Thomas Astell St Quintin

Thomas Astell St Quintin was born on 9 Aug 1840 the son of Thomas St Quintin of Hatley Park, Cambridgeshire. He was commissioned into the 10th Hussars as a cornet on 30 Dec 1859, lieutenant 16 Jan 1863, captain 17 Aug 1870, brevet major 22 Nov 1879, major 1 July 1881. He was appointed agent for remounts in Bengal based in Calcutta. He was married twice, first in April 1868 to a widow, Hon Mary Eleanor Frances Browne daughter of Lord Kilmaine. They had one child, Ernest Snowdon St Quintin born in April 1869, but Mary died a few months later. He married his second wife, also a widow, in March 1890, Priscilla Isabel Laura Dumaresq.
Thomas served in the 10th Hussars for 25 years, during which time he fought in the 2nd Afghan War of 1878-80. He was at the attack and capture of Ali Masjid, and at Futtehabad he was Orderly Officer to Brigadier-General C Gough. He left the 10th on 31 March 1886 when he was promoted to Lieutenant-colonel and transferred to the 2nd Dragoon Guards as second-in-command to Colonel Charles French. On 20 July 1887 he was given command of the 8th Hussars who were stationed in India. He reached the rank of Colonel on 31 March 1890 and retired on 19 Oct 1892. He was then appointed Assistant Inspector of remounts in London. When war broke out in South Africa in 1899 he was AAG in charge of remounts but suffered from the scandal of inferior horses being supplied by unscrupulous dealers. He died at Matlock in Derbyshire on 3 April 1918. The photo shows him as a young lieutenant c1864 in the undress uniform of the 10th Hussars.

Regimental Details | Soldiers