Edmund Haythorne was born on 28 May 1818, son of John Haythorne of Hill House, Gloucester. He attended RMC Sandhurst and was then commissioned into the 98th Regiment on 12 May 1837, serving with them for 18 years. He fought at Chinkiang in July 1842 in the First China War. In the Second Sikh War he was ADC to Sir Colin Campbell at Chillianwalla in Jan 1849, and Gujerat in February.
On 6 June 1855 he transferred to the 1st Royal Regiment and was put in command of the 1st Battalion from August 1855 during the siege of Sevastopol. He was, however, soon appointed Brigade Major of the Highland Brigade under Sir Colin Campbell at Balaclava. He then proceeded to Hong Kong and was appointed Chief of Staff of the army there for service in the north of China. He had sole responsibility for the organisation of the force until the arrival of Sir James Hope Grant in March 1860.
He became Adjutant-General in Bengal in June 1860 and remained in India until 1865 when he returned to the Royal Regiment. He had been CO of the 1st Battalion in absentia for 10 years during which time Lt-Col Alexander Montgomery was in command. He retired in January 1866. In 1873 he was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). On his return to England he was appointed Colonel of the 55th Regiment with the rank of General. When the 37th and 67th amalgamated in 1881 he continued as the Colonel of the 1st Battalion.
He was married in 1862, to Eliza Thomas of Bletsoe Castle, Beds. He died at Silchester House, Reading on 18 Oct 1888. The photo shows him as Captain Superintendent of Police in Hong Kong c1860.
