Henry Roxby Benson

Henry Roxby Benson (1818–1892) was a 19th-century British General. Born into a distinguished Welsh family he was gazetted into the 17th Lancers as a cornet on 31 January 1840 and rose steadily: lieutenant, 15 April 1842; captain, 27 June 1845 and major on 23 October 1854. He commanded the 17th Lancers in the Crimea from 14 January 1855, including at the Battle of the Tchernaya and the siege and fall of Sebastopol, and commanded the squadron of the Light Brigade in the night attack on the Russian outposts on 19 February 1855. For his service in the Crimea he received the medal with clasp, the fifth class of the Order of the Medjidie, and the Turkish medal. On 30 September 1856 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the 17th. Subsequent service in India (where he commanded the 2nd Cavalry at Malwa ) lead to further promotions, notably Colonel of the 7th Hussars. Appointed CB in 1861 he continued to rise until his final promotion to the rank of General twenty years later. His son Henry Wightman Benson was also a distinguished officer.