Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 14, 2026

Frederick William Spring

Colonel Frederick William Mackenzie Spring, was a British Indian Army officer and military historian.

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Frederick William Spring
Born(1841-10-16)16 October 1841
Bombay, India
Died12 January 1916(1916-01-12) (aged 74)
Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch
 Bombay Army, East India Company
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland British Army
Service years
1858–18941
Rank
Colonel
Service number5021
UnitBombay Artillery1
Royal Artillery2
Conflicts
British Expedition to Abyssinia1
Third Anglo-Burmese War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
SpouseEllen Harriett Inglis
RelationsFrederick Gordon Spring (son)

Colonel Frederick William Mackenzie Spring, CB (16 October 1841 – 12 January 1916) was a British Indian Army officer and military historian.1

Military career

Spring was born in Bombay, India on 16 October 1841, the son of Frederick James Spring and Jane Balfour Mackenzie.3 He was commissioned into the Bombay Artillery in 1865, which later amalgamated with the Royal Regiment of Artillery. He served in the British Expedition to Abyssinia from 1867 to 1868. In 1870, he was promoted to second captain,4 and two years later was elevated to the rank of full captain.5 He became a major in 1878.6 On 18 June 1884, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel.7 He saw service in the Third Anglo-Burmese War and was Inspector General of Ordnance in Bombay between 1886 and 1893. Spring was promoted to colonel on 18 June 1888.8 After leaving service in 1894,9 Spring was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He wrote a book regarding the officers of the Bengal Army and the Royal Artillery, and contributed to several other military history publications. In retirement he lived in Midhurst, West Sussex.

Family

In 1877, Spring married Ellen Harriett, daughter of Surgeon-General James Gordon Inglis.1011 Their son, Frederick, became a brigadier-general and served in the First World War.12

Publications

References

References

  1. Spring, Frederick William Mackenzie (1902). The Bombay Artillery List of Officers (PDF). London: William Clowes & Sons, Limited. p. 112; Service No. 502 – via HathiTrust.
  2. "No. 26510". The London Gazette. 8 May 1894. p. 2692.
  3. "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  4. "No. 23649". The London Gazette. 26 August 1870. p. 3949.
  5. "No. 23927". The London Gazette. 10 December 1872. p. 6253.
  6. "No. 24668". The London Gazette. 14 January 1879. p. 175.
  7. "No. 25376". The London Gazette. 15 July 1884. p. 3226.
  8. "No. 25843". The London Gazette. 3 August 1888. p. 4190.
  9. "No. 26510". The London Gazette. 8 May 1894. p. 2692.
  10. "Marriages". The Medical Times and Gazette. Vol. 2, no. 1410–1435. 6 October 1877. p. 400.
  11. "Story: Biography of James Gordon Inglis". University of Glasgow.
  12. Creagh, O'Moore; Humphris, E. M. (eds.). The VC and DSO. Vol. 3. Paternoster Row, London: The Standard Art Book Co. Ltd. p. 48 – via Internet Archive.