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The Museum
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2nd Duke of Cambridge
1819-1904
George William Frederick Charles was born in1819, the only son of Prince Adolphus, who was the youngest son of King George III. Despite the urgings of his father, George did not marry his cousin Queen Victoria, but the unconnected actress Louisa Fairbrother. Louisa was never really accepted by his family and was generally refered to as 'Mrs FitzGeorge'.
On the death of his father in 1850, George inherited his mantle of Duke of Cambridge whilst progressing through the military ranks.
The Duke of Cambridge held the position of Commander-in-Chief of British forces between 1856 and 1895. He originally took up the position with a reputation for modernisation and progressive military thinking. However, such traits were soon buried beneath his burgeoning eccentricity.
As a member of the House of Hanover, such eccentricity could be considered as par for the course, though in few of the family was the characteristic so endearing.
He was especially famed for his troop inspections and addresses. Once, in Hyde Park, he was inspecting all three battalions of the Grenadiers who were in London at the time. As they completed their parade the Duke was moved to comment "In all my reviews in England, Ireland, or on the Continent of Europe, I have never witnessed such a damnable exhibition of incompetence as has been shown by the Grenedier Guards today. When the cease-fire sounded, the First Battalion was firing at the Sepentine, the Second Battalion was firing at the Marble Arch; and God almighty knows where the Third Battalion was firing, I don't."
On another occasion he approached the commanding officer of another such ramshackle battalion and asked where the pioneers were. "In front of the leading company, Your Royal Highness," he was told. "Have they got their picks and shovels with them?" "Certainly, Your Royal Highness. Do you want them to do anything?" "Yes," said the Duke, "I want them to dig a very deep and very wide hole, and then bury this whole bloody battalion in it."
Indeed, Cambridge often took pleasure in mischievously dressing down his commanding officers. At one parade a member of the Gunter family, who were famed for their wedding cake creations, was in command of a Dragoons Guard Regiment, though less in command of his ill-behaving horse. "Ice him, damn you, ice him!" bellowed the Duke.
Despite his massive popularity with officers and men alike, HRH finally resigned as Commander-in Chief in 1895, his role lessened to that of subordinate to the war minister. In 1904, nine years into his retirement, the 2nd Duke of Cambridge died, aged 85.
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