John Lowther du Plat Taylor
Encyclopedia
Colonel
John Lowther du Plat Taylor CB
VD
(1829 – March 5, 1904) was the founder of the Army Postal Corps and the Post Office Rifles
.
Du Plat Taylor trained at The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
but left in 1844 before he was commissioned. He then joined the Consular Service and was posted to China
but was invalided back home after just 2 years. He joined the General Post Office in 1852 and worked as a Private Secretary
to the Postmaster General
.
; by 1865 he held the rank of Major
and so began a life long association with the Volunteer Movement
.
He formed the 49th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers in 1868 and was its Commanding Officer
until 1896. In 1880 the regiment was renumbered 24th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers and he was appointed its honorary Colonel on February 27, 1901.
He proposed at his regiment's 1872 annual prize giving the formation of a reservist Telegraph and Postal Corps and in 1877 the War Office
established a committee “to consider the formation of a Corps for the performance of Postal Duties in the Field”. The War Office
rejected the committee’s recommendation that such an organisation should be formed, reasoning that it would be too expensive. However, in mid July 1882 du Plat Taylor was authorised by the Postmaster General, Henry Fawcett
and the Secretary of State for War
, Hugh Childers
to organise an Army Post Office Corps, and on Saturday 22 July 1882 Queen Victoria issued a Royal Warrant to that effect. The Army Post Office Corps was formed from M Company 24th Middlesex Rifles Volunteers and was deployed on active service to participate in the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War.
(E&WIDC), at the time the largest docking operation in the world. Between 1882-86, under his stewardship, the company purchased the marsh land upon which was built Tilbury Docks. The Docks were officially opened on 17 April 1886. He was at the helm of the company when the London Dock Strike (1889) began at the West India Docks.
Du Plat Taylor died on March 5, 1904 and was buried with full military honours at Brookwood Cemetery
near Woking
, Surrey
.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
John Lowther du Plat Taylor CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
VD
Volunteer Decoration
The Volunteer Officers' Decoration was created by Royal Warrant under command of Queen Victoria on 25 July 1892 to reward 'efficient and capable' officers of the Volunteer Force who had served for twenty years...
(1829 – March 5, 1904) was the founder of the Army Postal Corps and the Post Office Rifles
Post Office Rifles
The Post Office Rifles was a unit of the British Army, first formed in 1868 from volunteers. The unit evolved several times until 1921, after which the name was lost during one of many reorganisations.-Beginnings:...
.
Du Plat Taylor trained at The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
but left in 1844 before he was commissioned. He then joined the Consular Service and was posted to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
but was invalided back home after just 2 years. He joined the General Post Office in 1852 and worked as a Private Secretary
Private Secretary
In the United Kingdom government, a Private Secretary is a civil servant in a Department or Ministry, responsible to the Secretary of State or Minister...
to the Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
.
Volunteer Movement and Formation of the Army Post Office Corps
In 1860, he joined the Civil Service Rifle Volunteers and was promoted to CaptainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
; by 1865 he held the rank of 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. ...
and so began a life long association with the Volunteer Movement
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
.
He formed the 49th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers in 1868 and was its Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
until 1896. In 1880 the regiment was renumbered 24th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers and he was appointed its honorary Colonel on February 27, 1901.
He proposed at his regiment's 1872 annual prize giving the formation of a reservist Telegraph and Postal Corps and in 1877 the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
established a committee “to consider the formation of a Corps for the performance of Postal Duties in the Field”. The War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
rejected the committee’s recommendation that such an organisation should be formed, reasoning that it would be too expensive. However, in mid July 1882 du Plat Taylor was authorised by the Postmaster General, Henry Fawcett
Henry Fawcett
Henry Fawcett PC was a blind British academic, statesman and economist.-Background and education:Fawcett was born in Salisbury, and educated at King's College School and the University of Cambridge: entering Peterhouse in 1852, he migrated to Trinity Hall the following year, and became a fellow...
and the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
, Hugh Childers
Hugh Childers
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers was a British and Australian Liberal statesman of the nineteenth century. He is perhaps best known for his reform efforts at the Admiralty and the War Office...
to organise an Army Post Office Corps, and on Saturday 22 July 1882 Queen Victoria issued a Royal Warrant to that effect. The Army Post Office Corps was formed from M Company 24th Middlesex Rifles Volunteers and was deployed on active service to participate in the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War.
Career after 1870
He resigned his position with the General Post Office in 1870 to take up a new appointment as the Secretary and General Manager of the East and West India Docks CompanyEast India Docks
The East India Docks was a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin remains.-History:...
(E&WIDC), at the time the largest docking operation in the world. Between 1882-86, under his stewardship, the company purchased the marsh land upon which was built Tilbury Docks. The Docks were officially opened on 17 April 1886. He was at the helm of the company when the London Dock Strike (1889) began at the West India Docks.
Du Plat Taylor died on March 5, 1904 and was buried with full military honours at Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in western Europe.-History:...
near Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.