28-768: Major General John Robyns , KH (13 May 1780 – 22 March 1857) was a senior officer of the Royal Marines who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and earned historically noteworthy military distinctions on the North America and West Indies Station during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 . As a battalion commander of Royal Marines, Captain John Robyns faced enemy forces which included his counterparts of
56-546: A King's crown. The RAF replaced the rank of major-general with the rank of air vice-marshal on 1 August 1919. Despite the short duration, the significance of the RAF to modern warfare was indicated by the number of senior officers who did hold the rank of major-general in the RAF: 85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers) The 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment , raised in 1793. Under
84-525: A Marine captain, Robyns rejoined Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane's command in 1813, as the Officer Commanding the detachment of Marines aboard HMS Albion . He was among the handful of Royal Marines company-grade officers chosen to command a battalion ashore during the War of 1812 . Robyns commanded a 400-strong composite battalion of Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel in the Battle of Bladensburg ,
112-644: The 85th, or The King's Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) in August 1827. The regiment went back to Malta in 1828 and then returned home in 1831. It embarked for Canada in 1838 as part of the response to the rebellions in Lower and Upper Canada and then transferred to the West Indies in 1843 before returning home in 1846. The regiment was posted to Mauritius in 1853 and South Africa in 1856 before returning home again in 1863. It embarked for India in 1868 and
140-675: The Battle of Nivelle in November 1813 and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813 before returning to England in April 1814. The regiment was dispatched to North America in May 1814 and saw action in the last phase of the War of 1812 . It fought at the Battle of Bladensburg , capturing two American colours, in August 1814. Under the command of Colonel William Thornton , the regiment accompanied by detachments from
168-575: The Burning of Washington , and in the Battle of Baltimore . At Baltimore Robyns was severely wounded while leading his battalion on 12 September 1814. The British Army commander, Major General Robert Ross , was killed in the same action. Writing from HMS Tonnant , to the Admiralty Lords on 17 September 1814, Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane singled out the "frequently gallant conduct" of Robyns as worthy of special "favour and protection". Following
196-753: The Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881. The regiment was raised in Buckinghamshire by Lieutenant-Colonel George Nugent as the 85th Regiment of Foot , in response to the threat posed by the French Revolution , on 18 November 1793. The regiment was sent to join the Duke of York 's army in the Netherlands in 1794 as part of
224-598: The Corps of Infantry , were major generals. Other, administrative, commands were also appointments for a major general. In addition, the senior officer of the Royal Army Chaplains' Department , the Chaplain-General , is accorded "the relative precedence" – the respect, courtesies and insignia, rather than the full powers and authority – of the rank of major general. The office of Commandant General Royal Marines (CGRM),
252-586: The Order of the Bath , over a crossed sword and baton. In terms of orthography, compound ranks were invariably hyphenated prior to about 1980. Nowadays the rank is almost equally invariably non-hyphenated. When written as a title, especially before a person's name, both words of the rank are always capitalised, whether using the "traditional" hyphenated style or the modern un-hyphenated style. When used as common nouns, they might be written in lower-case: "Major General Montgomery
280-596: The Royal Marines as a major with full pay in 1835. Major-general (United Kingdom) Major general ( Maj Gen ) is a "two-star" rank in the British Army and Royal Marines . The rank was also briefly used by the Royal Air Force for a year and a half, from its creation in April 1918 until August 1919. In the British Army, a major general is the customary rank for the appointment of division commander. In
308-729: The Royal Navy and Royal Marines , carried out a successful attack on the American positions on the west bank of the Mississippi River during the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815. Casualties among the regiment were: 2 dead, 1 captured and 41 wounded. The regiment returned home later that year. The regiment was dispatched to Malta and became the 85th (or The Duke of York's Own) Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) in April 1821. After that it transferred to Gibraltar and became
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#1732851265847336-568: The United States Marines at Bladensburg, Washington, Baltimore, and New Orleans. In his later years Robyns served one term as Mayor of Penzance (1840–41) in his native Cornwall . John Robyns, the son of Thomas Robyns, was christened in the Parish of Madron , in West Cornwall, on 13 May 1780. The private christening, performed by a midwife, probably occurred soon after his birth, if not on
364-587: The British disaster of 8 January 1815. Royal Marines also contributed to the subsequent orderly withdrawal by the British forces. In spite of the award of a pension for wounds received, Robyns escaped the officer reductions in the Royal Marines establishment of 1814 and 1816. Robyns married Miss Wilmot John (1787–1867), the second daughter of George John, of Penzance , at Madron on 18 July 1815. Routine duties and assignments followed until his retirement in 1835. He
392-547: The Defence Staff . Royal Marines in tri-service roles may still hold the rank of major general: in April 2019, James Morris was appointed as commander of the Standing Joint Force , with the rank of major general. As in the British Army, a Royal Marines major general ranks below a lieutenant general and above a brigadier. From its foundation on 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force (RAF) briefly used
