Sir Horace Lindegard
The Honourable Sir Horace Lindegard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 18, 1879 |
| Died | June 1, 1964 (aged 84) Monton, Kingdom of Vionna |
| Allegiance |  Vionna-Frankenlisch |
| Branch |  Imperial Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Spouse(s) | Sally, Lady Backham (m. 1903) |
| Children | Lawrence |
| Relations |
|
Horace Lindegard was a Vionnan military officer and knight that served in the Imperial Vionna-Frankenlischian Army. He held high command during several colonial campaigns and became highly decorated over the course of his service. The second son of the Fourth Earl of Monton, Lindegard's military career began when he was seventeen years old and continued until 1950, making him one of the longest-serving officers in the history of the Imperial Army.
Early Life
Horace Lindegard was born on 18th August 1879 at Montrose Castle, the traditional seat of his family. His father, Henry, was the 4th Earl of Monton and already had two children: the twins Henry and Lucy; both of which were also to have military careers. Lindegard, like his siblings, was educated at Lawrenceburgh College during his early years of education. He was invited to squire for the Prince of Riverland-Palatinate when he was thirteen and later completed his education with fourteen months at Falscraf, starting on his sixteenth birthday. After turning seventeen, Lindegard entered the Imperial Army under the sponsorship of his elder brother, who had inherited the Monton earldom in January 1895 upon their father's death. He was commissioned as a subaltern in the Royal North Riverland Dragoons, of which his brother Henry was Colonel-in-Chief, dated 14th August 1896. He soon entered the Army Staff College at Donaldia, giving up his cornetcy to do so, and was eventually commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Lawrenceburgh Light Infantry in 1897. By the end of the year, Lindegard had been transferred to the Army Staff Corps with the temporary rank of Captain. He was appointed to the staff of Sir Dalton Saunders, who was serving as Inspector-General of Cavalry, and swiftly gained a reputation as a diligent and spirited young officer.
Military Career
Ai Chi War
Vionna-Frankenlisch, ruled at that time by King Alexander II, entered the Ai Chi War formally on the eleventh of July 1899. Lindegard, though inexperienced, was able to utilise the patronage of his family and his already promising record to secure a place amongst the Expeditionary Force which was earmarked for Ai Chi. As a significant portion of the force's First Column was made up of troops from Lindegard's family lands of Monton, he was promoted to brevet Colonel and appointed as Sir Douglas Rentry's Chief of Staff. Rentry was commander of the force's First Column and was considered a reliable, if aging, officer. However, in September 1899, before the expedition set sail, the unfit Rentry died at Briceport. As Rentry's second-in-command, Lindegard succeeded to his position and took command of the column. Though doubts were raised about the young Lindegard (who was significantly younger and less experienced than many of his subordinates), the decision to appoint a new commander was not taken and the expeditionary corps sailed on 18th September with Lindegard in command of the First Column. As the larger of the two columns of the force, First was where the expedition's commander, Sir William Sandoral would spend most of his time and Lindegard would be heavily under his oversight. There were no significant complaints about Lindegard's appointment, partly as Sandoral was a trusted and experienced soldier, and partly due to Lindegard's connection to Monton and his brother's position as the Earl.