Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet, of Kars
|
Sir Fenwick Williams Bt, GCB |
|
|---|---|
William Fenwick Williams with sword given by Nova Scotia House of Assembly by William Gush, Province House (Nova Scotia)
|
|
| Born |
4 December 1800 Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia |
| Died | 26 July 1883 (aged 82) London, United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1825–1883 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Commander-in-Chief, North America |
| Battles/wars | Crimean War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
| 1st Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia | |
|
In office 8 November 1865 – 18 October 1867 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor General | The Viscount Monck |
| Premier |
Charles Tupper Hiram Blanchard |
| Preceded by | Charles Hastings Doyle |
| Succeeded by | Charles Hastings Doyle |
General Sir William Fenwick Williams, 1st Baronet of Kars GCB (4 December 1800 – 26 July 1883) was a Nova Scotian and renowned military leader for the British during the Victorian era.
Williams is remembered for his gallant defence of the town of Kars during the Crimean War. He with other British officers inspired the poorly equipped Turkish soldiers to repel Russian attacks by General Murav’ev on the besieged town for three months causing 6,000 Russian casualties. They were forced to surrender due to starvation, disease and shortage of ammunition. However, they surrendered on their own terms, with the officers being allowed to retain their swords. Williams was imprisoned at Ryazan but he was treated very well and released at the end of the Crimean War in 1856. Before returning home he was introduced to Czar Alexander II.
Many other honours were bestowed upon Williams and it was particularly fitting that in 1865-7, he was appointed the first Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, where he had been born at the turn of the 19th century.
He was born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the second son of Commissary-General Thomas Williams, barrack-master at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was, however, widely rumoured to be the natural son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn; this would make him Queen Victoria's half-brother. Williams never denied this, but it is not thought to be true.
Williams was educated at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich. He entered the Royal Artillery as second lieutenant in 1825. His services were lent to Turkey in 1841, and he was employed as a captain in the arsenal at Constantinople. He was British commissioner in the conferences preceding the treaty of Erzurum in 1847, and again in the settlement of the Ottoman-Iranian boundary in 1848. He was appointed CB in 1852.
...
Wikipedia