William Fawcett (British Army officer)

General Sir William Fawcett KB (1727–1804) was an Adjutant-General to the Forces.

Sir William Fawcett
General Sir William Fawcett
Born	1727
Died	1804
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War American Revolutionary War
Awards	Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath

Military career

Educated at Bury Grammar School in Lancashire,[1] William Fawcett was commissioned into the 33rd Foot in 1748.[2]

In 1758 he was despatched to the War in Germany where he became an Aide-de-Camp to the Marquess of Granby.[2] Then in 1775 he was sent to Hannover, Hesse-Cassel, Hesse-Hanau and Hanover to recruit troops for the War in America.[2] The majority of the German troops who fought on the British side in the conflict were known as the "Hessians" in reference to the place of origin.[3]

He was appointed Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1781: in this role he was involved in introducing Regulations for the Heavy Infantry and then for the Cavalry.[2]

In retirement he served as Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1796[2] until 1804.[4]

He lived at 31 Great George Street in London.[5]

Family

In 1749 he married Susannah Brook and together they had eight children. Following her death on 7 April 1783 he married Charlotte Stinton (d. 1805): they had no children.[2]

See also

• List of military leaders in the American Revolutionary War

References

1. Fallows, I.B. "Bury Grammar School A History c.1570 to 1976", The Estate Governors of Bury Grammar School, Bury, 2001
2. Sir William Fawcett at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
3. Atwood, Rodney (1980). The Hessians: Mercenaries from Hessen-Kassel in the American Revolution. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
4. The Halifax lad who was Byron's hero! Halifax Courier, 25 March 2009
5. Survey of London, Volume 10 British History on Line