Bernard I noted in browsing through your recent questions post the question regarding whether any soldiers promoted from the ranks rose to the rank of general. The most dramatic rise was that of Sir William Robertson who enlisted as a private soldier in the 1880’s to become a Field Marshall and CIGS in the First World War. While this was a slightly later period, it was still very unusual for a private soldier to go up the ranks at all at that time. Robertson’s rise was possible because he served in India, and in the earlier period the Company army was a place where enlisted men had real prospects for advancement. A recent episode of the UK tv series “Who Do You Think You Are” revealed that a distant ancestor of British comedian Alistair MacGowan started as a private soldier in India and retired as a Major General.

John