| Swanston | Arthur William | | Lieutenant | He was killed in action near Ermelo October 16th, 1900. He was the son of J C Swanston of Bourne End, Bucks, was born in February 1875, and educated at St Paul's School, and Loretto (Musselburgh), and also at Cambridge. He was fond of games and was in the Loretto XV and also rowed in the Cambridge eight in 1898. He entered the 6th Dragoons from the Northumberland Artillery Militia, in November 1899, being promoted Lieutenant October 3rd, 1900. He joined his regiment in South Africa early in 1900, and served with it till killed. His commanding officer in writing concerning Lieutenant Swanston's death, states "he fell while trying to bring in wounded troopers, and was shot dead on the second occasion when he was so gallantly trying to save others".
Source: Donner | 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons |
| Swanston | Charles Oliver | | Captain | SWANSTON, CHARLES OLIVER, Captain, was born at Cuddalore, Southern India, 8 April 1865, elder son of Major General William Oliver Swanston, Madras Staff Corps, who served as a Trooper in Havelock's Volunteer Cavalry in the Indian Mutiny. His grandfather was Captain Charles ('Corygorm') Swanston, who raised one thousand men for the Poona Auxiliary Horse; and he was great-grandnephew of Horatio Lord Nelson, his mother being a granddaughter of Mrs Kitty Matcham. He was educated privately and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was gazetted to the Royal Irish Fusiliers, May 1885. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1887, and transferred to the 18th Bengal Lancers, Indian Army, in 1888. In 1896 and 1897 he was ADC to Sir George White, Commander-in-Chief in India; was DAQMG, Headquarters Staff of Tirah Expedition, 1897-98 (Despatches [London Gazette, 5 April 1898]; Medal with two clasps). He was DAQMG, Khyber Field Force, 1898-99; DAQMG, Punjab Frontier Force, 1900-3; DAQMG, Mahsud-Waziri operations, 1901-2. For his services in Waziristan he was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 8 August 1902], and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 2 September 1902]: "Charles Oliver Swanston, Captain, Indian Staff Corps. For services during the Mahsud-Waziri operations". In 1902 he took part in the operations against the Darwesh Khel Waziris, acting as Staff Officer to the General Officer Commanding, and was again mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 5 June 1903]. He was on Headquarters Staff as DAQMG in the Somaliland Campaign of 1903—4, for which he received the Medal with two clasps, and was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 2 September 1904]. In 1905 Captain Swanston passed the final examination of the Staff College, and in 1906 was promoted Major. In 1910 he was placed on the list of officers considered qualified for Staff employment for services in the field. In 1910 he became GSO, 2nd Grade, and in May 1911, he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, being appointed Second-in-Command of the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse from the Bengal Lancers in 1910, and, while serving on the General Staff, succeeded to the command of his regiment in the same year. Lieutenant Colonel Swanston was killed on the 2nd November 1914, near Neuve Chapelle, while at the head of his regiment, which had been ordered up to the support of some of our trenches. He was a fine horseman, and won many flat races in India. Lieutenant Colonel Swanston married, 18 January 1898, Miss Kathleen Bruce Johnston, daughter of R Bruce Johnston, Writer to the Signet, of Edinburgh. His wife, however, predeceased him, and he left no family. His sister, Miss C Olivia Swanston, wrote: "I do not know if it is generally known that my brother's name was mentioned to serve on the Defence Committee by Lord Roberts in or about 1905 or 1906, but though he was not elected, as being younger and with less service qualifications than the officer who was chosen, it was a great source of gratification to my brother at the time".
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book) | Indian Staff Corps |
