William Manning (colonial governor)

Brigadier-General Sir William Henry Manning GCMG KBE CB
Captain. W. H. Manning (photo taken from 'British Central Africa' by Sir Harry Johnston 1897)
23rd Governor of British Ceylon
In office 10 September 1918 – 1 April 1925
Preceded by	Reginald Edward Stubbs acting governor
Succeeded by	Cecil Clementi acting governor
Commissioner of British Somaliland
In office February 1910 – November 1910
Preceded by	Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux
Succeeded by	Horace Byatt
Governor of Nyasaland (acting)
In office 6 February 1911 – 23 September 1913
Preceded by	Henry Richard Wallis (acting)
Succeeded by	George Smith
Governor of Jamaica
In office 7 March 1913 – 11 May 1918
Preceded by	Philip Clark Cork
Succeeded by	Robert Johnstone
Personal details
Born	19 July 1863
Died	1 January 1932 (1932-02) (aged 68)
Citizenship	British

Brigadier-General Sir William Henry Manning, GCMG, KBE, CB (19 July 1863 – 1 January 1932) was a British Indian Army officer and colonial administrator.

Manning was educated at the University of Cambridge as a non-collegiate student and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the South Wales Borderers in 1886. In 1888 he transferred to the Indian Army, and served in the 51st Sikhs. He was wounded in the Second Burmese War and also served in the First Miranzai Expedition and the Hazara Expedition on the North-West Frontier in 1891. He commanded the Mlanja and Chirad-Zulu expeditions in British Central Africa in 1893–1894.

In 1897 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner and Consul-General for British Central Africa and commander of its Armed Forces with the local rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and served as Acting Commissioner for nearly two years. He commanded the operations against Chief Mpezeni in North-East Rhodesia in 1898, for which he was promoted Brevet Major in 1898 and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in 1899. During this time he raised and commanded the Central Africa Regiment and was the first Inspector-General of the King's African Rifles, 1901–1907, with the local rank of Brigadier-General (although his substantive rank was still Captain). During Spring 1902 he undertook an official tour through Uganda and the East African Protectorate, returning to England in June that year. From December 1902 to 1903 he also commanded the Somaliland Field Force and from 1903 to 1904 he commanded its 1st Brigade. In April 1903 he defeated the Mad Mullah's army in battle, inflicting 2,000 casualties. For services in Somaliland he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1903 and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KCMG) in 1904. In February 1904 he was promoted Brevet Colonel and in August 1904 he was finally promoted to the substantive rank of Major.