars |
Ninth Xhosa War Anglo-Zulu War Third Anglo-Burmese War Chin-lushai Expedition Mahsud Expedition Tochi Valley Expedition 1897-1898 Tirah Campaign Second Boer War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Major-General Sir William Penn Symons KCB (17 July 1843 – 23 October 1899) was a British Army officer who was mortally wounded as he commanded his forces at the Battle of Talana Hill during the Second Boer War. Whilst his forces won the battle they had to abandon their position and fall back to Ladysmith. Symons and the more severely wounded were left to the Boers; he died three days later as a prisoner of war. A monument to his valour was raised in Victoria Park, Saltash, Cornwall, UK.
William Penn Symons was born on 17 July 1843 at Hatt, Cornwall, the eldest son of William Symons and Caroline Anne (née Southwell). He was educated privately and commissioned as an Ensign of the 24th Foot (later the South Wales Borderers) on 6 March 1863. He married Jane Caroline (née Hawkins) of Edgbaston on 13 February 1877 but the couple was childless.
Symons was promoted to lieutenant on 11 December 1866 and captain on 16 February 1878. His first combat experience was in South Africa during the Ninth Xhosa War (1877–78) where as a captain of the 2nd Battalion of the 24th Foot faced the native Gcaleka and Ngqika tribes led by Chief Mgolombane Sandile. In 1879 he took part in the Zulu war and on 1 July 1881 he obtained his majority.
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