Wogan Richard Festing 1866-1897 and the Festing Family

Lieutenant Colonel Felix Hill DSO and the Officers of the 1st Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) after their return to Belfast from South Africa 1902. (Image courtesy of the Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum)

Wogan Richard Festing was born the second son of Henry Blathwayt Festing and Mary Eliza Todd in 1866. He passed out of Sandhurst and was gazetted into the 1st Battalion Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) on 30th January 1886. He served entirely in India and Burma with his Battalion and on 1st September 1893 was promoted Captain. He was seconded to the Chitral campaign under Major General Sir Robert Low, KCB. He sadly later died in Bhamo, Burma of sunstroke on 5th July 1897. A stainglass window at Sandhurst in the chapel was dedicated to his memory: To the glory of God and in loving memory of Wogan Richard Festing Captain Royal Irish Fusiliers (Gentleman Cadet RMC 1884-85) second son of Mr. and Mrs. Festing, Bois Hall, Addlestone, Surrey, who died of sunstroke at Bhamo, Burma, July 5th 1897 aged 31 years." The Festing family was an extraordinary family of Army and Navy officers. WRF's uncle was Major General Sir Francis Festing, Royal Marine Light Infantry. His brother-in law was Brigadier General Francis Leychester Festing, Northumberland Fusiliers and his nephew, Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing was the last CIGS of the British Army. (See my essay on Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing published by the Japan Society of London in 'Bigraphical Portraits Britain and Japan Volume 8 2013.) His younger, Arthur Hoskyns Festing CMG DSO, Royal Irish Rifles, fell at Fromelles 9th May 1915, "He was the bravest officer I have ever seen", wrote Bugler Gough, "He went over the parapet with a revolver in one hand and a stick in the other, just as if nothing had happened, walking quite coolly."......

1845 Pattern Infantry Officer's Sword by Wilkinson for WR Festing, Royal Irish Fusiliers

This sword made on 29th December 1891 is an 1845 pattern Infantry Officer's sword proved by Henry Wilkinson. An examination of the Wilkinson ledgers show that the purchaser record is blank. Interestingly, the only indication that I knew of the sword's owner were the intials W[ogan]R[ichard]F[esting] and the Regimental Crest with the legend Royal Irish Fusiliers which shows this was a post 1881 amalgamation sword of the 87th Fusililers and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment. The scabbard seems especially made for campaign service and perhaps locally made in Burma. The leather on both the frog and scabbard is in excellent condition and still quite supple.