Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford

Frederic Augustus Thesiger was born 31 May 1827, the eldest child of Frederic Thesiger, a lawyer who later became Lord Chancellor and was created Baron Chelmsford. Thesiger was educated at Eton College. Thesiger's great-uncle Sir Frederick Thesiger was aide-de-camp to Lord Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. ==Military career==

He wished to pursue a military career. In 1844, after unsuccessfully trying to obtain a place in the Grenadier Guards, he purchased a commission in the Rifle Brigade. He served in 1845 with the Rifles in Halifax, Nova Scotia before purchasing an exchange in November 1845 into the Grenadiers as an ensign and lieutenant. He was promoted to lieutenant and captain in 1850 and became aide-de-camp in 1852 to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Eglinton, and then to the Commander-in-Chief in Ireland, Sir Edward Blakeney, from 1853 to 1854. and he was invested with the insignia by the King at Buckingham Palace on 18 December 1902. He was the inaugural Governor and Commandant of the Church Lads' Brigade, a post he retained until his death. ==Personal life==

His sister, Julia (1833–1904), was married to Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis (1814–1862) who commanded the British forces during the Siege of Lucknow in 1857. She later wrote of her experiences during the siege in her diary, which was later published. In 1867 Thesiger married Adria Fanny Heath (1845-1926). The couple had six sons, two of whom died in infancy. The eldest succeeded as 3rd Baron Chelmsford and later became Viceroy of India and first Viscount Chelmsford. Another son was Lieutenant Colonel Eric Thesiger who served in the First World War and was also a Page of Honour for Queen Victoria. The diplomat Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger, who served in Addis Ababa in 1916, was another son, and father of the author and explorer Wilfred Thesiger. He was the uncle of the actor Ernest Thesiger. ==Death==

Chelmsford had a seizure and died while playing billiards at the United Service Club in London on 9 April 1905 at the age of 78. His body was buried in Brompton Cemetery in London. ==Arms==

Peter O'Toole portrayed Chelmsford in the film Zulu Dawn (1979), which depicted the events at the Battle of Isandlwana. ==Notes==