| 1833 | Born in Woolwich, South East London |
| 1848 | Entered the Royal military academy as a gentleman cadet |
| 1852 | Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, posted to depot in Chatham, Kent. |
| 1853 | Posted to Pembroke Dock in South Wales |
| 1854 | Posted to the Crimea, decorated by French for bravery under fire. |
| 1856 | Appointed to the Boundary Commission to settle the border between Russia and Turkey. |
| 1860 | Posted to China, eventually promoted to Major, and went on to command the "Ever victorious Army," helped to suppress the Taiping rebellion. |
| 1865 | Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and posted to Gravesend as commandant of Royal Engineers remodelling the Lower Thames Forts. Very active in charitable work amongst local people. |
| 1871 | Promoted to full colonel and appointed as British Commissioner on the Danube Commission. |
| 1874 | Commands troops in the Sudan |
| 1880 | Appointed Private Secretary to Viceroy of India. |
| 1882 | Commandant of forces in the Mauritius islands |
| 1884 | Appointed Governor General of the Sudan for the second time. Told to evacuate troops. |
| 1885 | Besieged in Khartoum by the Mahdi. Killed on 26th January. |
Last modified August 2000