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Thomas Leigh-Goldie

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Thomas Leigh-Goldie
Brigadier-General Thomas Leigh-Goldie
Born1807
Died5 November 1854
Inkerman, Crimea
Buried
Douglas, Isle of Man
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1825–1854
RankBrigadier-General
Commands4th Division
Battles / warsCrimean War

Brigadier-General Thomas Leigh-Goldie (1807 – 5 November 1854) was a senior British Army officer who was killed in action while in command of the 4th Division during the Crimean War.

Military career

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Born the son of General Alexander John Goldie and Isabella Taubman, Leigh-Goldie was commissioned as an ensign in the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot in June 1825.[1] He was deployed to Canada in 1827 and saw action during the rebellions of 1837–1838.[2]

Promoted to lieutenant-colonel, he became commanding officer of the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot in around 1840.[1] After landing in the Crimea, and being promoted to brigadier-general, he was given command of the 1st Brigade of the 4th Division at the Battle of Inkerman on 5 November 1854. After Lieutenant-General Sir George Cathcart was killed in action, Leigh-Goldie became acting General Officer Commanding the 4th Division before also being fatally wounded and dying a short time later.[3][4]

The tombs of the generals on Cathcart's Hill

He was buried in the Crimea and a memorial, consisting of a Russian gun on a stone plinth, was erected at St Mary's Church in Douglas, Isle of Man, near his home in Braddan, Isle of Man.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Marble paperweight, incorporating the bullet which killed Brigadier-General Thomas Leigh Goldie at the Battle of Inkerman, 5 November 1854". National Army Museum. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Thomas Leigh-Goldie". Manx Sun. 25 November 1854. p. 20. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. ^ McGuigan, Ron (2001). 'Into Battle!' British Orders of Battle for the Crimean War, 1854–56. Bowdon, Cheshire: Withycut House. pp. 26, 29. ISBN 978-1-89924-402-7.
  4. ^ "Battle of Inkerman". The New York Times. 5 November 1854. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Memorial: Brigadier General T Leigh-Goldie". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 12 January 2022.