George Pollock

Sir George Pollock, army officer, was buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey, to the west of Lord Clyde.

He was the fifth son of David Pollock, saddler to George III, and his wife Sarah and was born in London on 4th June 1786. He was commissioned in the army in 1803 and rose through the ranks to become Field Marshal. Pollock served in India for over forty years and his Afghan campaign, which culminated in the recapture of Kabul in 1842, was a model of mountain warfare. He was created one of the first Knights of the Order of the Star of India and was a director of the East India Company. In 1810 he married Frances (nee Barclay) and they had five children, Annabella, Frederick, George, Robert and Archibald. His second wife was Henrietta Hyde Wollaston. In 1871 he became Constable of the Tower of London and ten Yeoman Warders led his funeral procession in Westminster Abbey on 16th October 1872. The inscription on the gravestone reads:

FIELD MARSHAL SIR GEORGE POLLOCK BARONET GCB, GCSI CONSTABLE OF THE TOWER. DIED 6th OCTOBER 1872 AGED 86 YEARS. O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Psalm CXL.7

Further Reading

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

The funeral service of Sir George Pollock, 16th October 1872 (PDF, 97 KB)