Richard Thomas Glyn

Biography

Lieutenant-General Richard Thomas Glyn (23 December 1831 – 21 November 1900) was a British Army officer. He joined the 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) in 1850 after his father purchased him an ensign's commission. Glyn served with the regiment in the Crimean War and rose in rank to captain before transferring to the 24th (The 2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot in 1856. He served with that regiment in the Indian Mutiny and was appointed to command it in 1872. In 1875 he accompanied the regiment's 1st Battalion on service in Cape Colony fighting with them in the 9th Cape Frontier War of 1877–78. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath after the war.

Glyn commanded No. 3 Column, including men from both battalions of his regiment, during the first British invasion of Zululand in 1879. He led the attack on Sihayo's Kraal on 12 January, the first action of the war. The column afterwards encamped at Isandlwana where, on 22 January, Chelmsford made the decision to divide his force. Chelmsford and Glyn led around half of their troops eastwards towards the Mangeni River where a Zulu force had attacked a British reconnaissance party. Whilst they were away the main Zulu royal army attacked and overran the camp at Isandlwana and inflicted heavy losses on the British defenders, many of whom were from Glyn's regiment. After the battle, Glyn's column withdrew from Zululand and he assumed command of the British garrison at Rorke's Drift. Though suffering from depression and a mental breakdown, he made orders to recover the missing Queen's Colour of the 1st Battalion and to bury the bodies of his men. He was excluded from a court of enquiry held by Chelmsford into the defeat at Isandlwana and survived an attempt by Chelmsford's staff to blame him for the disaster.

Glyn commanded a brigade in the second invasion of Zululand that brought the war to an end with a British victory, for which he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. He returned to the United Kingdom after the war to command the regimental depot at Brecon, Wales, and superintended the transformation of the 24th Regiment into the South Wales Borderers. Glyn was promoted to general rank before his retirement, after which he served in the ceremonial role of colonel of the regiment of the South Wales Borderers until his death.