TOPIC:

I recently had the privilege to save a large archive of material relating to James Digby Legard, and his famous father James Anlaby Legard (1805-1869), from decay and destruction.

The archive is truly extensive with letters and commissions spanning both their careers; the oldest document which is half ravished by insects, mould and time dates back to 1717 before the US constitution was a twinkle in the founding fathers eyes.

The Legard family itself is descendant from Mary Boleyn, the sister of the Tudor Queen Anne Boleyn who met that fateful end back in 1536.

In addition the Legard family has ties to the House of Spencer, making Sir James a distant relative to HRH Prince William.

Legard Baronetcy

The Legard baronetcy dates back to 29 December 1660 when it was created for John Legard, a Royalist member of the Yorkshire gentry who fought in the Civil War and sat as the Member of Parliament for Scarborough after the Restoration

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legard_baronets

Descendants of the Reverend William Legard, the fourth son of the fifth Baronet who have gone on to distinguish themselves include:


James Anlaby Legard (1805–1869), eldest son of the Reverend William, a captain in the Royal Navy. He received the Order of the Tower & Sword from the Queen of Portugal for services rendered during the Portuguese Civil War of 1832. In the archive are letters where he lobbied the government to allow him to wear his foreign order for which Queen Victoria finally agreed in 1848.

Captain Legard was also the friend and executor to Sir Nesbit Josiah Willoughby (29 August 1777 – 9 May 1849). For whom the Annual Register of his death noted:

"He was eleven times wounded with balls, three times with splinters, and cut in every part of his body with sabres and tomahawkes: his face was disfigured by explosions of gunpowder, and he lost an eye and had part of his neck and jaw shot away... and at Leipzig had his right arm shattered by cannon shot."


Sir James Digby Legard KCB (1846–1935), eldest son of James Anlaby, was a colonel in the British Army and was one of the few military figures to serve all the way from the Anglo Zulu War to World War 1; he mobilised to France at the young age of 71.

Alfred Digby Legard (1878–1939), son of Sir James, was another colonel in the British Army and was also a first class cricketer. During the Second Anglo Boer War Alfred was a Lieutenant with the King’s Royal Rifle Corp and fought notably at the Battle of Talana, in the Defence of Ladysmith and throughout the war.

Percy Legard (1906–1980), grandson of Sir James and nephew of Alfred, was a lieutenant-colonel in the British Army, a Commando leader and an Olympian, in both Summer and Winter disciplines. He competed in the Summer Games of 1932 and 1936 and in the Winter Games of 1936 and 1948. His Summer discipline was the modern pentathlon and the Winter disciplines were, firstly – and uniquely for a British person – the nordic combined, and then the winter pentathlon.

Besides the military and sporting accolades the one thing that struck me going through the archive is the affection that the family had for each other and their friends. They looked out for each other and freely shared information on military tactics etc.

For example one of Sir James’s closest friends was Sir George Tindal Pretyman; a friendship that started when they first met at the Royal Artillery in 1865.

Sir George Tindal Pretyman

At the outbreak of the Afghan War in 1878, Sir George was appointed Aide-de-Camp to Major General Sir Frederick Roberts and was present at the capture of the Peiwar Kotal and in all the operations in the Koorum and Khost Valleys (mentioned in despatches).

He took part in the advance on and occupation of Kabul in 1879 and was present in the engagement at Charasia (mentioned in despatches). He was reappointed Aide-de-Camp to Sir Frederick Roberts in March, 1880, and rode with him on the desperate march from Kabul to Kandahar, and was present at the battle of Kandahar on 1 September 1880 (mentioned in despatches). For his services during the Afghan campaign he was twice promoted by brevet, first to the rank of Major and afterwards to that of Lieutenant Colonel.

In the archive are letters written during this time (1878 to 1880) from Sir George Pretyman to Sir James “Jimmy” Legard sharing his experiences and thoughts.

On the outbreak of the War in South Africa, Lord Roberts offered Sir George the position of Commandant at Headquarters which he accepted with effect from 23 December 1899.

Sir George was appointed Military Governor of Bloemfontein in 1900, and commanded the Kimberley District in 1901, and afterwards the Northern Cape Colony. For his services he was twice mentioned in despatches and created KCMG.

All of these experiences and knowledge sharing gave Sir James the courage to give a lecture to Lord Chelmsford on re-organising the military just before the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War in 1898.

Since this forum is dedicated to African conflicts, and those that fought in them, I’m going to tailor the posts accordingly; however, I’ll add a bit of context to provide enough colour.

