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Richard Charles Bernard Lawrence was born in 1857. He joined the King’s Dragoon Guards as a lieutenant on 12 Feb 1876. Captain 1 June 1880. Brevet Major 18 Nov 1882. Major 25 Jan 1888. He assumed command of the KDG as Lieutenant-Colonel on 14 June 1894. It was during his time in command that Emperor Franz Joseph was appointed Colonel-in-Chief, in March 1896. Colonel Lawrence and two other officers went to Vienna and presented Franz Joseph with the regimental standard that had been decommissioned. The Emperor presented Lawrence with the 2nd Class Order of the Iron Cross while the other officers, Captains Briggs and Bell-Smyth received the 3rd Class Order.
He took part in the Egypt Campaign of 1882 and was mentioned in despatches. Promoted to Brevet-Major. After relinquishing command in 1898 he was appointed chief assistant inspector in the Remount Department at the War Office. He reached the rank of Brigadier-General serving throughout the First World War. He was married on 5 Dec 1884 to Mary Elizabeth Wiggin, daughter of Sir Henry Wiggin 1st Bt. They had at least one child, Alexander who became a lieutenant-colonel. Brigadier-General Richard Lawrence was appointed CMG and CB. He died on 22 May 1923. The photo is a detail from a group of KDG officers taken at Norwich in 1894. |
