G. R. (George Robert) Gleig

Born in 1796, George Robert Gleig was the son of George Gleig, bishop of Brechin. He was educated at Stirling Grammar School and at Balliol College, Oxford, but left university to join the army during the Napoleonic Wars.

He served as an officer in the 85th Regiment in the Peninsular War, and that experience fed directly into his most famous book, The Subaltern, first published in 1825. He went on to write widely on military history and biography, including books on Wellington, Clive, Warren Hastings, and Chelsea Hospital, becoming known as a lively and accessible narrator of war and public life.

After leaving the army, he entered the Church of England and later held important posts including chaplain of Chelsea Hospital and chaplain-general to the Forces. He died in 1888, remembered both as a clergyman and as a writer who brought soldiers' lives and campaigns to a broad readership.