author
Earl Frederick Sleigh Roberts Roberts
1832–1914
A celebrated Victorian-era commander, he rose from service in India to become one of Britain’s best-known military leaders. His career took him through the Indian Rebellion, Afghanistan, and the Boer War, and his name became closely tied to the British Army at its imperial height.
2 Audiobooks
Lord Roberts' Message to the Nation
by Earl Frederick Sleigh Roberts Roberts
Forty-one years in India: from subaltern to commander-in-chief
by Earl Frederick Sleigh Roberts Roberts
About the author
Born in Cawnpore, India, on 30 September 1832, Frederick Sleigh Roberts came from a military family and joined the East India Company Army. As a young officer he served during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery, an early sign of the courage and determination that shaped his reputation.
Roberts went on to build a remarkable career across several major campaigns. He became especially famous for his leadership in the Second Afghan War and later for commanding British forces in the South African War. By the turn of the twentieth century he was one of the most admired soldiers in Britain, and he later served as the last Commander-in-Chief of the Forces before the office was abolished.
He was created Earl Roberts and remained a prominent public figure in later life. Roberts died in Saint-Omer, France, on 14 November 1914, during the early months of the First World War, leaving behind a legacy as one of the best-known British field marshals of his age.