Robert Spencer Liddell

Robert Liddell was born on 5 Aug 1840, the son of Sir John Liddell KCB MD, Director-General of the Medical Department of the Royal Navy. He entered the army as an ensign in the infantry, the 15th Regiment (East Yorks) on 28 Mar 1858 without purchase. He purchased his promotion to lieutenant a year later and transferred to the 10th Hussars on 23 Nov 1860. He commanded a Troop in 1868. In 1869 he served on the staff in India, as ADC and interpreter to the Commander-in-Chief, Bombay, until June 1872, and Military Secretary until Oct 1874. Back in England, he was Adjutant in the 1st West Yorks Yeomanry from 1875 until 1876 when he was appointed Adjutant of the Cavalry Depot in Canterbury. He rejoined his regiment in India in 1880 and was promoted to major on 1 July 1881. He took part in the battles in the Sudan in 1884, commanding the 10th while Colonel Wood was put in charge of the Cavalry Brigade. He was awarded the Egypt & Sudan medal with a clasp for EL-TEB_TAMAAI, the bronze Khedive’s Star and the 3rd Class Order of the Medjidie, which can all be seen on his dress uniform in the photo.
He was lieutenant-colonel, second-in-command to Colonel ‘Eddie’ Wood from September 1881 until he took command on 1 April 1886. He was actually a full colonel from 1885 as it was the practice to promote a field officer after four year’s service as a lieutenant-colonel. The Royal Warrant of the time limited the period of his command of the 10th to a brief space of time less than 18 months. During that time he introduced the Nordenfelt machine gun which proved successful enough to equip six other cavalry regiments with one. He also redesigned the hussar busby so that it was lower and lighter than previously. He commanded the regiment for the Golden Jubilee celebrations and parades of 1887. But he is best known for writing The Memoirs of the Tenth Royal Hussars published in 1891. He was married to Helen Frances Spencer, daughter of General The Hon Sir Augustus Almeric Spencer GCB. The marriage took place on 10 Oct 1870.
He died on 16 June 1903 at North Cerney in the Cotswolds, after having attended a Regimental dinner two months before where he gave a talk on the history of the tenth.

Regimental Details | Commanding Officers