Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont
Encyclopedia
Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont (22 October 1833 – 20 August 1899) was a British officer of the Royal Engineers
who produced several inventions, including a tunneling machine which bore his name, and the Beaumont-Adams revolver
.
, Harrow on the Hill, England
.
; his name appeared directly before Gordon's in the Army Lists from the date of their first commissioning on 23 June 1852.
As a lieutenant
, Beaumont saw service during the Crimean War
, and was one of only a small number of British officers who served with Turkish
forces along the Danube
, serving with the (local) rank of Captain in the Turkish Contingent Engineers, for which service he was awarded the Turkish Crimean War medal rather than the British Crimean War Medal.
In 1858 Beaumont again saw action, in the Indian Mutiny, during which he served on the staff of the Royal Engineers, distinguishing himself on 14 March 1858 at Lucknow
and being awarded the Indian Mutiny Medal
with clasp.
Promoted to Captain in 1866, Beaumont in conjunction with Captain F.E. Grover made efforts to get ballooning
adopted by the British Army, Beaumont having witnessed the use of balloons in the American Civil War
.
Beaumont was promoted to Major
in 1872, and in 1873 was placed in charge of railways at the Royal Arsenal
, Woolwich
. While in the post he worked on methods for generating hydrogen
for balloon experiments and was described by his contemporaries as "a man of remarkably inventive talent."
In 1874 Beaumont became involved with the Channel Tunnel Company and successfully bored a number of tunnels without the use of explosives and more than three times faster than manual labour. He invented a tunneling machine which was accidentally credited with work actually carried out by Captain Thomas English's more successful machine in 1880, in the magazine The Engineer
. Despite letters of complaint from Captain English the editor of the magazine did nothing to correct the mistake and even today the early Channel Tunnel
trial is sometimes incorrectly credited to Beaumont's machine.
In 1876 Beaumont took leave from the Army and was elected one of the two Members of Parliament for South Durham
which he held from 1868 to 1880.
Beaumont retired from the Army shortly after his promotion to Colonel in 1877, and died on 20 August 1899.
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
who produced several inventions, including a tunneling machine which bore his name, and the Beaumont-Adams revolver
Beaumont-Adams Revolver
The Beaumont-Adams Revolver was a muzzle-loading percussion revolver. Originally adopted by the British Army in .442 calibre in 1856, many were later converted to use centrefire cartridges. It was replaced in British service in 1880 by the .476 calibre Enfield Mk I revolver.-History:On 20...
.
Early life
Beaumont was the son of Edward Blackett Beaumont and Jane Lee. He was educated at the Harrow SchoolHarrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, Harrow on the Hill, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Career
Beaumont served in the Royal Engineers and was a contemporary of General Charles George GordonCharles George Gordon
Major-General Charles George Gordon, CB , known as "Chinese" Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British army officer and administrator....
; his name appeared directly before Gordon's in the Army Lists from the date of their first commissioning on 23 June 1852.
As a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, Beaumont saw service during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, and was one of only a small number of British officers who served with Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
forces along the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, serving with the (local) rank of Captain in the Turkish Contingent Engineers, for which service he was awarded the Turkish Crimean War medal rather than the British Crimean War Medal.
In 1858 Beaumont again saw action, in the Indian Mutiny, during which he served on the staff of the Royal Engineers, distinguishing himself on 14 March 1858 at Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
and being awarded the Indian Mutiny Medal
Indian Mutiny Medal
The Indian Mutiny Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1858, for issue to officers and men of British and Indian units who served in operations in suppression of the Indian Mutiny....
with clasp.
Promoted to Captain in 1866, Beaumont in conjunction with Captain F.E. Grover made efforts to get ballooning
Ballooning
Ballooning may refer to:* Hot air ballooning* Balloon * Ballooning * Ballooning degeneration...
adopted by the British Army, Beaumont having witnessed the use of balloons in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Beaumont was promoted to Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1872, and in 1873 was placed in charge of railways at the Royal Arsenal
Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
, Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
. While in the post he worked on methods for generating hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
for balloon experiments and was described by his contemporaries as "a man of remarkably inventive talent."
In 1874 Beaumont became involved with the Channel Tunnel Company and successfully bored a number of tunnels without the use of explosives and more than three times faster than manual labour. He invented a tunneling machine which was accidentally credited with work actually carried out by Captain Thomas English's more successful machine in 1880, in the magazine The Engineer
The Engineer
The Engineer may refer to:* The Engineer , a United Kingdom magazine first published 1856* The Engineer, a comics character and a member of The Authority * Yahya Ayyash , a member of Hamas...
. Despite letters of complaint from Captain English the editor of the magazine did nothing to correct the mistake and even today the early Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
trial is sometimes incorrectly credited to Beaumont's machine.
In 1876 Beaumont took leave from the Army and was elected one of the two Members of Parliament for South Durham
South Durham (UK Parliament constituency)
South Durham, formally the Southern Division of Durham and often referred to as Durham Southern, was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
which he held from 1868 to 1880.
Beaumont retired from the Army shortly after his promotion to Colonel in 1877, and died on 20 August 1899.