Frederick Ernest Appleyard


Frederick Ernest Appleyard was a British Army commander who served in numerous Victorian Era military campaigns including the Crimean War and the Second Anglo-Afghan War. He rose to the rank of major-general during his career.
Appleyard was born on 6 June 1829 in Surrey, England to Frederick Newman Appleyard. He first enlisted as an Ensign in the 80th Regiment of Foot on 14 June 1850 at the age of twenty. He served in the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852, and was present at the capture of Martaban, operations before Rangoon on 12, 13 and 14 April, the capture of the Great Dragon Pagoda with the storming party, and capture of Prome.
During the Black Sea Campaign of the Crimean War in 1854-55 he served with the Royal Fusiliers, was present at the Battle of Alma, where he was wounded, and the Battle of Inkerman; the Siege of Sevastopol, including the sorties on 5 April and 9 May, the defence of the Quarries on 7 June, and the assault on the Redan on 18 June, where he was again wounded. Appleyard was mentioned in dispatches, receiving the Crimea Medal with three clasps.
Appleyard was promoted to Brevet-Major after the war, was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour by France, and to the fifth class of the Order of the Medjidie, and the Turkish Crimea Medal from the Ottoman Empire. During the Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1878–79, he was in command of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division of the Peshawar Valley Field Force. He was present at the attack and capture of Ali Musjid, where he was mentioned in dispatches, and in the Bazaar Valley, where he was again mentioned in dispatches. He received the Afghanistan Medal with clasp. He was Gazetted a Companion of the Bath on 29 May 1875.
Appleyard retired from the military in 1884 at the rank of Major General. In 1885, he married Gertrude Tappen at St Mary's Church, West Brompton. She later competed in the archery event at the 1908 London Olympic Games.
Appleyard died on 4 April 1911, aged 81. He is buried in Kensal Green cemetery.