Richard Airey
| The Lord Airey | |
|---|---|
Lord Airey
|
|
| Born | 1803 Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, UK |
| Died | 14 September 1881 (aged 77–78) Leatherhead, Surrey, England, UK |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1821–1876 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Crimean War |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) |
| Relations | Lieutenant General Sir George Airey (father) |
General Richard Airey, 1st Baron Airey GCB (1803 – 14 September 1881), known as Sir Richard Airey between 1855 and 1876, was a senior British Army officer of the 19th century.
Born at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, Airey was the eldest son of Lieutenant General Sir George Airey and his wife Catherine Talbot, daughter of Richard Talbot and Margaret Talbot, 1st Baroness Talbot of Malahide.
Airey was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and entered the army as an ensign of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot in 1821. He became captain in 1825, and served as aide-de-camp on the staff of Sir Frederick Adam in the Ionian Islands (1827–1830) and on that of Lord Aylmer in North America (1830–1832). In 1838 Airey, then a lieutenant colonel, went to the Royal Horse Guards as assistant adjutant-general, where in 1852 he became Military Secretary to the commander-in-chief, Lord Hardinge.
In 1854 he was given a brigade command in the army sent out to the East, from which, however, he was rapidly transferred to the onerous and difficult post of Quartermaster-General under Lord Raglan, in which capacity he served through the campaign in the Crimean War. He was reported upon most favorably by his superiors, Lord Raglan and Sir James Simpson and for his performance was made a major general in December 1854 and was awarded a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). Following Raglan's instructions, Airey issued the fateful order for the Charge of the Light Brigade. He was also criticised for incompetence in the provision of supplies and transport. Airey demanded an inquiry on his return to England, which took place under Lord Seaton and which cleared him completely, but he never recovered from the effects of persecution from his critics.
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