Wood

Wood, SIR EVELYN, soldier, was born, the son of the Rev. Sir J. P. Wood, at the vicarage of Cressing in Essex, 9th February 1838, and entered the navy in 1852, serving in the Crimea with distinction in the Naval Brigade. He then became a cavalry officer, and as brigade-major was present at several engagements in the Indian Mutiny war, receiving the thanks of the Indian government and the Victoria Cross. As lieutenant-colonel of infantry he was with Wolseley during the Ashantee war. He was called to the bar in 1874, but left the Middle Temple to command a column through the Zulu war, leading the advance as brigadier-general at Ulundi. Created K.C.B. in 1879, he had a share in the Transvaal settlement (1880-81); he received the thanks of parliament for his services in Egypt, became commander-in-chief of the Egyptian army, and at home, after commanding the eastern district and at Aldershot, was made quartermaster-general (1893) and adjutant-general (1897) to the forces. He is V.C., G.C.M.G., and G.C.B., and holds the Medjidieh order, a knighthood of the Legion of Honour, &c.; and he has written on the Crimea in 1854 and 1894, and on Cavalry at Waterloo (1896), as well as shorter papers on military subjects. See the Life by Charles Williams (1892).