420-670: The Marines sailed for Barbados as part of the expedition under Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane and Lieutenant General George Beckwith . In 1809 Captain John Robyns participated in the British Invasion of Martinique , a highly successful amphibious operation. Captain John Robyns remained on the Leeward Islands Station until about 1811, well after the seizure of Guadeloupe by the British forces under Cochrane and Beckwith. Still
448-522: The Royal Marines, the Commandant General holds at least the rank of major general. A major general is senior to a brigadier but subordinate to a lieutenant general . The rank is OF-7 on the NATO rank scale , equivalent to a rear admiral in the Royal Navy or an air vice-marshal in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. The rank insignia is the star (or 'pip') of
476-466: The Royal Marines. Adair's 100 Royal Marines and a similar-sized party of Edward Nicolls ' Red Sticks were brigaded with Colonel William Thornton (British Army officer) 's 85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers) . Thornton's Brigade performed laudably at New Orleans, overwhelming the American line on the west bank of the Mississippi. The brigade's small triumph, however, was not enough to counterbalance
504-417: The actual day of birth. It may be assumed that young Robyns received an adequate common school education that was sufficient to prepare him for a commission. He may have served in the Royal Navy or British Army prior to 1796. It is difficult to document this period of his life with precision. Robyns received his commission as a second lieutenant of His Majesty's Marine Forces in 1796. Soon afterwards he
532-543: The defeat at Baltimore, Robyns was brevetted a major on the British Army List. Though still recovering from a wound described as "severe," he accompanied the British expeditionary force which was sent to engage in the Battle of New Orleans . Once again charged with a composite command, he commanded a company in the "composite battalion" of 100 Marines commanded by his senior, Brevet Major Thomas Benjamin Adair (1783–1849), of
560-427: The professional head of the Royal Marines, was created at the rank of full general in 1943. In 1977, the rank was downgraded to lieutenant general, and it was further reduced to of major general in 1996. On 30 April 2021, Lieutenant General Robert Magowan assumed the office of CGRM; he was succeeded on 25 November 2022 by Gwyn Jenkins , who already held the rank of full general from his appointment as Vice-Chief of
588-520: The rank of major-general. The service was a wartime amalgamation of the Army's Royal Flying Corps and the Navy's Royal Naval Air Service , so the ranks were a compromise between these two traditions. The insignia of the rank was derived from that of a Royal Navy rear-admiral and featured a broad gold stripe on the cuff below one narrow gold stripe. The two stripes were surmounted by an eagle (volant and affronty) under
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#1732851265847616-696: The unsuccessful defence of that country against the Republican French during the Flanders Campaign . It was posted to Gibraltar in 1795 and returned home in 1797. It embarked for the Netherlands again in August 1799 and saw action at the Battle of Alkmaar and the Battle of Castricum in October 1799 during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland . A second battalion was raised in 1800. The 1st Battalion
644-632: The year. The regiment next took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign in autumn 1809. The regiment embarked for Portugal in 1811 for service under Viscount Wellington in the Peninsular War . It fought at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811, the Second Siege of Badajoz later that month and the Siege of San Sebastián in autumn 1813. It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at
672-637: Was deployed to Afghanistan for service in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878. After returning to India, it took part in operations against the Zaimukhts and was involved in the destruction of their capital, Zawa, in 1879. As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom,
700-464: Was deployed to Madeira in 1801 and both battalions went to Jamaica in 1802; the two battalions were amalgamated there later in the year. The regiment absorbed the Bucks volunteers in 1802 and became the 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot in 1802. It returned to England in 1808 and converted to a Light Infantry role, becoming the 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) later in
728-657: Was one of several major generals to be promoted at this time." In the British Army, a division is commanded by a major general. However, other appointments may also be held by major generals. For example, the Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is a major general. Until around the 1980s, the heads of each branch of service, such as the Royal Armoured Corps , the Royal Artillery and
756-602: Was ordered to the East Indies where he remained on station nearly five years, earning his promotion to first lieutenant in 1799. Following his return, shortly prior to the Treaty of Amiens , he was sent to Ireland where he remained on station until his promotion to captain in 1807. John Robyns was thus still a subaltern when H.M. Corps of Marine Forces was elevated to the dignity of Royal Marines on 29 April 1802. In 1808 Captain Robyns of
784-535: Was promoted to the substantive rank of major in the Royal Marines on 16 April 1832, thus finally attaining the permanent status of "General and Field Officer (G & FO)", Royal Marines. In 1840 he served one term as Mayor of Penzance, a largely honorary public function. Robyns died in Cornwall on 22 March 1857. He was buried in Madron on 27 March 1857. 28 December 1815 Awarded a pension for wounds. Allowed to retire from
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