William Manning (colonial administrator)
British soldier and colonial administrator
Brigadier-General Sir William Henry Manning (19 July 1863 – 1 January 1932) was a British Indian Army officer and colonial administrator.
Early life
Manning was born in Droitwich on 19 July 1863. He was educated at the University of Cambridge as a non-collegiate student and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the South Wales Borderers in 1886. In 1888 he transferred to the Indian Army, and served in the 51st Sikhs. He was wounded in the Second Burmese War and also served in the First Miranzai Expedition and the Hazara Expedition on the North-West Frontier in 1891. He commanded the Mlanja and Chirad-Zulu expeditions in British Central Africa in 1893–1894.
Diplomatic and military service in Africa
In 1897 he was appointed deputy commissioner and consul-general for British Central Africa and commander of its armed forces with the local rank of lieutenant-colonel, and served as acting commissioner for nearly two years.
He commanded the operations against Chief Mpezeni in North-East Rhodesia in 1898, for which he was promoted to brevet major in 1898 and brevet lieutenant-colonel in 1899.
Manning raised and commanded the Central Africa Regiment and was the first inspector-general of the King's African Rifles from 1901 to 1907, with the local rank of brigadier-general, although his substantive rank was still captain.
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