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Colonel van Straubenzee was the son of General Sir Charles Thomas van Straubenzee (1812–1892) part of a very prominent military family in England, and Maria Bowen, daughter of Major Henry Bowen and Henrietta Garstin.[1] His great-grandfather, Philip William Casimir van Straubenzee, a Belgian captain in the Dutch Blue Guards, had come to the United Kingdom with Bonnie Prince Charlie about 1745, and became a naturalized citizen by act of parliament.[2] His brother was General Sir Charles Thomas van Straubenzee, GCB (17 February 1812 – 10 August 1892), was a British Army officer, who served as Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong, and Governor of Malta.[3]
While on duty at Fort Henry, he met Annie Macaulay Cartwright, the daughter of a prominent Kingston family.[2] Capt Bowen van Straubanzee married her on 8 Oct 1857 at St Georges's in Kingston, Ontario.[4] They had four sons who joined the army: Colonel Arthur Hope van Straubenzee, (1861-1946); Major Bowen William Sutton van Straubenzee, (1864-1958); Maj.-Gen. Sir Casimir Cartwright van Straubenzee, (1867-1956); and, Lt.-Col. Charles Turner van Straubenzee, (1876-1918).[1] They also had daughters: Madeline Emily Louisa van Straubenzee. (1859-1962); Edith Annie Maria Van Straubenezee, (1870–1973)[5]; and, Cordelia Lilian van Straubenzee, (1873–1957).
He was educated at St. Peter's, York, at Richmond Grammar School, and at Woolwich.[6]
He was commissioned: Ensign, 4 Apr 1846, 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot;[6] Lieutenant, 25 Feb 1848, 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot;[7] Captain, 31 Aug 1855, 9th (The East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot; Brevet Major, 15 Feb 1861, 9th (The East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot;[8][9] Vice Brevet-Major Bowen van Straubenzee, 9th Foot, was promoted by purchase to Major in 100th Foot, 12 Feb 1867.[10]
He was present with the 32 Foot before Multan, including the action of Soorjkoond and was severely wounded on 27 Dec 1848.[6] This would have during the Punjab Campaign (aka Second Anglo-Sikh War), 1848-1849, with the Siege Operations before Multan, Sep 1848 and the Action of Soorjkoond, carrying the heights on 27 Dec 1848, after which the fortress surrendered. The Siege of Multan was a prolonged contest between the city and state of Multan and the British East India Company. The siege lasted between 19 April 1848, when a rebellion in the city against a ruler imposed by the East India Company precipitated the Second Anglo-Sikh War, and 22 January 1849, when the last defenders surrendered.[11] The 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment was in the 1st Brigade (Brigadier Markham), 1st Infantry Division (General Whish), Army of the Punjab.[12] Wikipedia: Siege of Multan: On 27 December, Whish ordered four columns of troops to attack the suburbs. Diwan Mulraj Chopra's forces were driven back into the city, and Whish's force set up batteries 500 yards from the city walls. Under cover of their fire, breaching batteries were set up only 80 yards from the walls, and created two breaches in them while causing great damage in the city. On 30 December, the main magazine in the citadel exploded, killing 800 of the defenders. Mulraj nevertheless maintained his fire and sent a defiant message to Whish, stating that he still had enough powder to last a year. He attempted to mount a sortie against the besiegers on 31 December but this was driven back.
He also served with the 32nd Foot on the Peshawar Frontier of India in 1851-52 under Sir Colin Campbell, and was present at the affairs of Nowadund, Pranghur and Shaskoti (medal and clasp).[6] In May 1852, there was an expedition against the Ootmankbail (Utmankhel) and Ranazai (Ranizais) tribes in the Swat Valley, where the strongly defended villages of Nowadund and Pranghur were destroyed, finally routed with great slaughter at Iskakote (Shaskoti) of 8,000 against the force under Sir Colin Campbell numbering 3,000 men.[11][13][14]
He served in the Crimean War[2] 1855-1856, on the staff of his brother, Charles van Straubenzee, who commanded the First Brigade of the Light Division.[6] The 9th garrisoned Fort Henry in Kingston, Canada West (1856-1857).[15] The van Straubenzees were in Hong Kong circa Sep 1858,[16] where Captain van Straubenzee was serving as Brigade Major of the Staff (1858-1860), again under his brother, General Sir Charles van Straubenzee GCB.[16] At the time his brother was Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong (1858–1859), including leading an attack on Canton during the Second Opium War (1856-1860).[17] Major van Straubenzee, 9th Foot, was Assistand Military Secretary to the General Staff at Mauritius in 1865.[18]
He returned to Canada around 1867, eventually settling in Kingston.[2] In 1876 he was appointed to the Canadian Militia[6] and served as Deputy Adjutant General for the 3rd Military District, Kingston until 1893.[2] He commanded the Infantry Brigade in the 1885 North West Rebellion, directing the assault on Batoche.[2] He retired from the service on a gratuity in 1893.[6]
The Van Straubenzees were members St. John’s Anglican Church, Portsmouth, Ontario.[2] In later years the family lived at Kirkleatham on what is now the site of Ongwanada and the Health Unit, Kingston, Ontario.[2] The home was named after Jane Cholmely Turner of Kirkleatham his maternal great-grandmother.[2] He is buried in Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada, Plot Lot 143, Section D.[19]
1861 High Street, Cheriton, Kent, England.[20]
1871 Village of Portsmouth, Kingston, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada, also nearby the Kingston Penitentiary and Rockwood Lunatic Asylum.[21]
1881 Village of Portsmouth, Kingston, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada, also nearby the Kingston Penitentiary and Rockwood Lunatic Asylum.[22]
1891 Village of Portsmouth, Kingston, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada.[23]
Philip William Casimir van Straubenzee As the Jacobite army headed south into England, he met Jane Turner of Kirkleatham. Sir William Turner who was Lord Mayor of London in 1669, was born in Kirkleatham. In his will, he had bequeathed a substantial amount of money to his great nephew, Jane's father Cholmley Turner, a member of parliament for Yorkshire, 1727–1741. With marriage blocked by Cholmley Turner, Philip and Jane were forced to elope to marry. Becoming a member of the British Army, due to his later loyalty to the British Crown, Philip was naturalized as a British citizen by Act of Parliament in 1759 at the request of George II.
The Royally Connected Van Straubenzees (2013) The youngest son of Philip and Jane, Charles Spencer Van Straubenzee, was born in 1750. He married Anne Theophila Davison 29 Oct 1772 at Scruton, Yorkshire, England. They had 16 children, many of whom died young. Several of their sons died while in military service. Their eighth child was Thomas Van Straubenzee, born 17 Apr 1782 in Wakefield, Yorkshire. He married Maria Bowen in 1808 and they proceeded to have 12 children. Thomas was an artillery officer who served in Malta. His second born son, General Sir Charles Van Straubenzee, served as Governor of Malta from 1872-1878.
Acadian heritage connections: Bowen is 21 degrees from Beyoncé Knowles, 19 degrees from Jean Béliveau, 16 degrees from Madonna Ciccone, 18 degrees from Rhéal Cormier, 18 degrees from Joseph Drouin, 20 degrees from Jack Kerouac, 13 degrees from Anne Langstroth, 20 degrees from Matt LeBlanc, 17 degrees from Roméo LeBlanc, 17 degrees from Azilda Marchand, 10 degrees from Mary Travers and 20 degrees from Clarence White on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
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Categories: Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston, Ontario | 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot | 32nd Regiment of Foot | North West Rebellion | United Kingdom, Second Opium War | British Army, Crimean War | 9th Regiment of Foot | Royal Military Academy, Woolwich