20 Facts About Penn Symons

Lieutenant-General Sir William Penn Symons KCB was a British Army officer who was mortally wounded as he commanded his forces at the Battle of Talana Hill during the Second Boer War.

William Penn Symons was born on 17 July 1843 at Hatt, Cornwall, the eldest son of William Symons and Caroline Anne.

Penn Symons was educated privately and commissioned as an Ensign of the 24th Foot on 6 March 1863.

Penn Symons married Jane Caroline of Edgbaston on 13 February 1877 but the couple was childless.

Penn Symons was promoted to lieutenant on 11 December 1866 and captain on 16 February 1878.

Penn Symons then served during the Burmese Expedition being breveted as lieutenant colonel on 26 November 1886 and appointed as Assistant Adjutant General for Musketry in Madras on 25 November 1887.

Colonel Penn Symons was given the staff rank of brigadier general and was to be General Officer Commanding of Natal with temporary rank of major general on 15 May 1899; later that year on 20 September his staff rank would be raised to major general and on 9 October to lieutenant general.

When Penn Symons arrived in South Africa there were around ten thousand troops spread between Cape Colony and Natal.

Penn Symons was asked by the War Office to advise on the number of troops required to safely garrison the Natal from the threat of invasion from the Boer Republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State.

However, before White arrived at Cape Town Penn Symons, had on his own authority deployed one of his brigades seventy miles north of Ladysmith at a town called Dundee.

Penn Symons was annoyed by the "impudence" of the Boers to attack before breakfast.

Penn Symons believed in old-fashioned military tactics of close order, where by concentrating troops on the attack he hoped to smash the Boer defences.

Shortly after 9am Symons rode up to the wood being followed by an aide-de-camp holding up a red pennant, to find out why the attack had stalled.

Penn Symons ordered the men to proceed, rode through the wood and dismounted, then walked through the gap in the wall still being followed by his pennant.

Penn Symons then rode back from the front lines until he was out of sight from his troops before he asked for assistance from the Indian stretcher bearers as he had been shot in the stomach.

The next day, the town surrendered and thus Penn Symons became a prisoner of war along with many others.

Penn Symons commanded the First Division of the Tirah Expeditionary Force among the mountains with prudent skill.

Penn Symons's brigades had no misfortunes: his rearguards came safely into camp.

Dinner with Penn Symons in the mud tower of Jumrood Fort was an experience.

Penn Symons had been in command there until he left for South Africa.