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{{Short description|British field marshal (1784–1875)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Sir William Maynard Gomm
|birth_date=10 November 1784
|death_date={{death date and age|1875|3|15|1784|11|10|df=y}}
|image=Sir William Maynard Gomm by William Salter.jpg
|caption= Portrait by [[William Salter (artist)|William Salter]] (oil on canvas, 1834-1840)
|nickname=
|birth_place= [[Barbados]], [[West Indies]]
|death_place=[[Brighton]], [[Sussex]]
|allegiance={{UK}}
|branch=[[British Army]]
|serviceyears=1799–1856
|rank=[[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]]
|unit=
|commands=[[Northern Command (United Kingdom)|Northern District]]<br>[[Commander-in-Chief, India]]
|battles=[[French Revolutionary Wars]]<br>[[Napoleonic Wars]]
|awards=[[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
|relations=
|laterwork=[[Constable of the Tower]]
}}
[[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] '''Sir William Maynard Gomm''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB}} (10 November 1784{{snd}}15 March 1875) was a [[British Army]] officer. After taking part in the [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]], he served in most of the battles of the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. During the [[Hundred Days]] he took part in both the [[Battle of Quatre Bras]] and the [[Battle of Waterloo]]. He went on to be Commander of the troops in [[Jamaica]] and in that role established new barracks at [[Newcastle, Jamaica]], high in the mountains. After that he became [[Governor of British Mauritius|Governor of Mauritius]] and, finally, [[Commander-in-Chief, India]], in which role he introduced promotion examinations for officers.

==Military career==
Born the son of Lieutenant-Colonel William Gomm (who served in the [[46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot|46th Foot]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]<ref name=Dalton>{{cite book |last=Dalton |first=Charles |year=1904 |title=The Waterloo roll call. With biographical notes and anecdotes |location=London |publisher= Eyre and Spottiswoode |url=https://archive.org/details/waterloorollcall00daltuoft|page=[https://archive.org/details/waterloorollcall00daltuoft/page/35 35]}}</ref> and was killed in the attack on [[Guadeloupe]] in April 1794) and Mary Alleyne Gomm (née Maynard), Gomm was commissioned as an [[ensign (rank)|ensign]] in the [[9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot|9th Regiment of Foot]] on 24 May 1794,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13728|page=1187|date=2 December 1794}}</ref> at the age of nine, in recognition of the services rendered by his father.<ref name=odnb>{{cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10931|title=Sir William Maynard Gomm|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/10931 |access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref> Promoted to [[lieutenant]] on 14 April 1795,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13769|page=329|date=11 April 1795}}</ref> he continued his full-time education at a private school in [[Woolwich]].<ref name=heath146>Heathcote, p. 146</ref>

Gomm joined his regiment in 1799 and was deployed to the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands|Netherlands]] where he fought under the [[Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany|Duke of York and Albany]] at the [[Battle of Bergen (1799)|Battle of Bergen]] in September 1799 and at the [[Battle of Alkmaar (1799)|Battle of Alkmaar]] in October 1799 during the [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]].<ref name=heath146/> He also took part in [[Sir James Pulteney, 7th Baronet|Sir James Pulteney]]'s expedition to [[Ferrol, Spain|Ferrol]] in [[Spain]] in August 1800 and, having been promoted to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 19 July 1803,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15602|page=870|date=16 July 1803}}</ref> he joined the Senior Division of the new [[Royal Military College, High Wycombe|Royal Military College]] at [[High Wycombe]].<ref name=heath146/> He then served as assistant quartermaster-general under [[William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart|Earl Cathcart]] at the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|Battle of Copenhagen]] in August 1807.<ref name=heath146/>

