Wood and Wolseley c1895


This is a detail from a photo published in the Navy and Army Illustrated 21st Aug 1896. Wolseley is the nearest figure. He was promoted to Field Marshal in 1894 and when the Duke of Cambridge resigned as Commander-in-Chief in 1895, Wolseley was given the job. Evelyn Wood riding next to him was a general at this point and holding the staff post of Quartermaster-General. Although Wood was included in Wolseley's 'Ring' they did not have a close relationship. Wolseley wrote disparagingly of Wood and had never forgiven him for signing the peace treaty with the Boers in 1881. During the Egyptian campaign of 1882 he wrote in a letter to his wife: 'Wood is a puzzle-headed fellow who drives all his staff wild from want of method. During the few days he was my Chief-of-Staff... He nearly drove me mad. His vanity offends his equals, and all the set of his own age will never forget the unworthy Convention of Majuba Hill. The army think it was his bounden duty to have resigned sooner than put his name to such a paper. The Queen is very fond of Wood, so you must deal tenderly with the subject.'


Military | Evelyn Wood


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by Stephen Luscombe