George Latham Thomson was born in Dover in the autumn of 1816. His father, Colonel Robert Thomson was an officer in the Royal Engineers, his mother was Harriet Thomson. He served as a provisional ensign in the Cape Mounted Rifles in 1835 during the Cape Frontier War against the Xhosas. The expedition was led by Lt-General Sir Benjamin D’Urban who founded the British colony of Natal where the port of Durban was named after him.
Thomson was commissioned into the 4th King’s Own Regiment as an ensign in 1838. He served in the Crimean War as a captain of the Grenadier Company. He was wounded at the Battle of Alma and served in the siege of Sevastopol. On 1 May 1855 he was appointed to the HQ staff of General Estcourt as Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General, promoted to brevet-major, and on 10 April 1856 was Assistant Adjutant-General.
For his services in South Africa he was awarded a medal, and for the Crimean War he was awarded the medal with three clasps and the Turkish medal. He was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour by the French. and the Sultan awarded him the 5th class Order of the Medjidie. He retired from the army with the honorary rank of colonel in 1865.
On 4 May 1875 he was married to Sophia Mason of Kirby le Soken, Essex. The wedding took place at All Saints, Gordon Square, Bloomsbury. Colonel George Latham Thomson died on 17 February 1881 at 24 St Charles Square, Notting Hill, London. He was 64.
The photo by Roger Fenton is a detail from a group of officers on the staff of General James Estcourt in 1855. He sits confidently on the only chair, leaving the more senior officers to stand or sit on the step. He is dressed in the regimental dress uniform of a flank officer of the 4th King’s Own Regiment, indicated by the gold shoulder wings. His undress forage cap is blue with a red cap-band. On the front is an embroidered lion badge surmounted by a grenade badge indicating that he is in the grenadier company. His promotion to brevet-major would have required him to exchange the wings for field officers’ epaulettes.
This photo was either taken before his promotion on 2 Nov 1855 or he did not have access to the epaulettes in the Crimea. His sword is carried in a scabbard attached to the white leather shoulder-belt that has a gilt and silver regimental belt plate. Crimson cords are hooked onto a button on his coat with tassels hanging from the cord ends. The cords come from the back of his crimson waist sash.
1835 Provisional Ensign CMR
1838 Ensign 27 July 4th King's Own
1841 Lieutenant 9 April
1852 Captain 9 July
1855 Brevet Major 2 Nov
1856 Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 26 Dec
1857 Major 30 Jan