Gomm joined [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Sir Arthur Wellesley]]'s army, again as assistant quartermaster-general, and fought at the [[Battle of Roliça]] and the [[Battle of Vimeiro]] in August 1808 during the [[Peninsular War]].<ref name=heath146/> After the [[Convention of Sintra]] Gomm returned to [[Portugal]] and served on [[John Moore (British Army officer)|Sir John Moore]]'s staff at the [[Battle of Corunna]] in January 1809.<ref name=heath146/> Gomm was also on the [[John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham|Earl of Chatham]]'s staff during the disastrous [[Walcheren Campaign]] of Autumn 1809.<ref name=heath146/>
[[File:William Maynard Gomm.jpg|thumb|left|Caricature of William Maynard Gomm, [[Vanity Fair (British magazine 1868-1914)|Vanity Fair]], 1873]]
Gomm returned to Portugal in March 1810 and, as a staff officer, took part in the [[Battle of Bussaco]] in September 1810 and the [[Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro]] in May 1811 before being promoted to [[major]] on 10 October 1811.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16530|page=1993|date=12 October 1811}}</ref> He went on to fight at the [[Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812)|Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo]] in January 1812, the [[Siege of Badajoz (1812)|Siege of Badajoz]] in April 1812 (where he was wounded) and the [[Battle of Salamanca]] in July 1812 before being promoted to [[lieutenant colonel]] on 17 August 1812.<ref name=heath147>Heathcote, p. 147</ref> After that he took part in the [[Siege of Burgos]] in September 1812, the [[Battle of Vitoria]] in June 1813 and the [[Siege of San Sebastián]] in July 1813 as well as the [[Battle of Nivelle]] in November 1813 and the [[Battle of the Nive]] in December 1813 (where he was wounded again).<ref name=heath147/> Following his return to England, he transferred into the [[Coldstream Guards]] on 25 July 1814<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16925|page=1635|date=13 August 1814}}</ref> and was appointed a [[Order of the Bath|Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] on 2 January 1815.<ref name=odnb/>

During the [[Hundred Days]], as a staff officer with the [[5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|5th Division]], Gomm took part in the [[Battle of Quatre Bras]] and the [[Battle of Waterloo]] in June 1815.<ref name=heath147/> At Waterloo he rode a charger called "George", which survived until 1841.<ref name=Dalton />

He was awarded the Russian [[Order of St. Anna]], 2nd Class on 8 October 1815.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=17075|page=2186|date=31 October 1815}}</ref> He acquired a property at 6 Upper Grosvenor Street in [[London]] in 1826.<ref>{{cite web|title=Upper Grosvenor Street: North Side, Survey of London: volume 40: The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings) |year=1980|pages= 224–231|url= http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42143 |access-date= 21 July 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Wollen, Battle of Quatre Bras.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Battle of Quatre Bras, at which Gomm served as a staff officer, during the Hundred Days]]
Gomm was promoted to [[colonel]] on 16 May 1829<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18589|page=1214|date=30 June 1829}}</ref> and to [[major-general]] on 10 January 1837.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=19456|page=64|date=10 January 1837}}</ref> He became Commander of the troops in [[Jamaica]] in 1839 and in that role observed that [[yellow fever]], a major cause of death among the British troops stationed in Jamaica, was far less prevalent in the mountains and he therefore established new barracks at [[Newcastle, Jamaica]], high in the mountains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jamaicatravelandculture.com/destinations/the_blue_mountains/newcastle.htm |title=The Blue Mountains |publisher= Newcastle, Jamaica Travel and Culture|access-date= 29 December 2013}}</ref> He was awarded an honorary [[Legum Doctor|Doctor of Laws]] degree by [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]] in 1842.<ref>{{acad|id=GN842WM|name=Gomm, William Maynard}}</ref>

Gomm was briefly [[General officer commanding]] [[Northern Command (United Kingdom)|Northern District]] in early 1842 before being appointed the [[Governor of British Mauritius|Governor of Mauritius]] in June 1842.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20110|page=1628|date=14 June 1842}}</ref> Promoted to [[lieutenant-general]] on 9 November 1846,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20660|supp=y|page=3988|date=10 November 1846}}</ref> he was sent out to [[India]] in Summer 1849 to become [[Commander-in-Chief, India]] arriving only to discover that his appointment had been cancelled in favour of [[Charles James Napier|Sir Charles Napier]].<ref name=heath147/> Gomm was then initially chosen to become Commander-in-chief of the [[Bombay Army]] with the local rank of [[general]] in September 1850<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21138|supp=y|page=2567|date=24 September 1850}}</ref> but, following Napier's resignation as Commander-in-Chief, India, Gomm succeeded him in December 1851.<ref name=heath147/> In that role Gomm introduced promotion examinations for officers.<ref name=heath147/>

