George Edward Giles Born 1855 Karachi, India

Looking for any information on George Edward Giles born dd/mm/1855 in Karachi India, son of Captain Edward Giles and Emily Giles (born Atkins). His brother was Captain Godfrey Douglas Giles. His wife Mary Ann Shuter Giles (born Hill). His daughter Cicely Mary Hampden (born Giles), and sons Lt George Robert Bruce Giles, Lt Stanley Edmund Hercules Giles and Lt Col Godfrey Hill Giles, CBE.

He attended Cheltenham College Feb 1869; Royal Military College, Woolwich, 1873, where he twice won the Silver Challenge Bugle for athletic sports; entered the Royal Artillery, and in 1879 was appointed to the command of the Artillery troop of the Cape Mounted Rifles; saw active service in Basutoland and the Transvaal; becoming a Major in the Royal Artillery. He accompanied Lord Randorlf Churchill to South Africa in the capacity of Manager of Tour; in 1900 he commanded a battery in Rhodesia and died on his way to Cape Town 19 December 1900. Buried in Maitland Cemetery Cape Town.

He submitted a report from King William's Town on 19 March 1880 proposing the establishment of a 'Colonial School of Artillery', the very first suggestion for an artillery school in South Africa !

He was at that time commanding the Artillery Troop, Cape Mounted Riflemen. The idea of a school was not accepted but I can only assume that this led the Cape Colonial Government to the establishment of the Cape Field Artillery, a permanent unit that has absolutely nothing to do with to-day's Cape Field Artillery.

In the book, 'Boot and Saddle' by P J Young, page 97 records : (the) Pondmisi campaign did not last long. A CMR squadron under Major Bourne and Capt. Giles defeated the warriors time and time againin skirmishes in the Umtata area......."

Any information or photos will be much appreciated. Thank you.

I have moved this thread from "Introduce yourself" to "South Africa" because the former isn't really for research queries and he seems to have spent most of his career in Africa.

Thanks I was actually trying to get more information about him while he was in the UK. I will try other forums then.

I have moved it to "General English” , it may attract more attention in the long term.

You can always ask for a Mod to make a change for you (or reverse one), within the rules and structure of BG.

Free BMD shows a marriage in Louth (Lincolnshire) in 1854 between Edward Giles and either Emily Atkins or Sophia Heno (there's normally 2 grooms and 2 brides on each hit, for some reason). The Morning Chronicle for Thurs 19 Jan 1854 reports a marriage on 12 Jan at Belleau, Lincs, between Edward Giles Esq, Lieutenant I.N. to Emily, youngest daughter of the late J. Atkins Esq of Ashcott House, Somerset. Must be your folk. The London Evening Standard carries the same announcement.

The 1851 census for Ashcott, Somerset gives a family of Atkins living with a widow Maria Atkins and including a 2 year old called Emily (b. Jamaica), but no Emily old enough to be a bride in 1854. However, there IS an Emily Atkins living with Maria at Ashcott in the 1841 census. Her age is given as 20. The problem with the 1841 is that ages of people over 15 were supposed to be rounded down to the nearest unit of 5 gt 1820, 1825, 1830). This gives all sorts of problems, especially since it wasn't always done. Emily's sister Ann's age is given as 21, so it possibly wasn't done here. None of the family were born in Somerset.

Hopefully this gives you something to get on with.

I wonder whether this was a relative.


Birmingham Daily Post Tues 14 Nov 1916 (and other papers)

Inquest at Todmarton near Bristol.Lt George Edward Giles, son of Major Godfrey Giles of Douglas Lodge, Newmarket, while flying on Saturday. Verdict accidental death - it was very foggy. He was RFC and has a CWGC grave at bristol (Canford) Cemetery.

This must be your guy:
1st Jun 1880 promoted to Lieutenant "upon the seconded list"
2nd May 1884 Lieut GEG from the seconded list to be Lieut

There's quite a long obituary for him in the Gloucestershire Echo of Fr 21st Dec 1900. I can't break copyright and give you the whole thing, but (together with the other news refs) they're on the British Newspaper Archive HERE. It's a subscription site related to Find My Past. Among other things, he organised the visit of Lord Randolph Churchill to Mashonaland in 1891. Nothing about family. There's a report of the Churchill trip in the Exeter & Plymouth Gazette of 8 May 1891 - includeds the info that GEG had been Adjutant of Artillery Militia on Guernsey...

The obit in the North Devon Journal (7 May 1891) says that he was born in Instow.

An announcement of the engagement of his daughter Cicely Mary Giles of 23 South Eaton Place (London) to Lt Geoffrey Hampden RN 22 Jul 1916.

In case you're wondering, this is displacement activity.... Much more fun that what I'm supposed to be doing.

Queen Victoria gave the Albert Medal, 2nd class, to Captain Edward Giles, Indian Navy (Master Attendant in Kurrachee). 3 Dec 1870. It's in lots of papers.
Edward died 13 Aug 1886 in Brighton. His obit is in the Homeward Mail from India, China and the East 21 Aug 1886. Buried in Hove cemetery. No mention of family.

Good day, This is simply amazing! Thank you so much. I now need to go through all the details and absorb them. Much appreciated.

I suspect that there's more to find in the papers, but guilt got the better of me and I had to get on with something else...
I see that if you wanted, you could get a one month sub to the British Newspaper Archive rather than the annual one. The info on subs is at the bottom of their FAQ list if you want it. Papers are also available on FMP.