Arthur John Hamilton Luard was born in Waltair, India on 3 Sep 1861. He was the son of Colonel George Francis Luard, Indian Staff Corps, and Jane Hamilton. He was educated at Denstone College, Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, (although one source says Cheltenham College) and went on to RMC Sandhurst. He joined the 2nd Battalion Norfolk Regiment as a lieutenant on 10 May 1882. In 1886 he was on special service in the 4th Brigade of the Burma Expedition. From August 1887 to Jan 1888 he was appointed Brigade Transport Officer to the Minbu Command. He was also in the first Chin Field Force in Upper Burma in 1888-89. He was a staff officer in April 1899, at Portsmouth.
His service in the Boer War included appointments as Assistant to the Military Governor of Johannesburg and Assistant Commissioner of Police. He took part in operations in the Orange Free State from Feb to May 1900, including the actions at Paardeberg, Poplar Grove and Karree Siding. In the Transvaal, from May to June 1900 he took part in the action near Johannesburg. He was wounded in the war, at Brandfort in March 1900 mentioned in despatches and awarded the DSO. Lieutenant-Colonel Luard commanded the 2nd Battalion from 1909 while they were stationed in India until 1914. His term of office lasted until 1912.
Arthur Luard was a first class cricketer, playing for Gloucestershire, the MCC and Hampshire. He was married, on 15 Oct 1890, to Rosa Peel, at Cheltenham. They had a son, Edmund Arthur Peel Luard (b.31 Jul 1891). Colonel A J H Luard DSO died in Guildford at the age of 82, on 22 May 1944.
The photo of Lieutenant-Colonel Luard was taken during his period of office as CO of the 2nd Battalion the Norfolk Regiment (1909 - 1913). He wears the scarlet dress tunic with a yellow collar edged with gold lace and having a regimental Britannia badge on each side, facing inwards. His gold shoulder cords have an embroidered crown and star on each side. The medals include the white cross of the Distinguished Service Order. The central medal with two clasps is the India medal 1849-95, having a blue and red striped ribbon. The clasps would be BURMA 1887-89 and CHIN-LUSHAI 1889-90. The Queen’s South Africa medal has three clasps and the King’s South Africa medal has two.
1882 Lieutenant 10 May
1889 Captain 1 May
1900 Major 8 Sep
1908 Lieutenant-Colonel 1 Sep
1912 Colonel Apr
1912 retired in Sept
Regimental Details | Commanding Officers
