Sir William George Laurence Beynon

author

Sir William George Laurence Beynon

1866–1955

A British Indian Army officer who turned hard-won frontier experience into vivid military writing, he is best remembered for his account of the Chitral campaign. His career stretched from regimental service to senior command, giving his work the perspective of someone who had seen empire and war at close range.

1 Audiobook

With Kelly to Chitral

With Kelly to Chitral

by Sir William George Laurence Beynon

About the author

William George Laurence Beynon was born in 1866 and served first with the Royal Sussex Regiment before joining the Indian Army in 1889. According to the National Army Museum, he served with the 30th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Infantry, the 3rd Gurkha Rifles, and the 4th Gurkha Rifles during a long military career.

He received the Distinguished Service Order for his part in the Chitral Expedition of 1895 and later wrote about that campaign in With Kelly to Chitral. The same source records further service in Somaliland in 1901, a transfer to the 2nd/6th Gurkhas in 1908, and command appointments with the 1st/2nd Gurkhas before and during the First World War.

Later in his career, Beynon commanded operations on the North West Frontier, led the 16th Division at Lahore during the Third Afghan War in 1919, and retired in 1920. He went on to become Colonel of the 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles in 1926. He died in 1955.