Legard Pedigree to Mary Boleyn

In case you are still wondering who Mary Boleyn was:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Boleyn

The earliest document in the archive is what remains of Captain Edward Legard's commission to Lord Kerr's Regiment of Foot on the 20th December 1717:





Prior to this he served to Sr Fras Cobb & Duke of Monmouth Regiment of Foot:





Source: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7...mylists01dalt%29.pdf

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Mark_Kerr_(British_Army_officer,_born_1676)

Next is Robert Legards promotion on the 25th September 1745:





Only 2 more posts to go until we get to the Anglo Zulu War.....

James Anlaby Legard was the eldest son of the Reverend William Legard, the fourth son of the fifth Baronet.

James joined the Royal Navy when he was 13 years old; his mentor was the influential and colourful Sir Nesbit Josiah Willoughby who led one of the most adventurous lives in the Royal Navy; here is a very brief synopsis:

Sir Nesbit Josiah Willoughby (1777–1849) was a British Royal Navy officer known for his daring and often reckless character. He joined the navy in 1790 and participated in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. However, he was dismissed after a court-martial for insolence but later reinstated due to his bravery during the Blockade of Saint-Domingue.

Willoughby was involved in several notable conflicts, including the Battle of Grand Port in 1810, where his ship, HMS Nereide, was severely defeated. He suffered multiple injuries throughout his career, including losing an eye and having part of his neck and jaw shot away. In 1812, he volunteered with the Russian army, was captured by the French, and later escaped back to England.

He was knighted twice—once in 1827 and mistakenly again in 1832. In his later years, he advocated for junior officers and published a compilation of writings for soldiers and seamen. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1847 and passed away in London in 1849. His legacy remains one of bravery, controversy, and resilience
 
On the 14th October 1818, one day after James turned 13 years old, Sir Nesbit wrote to James’s mother and re-assured her that he would look after and mentor her son; here is the original letter from the archive:





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14 October 1818
Dear Madam,
I had the pleasure of receiving your letter by your son and have delayed answering it until this moment as have been waiting for the arrival of Captain Willoughby, cousin to Lord Middleton, whose advice upon his destination for the next thru months I shall nearly be guided by, for as at present I have no schoolmaster. I wish to find him with a brother officer who has one, till I sail, and as I have just had a letter from Captain Willoughby to say he will not be here until next Monday. I write to acknowledge yours.

I can assure you Dear Madam that Lord Middleton has made me proud and happy in putting James under my care for was I to dedicate the remainder of my life to any wish of his, I should not have it in my power to [xx] hundredth parts of [must] go attitude which his patron age & friendship has entailed upon me, and it gives me great appreciation in finding young James so fine a boy, and it will be my amusement as well as duty to watch over him as I would over a favorite Son, and have explained to him he is to look upon me as such, as long as he is with one, he is at present on board with Mr [Seranton], cousin to Mr Willoughby of Aspley about fifteen years old and as this is also his first joining the Navy.

They are good companions I shall take care to recommend his writing to you on the various Ports in which we arrive and I shall be at all times happy and proud to give you any information you may require and rest assured as I am advancing to age I shall be very particular about his Religion & Morals . I shall conclude Dear Madam in begging you with ful your intrusting little son shall not want a friend while he is with me .

I am yours most respectably and Faithfully

N.J. Willoughby
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James went on to have a “normal” career in the Navy; following his commission he participated in the Battle of Navarino in October 1827 for which he received the Naval General Service medal with clasp “Navarino”.

However, circumstance changed when in the early part of 1832, as a young Lieutenant, James was assigned to Captain Belcher, later Sir Edward Belcher, as his assistant surveyor.
Bio: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Belcher

In 1871, a young woman who had formed a friendship with James shortly before his passing documented the events on HMS Aetna. Originally tasked with surveying the African coast, the vessel became entangled in the Portuguese Civil War of 1832. As a result of his involvement, James was honored by the Queen of Portugal, receiving the Order of the "Tower and Sword."

As a British subject, James was initially prohibited from wearing the decoration. However, archived letters reveal his persistent efforts to appeal for permission. After years of lobbying, he finally received confirmation in 1848 from Queen Victoria, granting him the right to wear the decoration.



James passed away in 1869 and his funeral was documented as follows:

James Digby Legard was the eldest child of James Anlaby Legard; he was educated at Harrow School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

His uncle, William Barnabas Legard, was a Colonel who had served during the Second Sikh War of 1848-9. His commissions and diaries from that conflict are in the archive.

James received his commission in July 1866:



Shortly after his commission he was sent to India; it was here that he learnt of the death of his father; he kept the final letter his father sent and on it wrote this very poignant note:



"...it was my first stunning blow in life..."

"The last I was ever to see of the dearest and trusted of father was as he stood on the pier at Liverpool waiving au adieu on 10 Jan '67."