The Army Commanders - Part 1

Raglan began life as Lord Fitzroy Somerset, the youngest of the Duke of Beaufort's eleven children. As such he must have known from a very early age that he was destined for either a military or church career. In fact his father bought him a commission rather than a parish, and he became a cornet in the 4th Light Dragoons at the age of 15, while still at Westminster School.

His destiny was shaped four years later in 1808 when he sailed to the Peninsula on the same ship as the future Duke of Wellington, Lieut General Sir Arthur Wellesley. The two developed a father and son type relationship - strangely enough there were several marked physical resemblances - and when Wellesley's Military Secretary retired in 1810 with a nervous breakdown(!) the General promoted Captain Lord Fitzroy from relative obscurity to take his place. Besides being a tactful and discreet workaholic, Fitzroy immediately showed that he could always stay calm under the heaviest of pressures. This was just what the General wanted, and besides ensured that he would not share the fate of his predecessor.

In fact their close association was to last more that 40 years, although early on it was lucky to survive the Napoleonic War. Fitzroy had consistently shown bravery and disregard for personal safety in the major battles he had ensured he fought in, but his luck ran out at Waterloo. A sniper's ball in his right arm resulted in its inevitable amputation. He bore this so stoically that the Prince of Orange who was lying alongside him waiting for surgery was unaware that the operation had taken place until Fitzroy called out 'Hey bring my arm back - there's a ring my wife gave me on the finger!' (He had married the by-now Duke of Wellington's lovely niece Emily the year before). It was as if he was supremely indifferent to the whole usually traumatic experience, which for many others led to death - no doubt this attitude helped him recover completely and relatively quickly. How the Prince coped with his own operation is sadly not on any record I've been able to find.

Between 1815 and the Duke's death in 1852, Fitzroy gained credence as a diplomat on various foreign assignments and postings. He learnt to speak French fluently with an unselfconscious strong English accent which the French found charming. He also learnt to make his way in politics as an MP in Wellington's first administration, although he never opened his mouth in the House. But as the Commander-in-Chief's right hand man, he took an increasingly active role in running the Army. Although he mirrored the Duke's ultra-conservatism in being totally resistant to change, he did battle hard to save the Army from the ferocious spending cuts which would have destroyed it if crusading politicians had had their way.

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