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	\| honorific_prefix = General Sir		\| honorific_prefix = General Sir

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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = General Sir
| name = Richard James Holwell Birch
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|KCB}}
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = 26 January 1803<ref>{{cite book |last1=Venn |first1=John |title=Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900 |date=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781108036115 |page=267 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WPPcP39XDDIC&q=Richard+James+Holwell+Birch&pg=PA267 |accessdate=7 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
| death_date = {{dda|1875|2|25|1803|1|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], British India
| death_place = [[Venice]], Italy
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| allegiance =[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|22x20px|border]] [[East India Company]]<br />{{flag|British India}}
| branch = [[Bengal Army]]
| serviceyears = 1821–1862
| rank = [[General (United Kingdom)|General]]
| commands =
| battles = {{unbulleted list|[[First Sikh War]]|[[Second Sikh War]]|[[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Rebellion]]}}
| battles_label =
| awards ={{unbulleted list|[[Mentioned in Despatches]]|[[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]|[[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]}}
| memorials =
| laterwork =
}}
General '''Sir Richard James Holwell Birch''' {{post-nominals|KCB}} (26 January 1803 – 25 February 1875) was a British officer of the [[Bengal Army]] of the [[East India Company]], who served during the [[Sikh Wars]] and the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]].

==Life==
He came from a well-known [[Anglo-Indian]] family, and was the son of [[Richard Comyns Birch]], of the [[Bengal Civil Service]], and afterwards of [[Writtle]], [[Essex]], who was a grandson of [[John Zephaniah Holwell]], author of the famous account of his sufferings in the [[Black Hole of Calcutta]]. Birch was born in 1803 and received a commission as an ensign in the infantry of the Bengal Army in 1821. His numerous circle of relations in India ensured his rapid promotion and almost continuous service on the staff, and after acting as deputy-[[advocate general|judge advocate-general]] at [[Meerut]], and as assistant secretary in the military department at Calcutta, he was appointed judge-advocate-general to the forces in Bengal in 1841. In the same capacity he accompanied the army in the First Sikh War of 1845 to 1846, was mentioned in despatches, and was promoted to [[lieutenant-colonel]] for his services.{{sfn|Stephens|1886}}

In the [[Second Sikh War]], in 1849, Birch was appointed to the temporary command of a [[brigade]] after the [[Battle of Chillianwallah]]. He distinguished himself at the [[Battle of Gujrat]], and was made a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] in 1849, and continued to serve as [[brigadier-general]] in Sir [[Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde|Colin Campbell]]'s campaign in the Kohat Pass in 1850. He then reverted to his appointment at headquarters, and in 1852 received the still more important post of secretary to the [[Company rule in India|Company government]] in the military department. While in this office, he was promoted to [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] in 1854, [[major-general]] in 1858, and still held the secretaryship when the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Mutiny]] broke out in 1857.{{sfn|Stephens|1886}}

At the time of the mutiny and ensuing rebellions, his services were most valuable to the British forces, even though he never left Calcutta. His thorough knowledge of the routine duties of his office and his long official experience enabled him to give valuable advice to [[Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning|Lord Canning]], the [[Governor-General of India|governor-general]], and to Sir Colin Campbell when he arrived to take up the post of commander in chief. These services were recognised by his being made a Knight Commander of the Bath in 1860. In 1861 he left India, and in the following year he was promoted [[lieutenant-general]] and retired on full pay. He was later promoted to the rank of full [[General (United Kingdom)|general]] on the retired list. On 25 February 1875 he died at [[Venice]], aged 72.{{sfn|Stephens|1886}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
;Attribution
*{{DNB|wstitle=Birch, Richard James Holwell|last=Stephens|first=Henry Morse|volume=5|page=67}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Richard James Holwell}}
[[Category:1875 deaths]]
[[Category:1803 births]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army generals]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the First Anglo-Sikh War]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]

Richard James Holwell Birch - Revision history

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