Arthur Power Palmer


Sir Arthur Power Palmer, was Commander-in-Chief, India between March 1900 and December 1902.

Military career

Power Palmer was born in June 1840, at Karnaul, India, the son of Nicholas Palmer and Rebecca Carter Barrett. Educated at Cheltenham College, he was commissioned into the 5th Bengal Native Infantry in 1857. He took part in subduing the Indian Mutiny in 1857.
In 1880, he was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General in Bengal and in 1885 was Commander of the 9th Bengal Cavalry for the Suakin Expedition. In 1897 he took part in the Tirah Campaign. He was also General Officer Commanding 2nd Division during the action at Chagru Kotal.
In January 1898, he became Commander-in-Chief Punjab Command and 19 March 1900 he became Commander-in-Chief, India, a post he held for two years.
In a farewell dinner held at Simla in late October 1902, the Viceroy, Lord Curzon said the following about their relationship:
Palmer returned to the United Kingdom in December 1902, and retired from the Army. He died in London in 1904 and is buried at Brompton Cemetery.

Honours

In 1867 he married Julia Helen Aylmer née Harris who died in October 1896 and is buried at the Old Christian Cemetery, Abbottabad, Pakistan. they had a daughter Norah Blanche Aylmer née Palmer who married Major Gerard Beechey Howard Rice ; then in 1898 he married Constance Gabrielle Richardson née Shaw, widow of Walter Milton Roberts. He went on to have two more daughters with Constance: Celia de Courcy née Power-Palmer and Frances Gabrielle née Power-Palmer.