This sculpture is located on Whitehall, opposite the Old War Office. The 1907 bronze piece is by sculptor John Belcher. It depicts the Duke in full military dress..as Commander-in-Chief astride his horse. The work is set on a stone plinth about 12 foot high.
On the left side the inscription reads:
"Field Marshal
His Royal Highness
George
Duke of Cambridge
CGB".
The inscription on the right side reads:
"Commander-in-Cief
of the British Army
1856 - 1895
Born 1819 Died 1904".
A third inscription reads:
"Pethick Bros
Contractors
Plymouth"
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (George William Frederick Charles; 26 March 1819 – 17 March 1904) was a member of the British Royal Family, a male-line grandson of King George III. The Duke was an army officer and served as commander-in-chief of the British Army from 1856 to 1895. He became Duke of Cambridge in 1850...
He was attached to the staff at Gibraltar from October 1838 to April 1839.[1] After serving in Ireland with the 12th Royal Lancers (the Prince of Wales's), he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 8th Light Dragoons on 15 April 1842 and lieutenant-colonel of the 17th Lancers on 25 April 1842.
From 1843 to 1845, he served as a colonel on the staff in the Ionian islands, then was promoted Major-General on 7 May 1845. He succeeded to his father's titles of Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Tipperary, and Baron Culloden on 8 July 1850.
The Duke of Cambridge became Inspector of the Cavalry in 1852. In February 1854, at an early stage in the Crimean War, he received command of the 1st Division (Guards and Highland brigades) of the British army in the East. On 19 June 1854, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. He was present at the battles of the Alma, Balaclava and Inkerman, and at the siege of Sevastopol. His state of health necessitated his returning first to Malta and then to Britain before the conclusion of the campaign.
On 5 July 1856, the Duke was appointed general commanding-in-chief of the British Army, a post that was retitled field marshal commanding-in-chief on 9 November 1862 and commander-in-chief of the forces by Letters Patent on 20 November 1887. In that capacity he served as the chief military advisor to the Secretary of State for War, with responsibility for the administration of the army and the command of forces in the field. He was promoted to the rank of general on 15 July 1856 and to the rank of field marshal on 9 November 1862.
The Duke of Cambridge served as commander-in-chief for 39 years. Although he was deeply concerned about the welfare of soldiers, he earned a reputation for being resistant to doctrinal change and for making promotions based upon an officer's social standing, rather than his merit. Under his command, the British Army became a moribund and stagnant institution, lagging far behind its continental counterparts."