Promoted to full general on 20 June 1854,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21564|page=1932|date=22 June 1854}}</ref> he retired from active service in 1856 and, after advancement to [[Order of the Bath|Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] on 21 June 1859<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22278|page=2419|date=21 June 1859}}</ref> and after further promotion to [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal]] on 1 January 1868,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23340|page=53|date=7 January 1868}}</ref> he became [[Constable of the Tower]] in October 1872.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23915|page=5105|date=1 November 1872}}</ref> He also served as honorary colonel of the [[Somerset Light Infantry|13th Regiment of Foot]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20583|page=942|date=13 March 1846}}</ref> He died at [[Brighton]] in [[Sussex]] on 15 March 1875 and was buried at Christ's Church in [[Rotherhithe]].<ref name=odnb/> Under his widow's will £15,000 was left to [[Keble College, Oxford]] to endow scholarships in his memory.<ref name=heath147/>

==Family==
In 1817 Gomm married Sophia Penn, great-granddaughter of [[William Penn]]; following the death of his first wife in 1827 he married Elizabeth Kerr, eldest daughter of Major-General Lord Robert [[Clan Kerr|Kerr]], who was the son of [[William Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian]], in 1830. He had no children by either marriage.<ref name=heath147/>

Lady Elizabeth died in 1877, leaving £5000 to the ''Sir William and Lady Gomm Charity'' to benefit elderly people in [[Rotherhithe]]. This endowed the Lady Elizabeth Memorial Mission Hall and Accident Hospital in Hawkstone Road next to [[Southwark Park]]. The former hospital building survives as Lady Gomm House.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gomm House |url=http://www.exploringsouthwark.co.uk/lady-gomm-house/4590088386 |website=Exploring Southwark}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last=Heathcote|first=Tony|title=The British Field Marshals, 1736–1997: A Biographical Dictionary |publisher= Leo Cooper|location=Barnsley|year= 1999|isbn= 0-85052-696-5}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Buckland|first=Charles Edward|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y8AKI2nqPBQC&q=William+Maynard+Gomm+1784&pg=PA170 |title=Dictionary of Indian Biography|page= 170|publisher=Ulan Press |year= 2012|asin=B009K4K7YG}}

{{commons category}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Charles James Napier|Sir Charles Napier]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Northern Command (United Kingdom)|GOC Northern District]]|years=1842}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas Arbuthnot|Sir Thomas Arbuthnot]]}}
|-
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box
| before=[[Sir Lionel Smith, 1st Baronet|Sir Lionel Smith]]
| title=[[Governor of British Mauritius|Governor of Mauritius]] | years=1842–1849
| after=[[George William Anderson|Sir George William Anderson]]}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Robert Sale|Sir Robert Sale]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=Colonel of the [[Somerset Light Infantry|13th (1st Somersetshire)<br />(Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot]] | years=1846–1863}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Philip McPherson]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Commander-in-Chief, India]] | before=[[Charles James Napier|Sir Charles Napier]] | after=[[George Anson (British Army officer, born 1797)|George Anson]] | years=1851–1856}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde|The Lord Clyde]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=Colonel of the [[Coldstream Guards]] | years=1863–1875}}
{{s-aft | after=[[William Codrington (British Army officer)|Sir William Codrington]]}}
{{s-hon}}
{{succession box | before=[[Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet|Sir George Pollock]] | title=[[Constable of the Tower]]<br />[[Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets]] | years=1872–1875 | after=[[Sir Charles Yorke]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Commander-in-Chief, India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomm, William Maynard}}
[[Category:British field marshals]]
[[Category:British Commanders-in-Chief of India]]
[[Category:1784 births]]
[[Category:1875 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials in England]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:Coldstream Guards officers]]
[[Category:Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets]]
[[Category:Royal Norfolk Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Army Gold Cross]]
[[Category:Somerset Light Infantry officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Waterloo Medal]]
[[Category:Constables of the Tower of London]]
[[Category:British people in the British West Indies]]

William Maynard Gomm - Revision history

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