Alfred Hastings Horsford was born in Bath in 1818, the son of General George Horsford, a distinguished West India officer who had been lieutenant-governor of Bermuda. After military training at RMC Sandhurst he was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade on 12 July 1833 and served with the 1st Battalion, as a captain, in South Africa during the Kaffir (Xhosa) War of 1847-8. He was with the battalion as a major for the next outbreak of war in 1852. When the Crimean War broke out he was a lieutenant colonel and commanded the 1st Battalion at Alma, Inkerman and Balaklava as well as the early part of the siege of Sebastopol. He was made brevet colonel, appointed CB and awarded the Legion of Honour along with the Crimean medal and the Turkish and Sardinian medal.
He also served in the Indian Mutiny, initially in the newly formed 3rd Battalion, taking part of the battalion to Calcutta in October 1857. At the battle of Cawnpore on 6 Dec 1857 he was wounded. He commanded a brigade from Feb 1858 in the advance and siege of Lucknow and in the operations in Oude and the Trans-Gogra. He commanded the infantry at the battle of Nawabgunge in Feb 1859 and was left in command of the Oude and Nepal Frontier. On one occasion they fought rebels in Nepal, taking 16 of their guns. His CB was elevated to KCB and he returned to Britain.
He was the Inspecting Field Officer for Recruiting in 1860 and Deputy Adjutant General at Horse Guards from July 1860 to March 1866. From April 1866 to Dec 1869 he commanded a brigade at Aldershot during which time he was promoted to major general (1 Jan 1868) and sent to Ireland at the time of the Fenian troubles. He was on the staff in Malta from July 1870 to Jan 1872 and returned to England to be GOC South Eastern District until Sep 1874. In 1874 he was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed Military Secretary at Horse Guards from Oct 1874 to March 1880. On 17 March 1876 he was appointed Colonel of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, exchanging to the 14th PoW West Yorkshire Regiment on 1 Jan 1879 and again to the 2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade on 2 Nov 1880. He represented Britain at the International Conference on the usages of war, held in Brussels in 1874, and elevated to GCB in 1875. He was also a Special Commissioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. He died suddenly at Munlochy, near Inverness on 13 September 1885.
The photo of Sir Alfred Horsford is from the Royal Collection, showing him in the uniform of an officer of the Rifle Brigade c1860, proudly displaying medals for the wars in South Africa, the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. Also included is the insignia of Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). The cartoon by Spy depicts him as ‘The Beau Ideal’ in civilian frock-coat and top hat.
