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[[File:Colonel Thomas Holdich.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Colonel Thomas Holdich.]]
[[File:Thomas Holdich.jpg|thumb|Colonel Thomas Holdich.]]
[[Colonel]] '''Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG|KCIE|CB|FRGS}} (13 February 1843 – 2 November 1929) was an [[England|English]] geographer and president of the [[Royal Geographical Society]]. He is best known as Superintendent of Frontier Surveys in [[British India]] and author of numerous books, including ''The Gates of India'', ''The Countries of the King's Award'' and ''Political Frontiers and Boundary Making''.<ref name="times">{{cite news |title= Obituary: Sir Thomas Holdich – A Maker of Frontiers |work=[[The Times]] |publisher=The Times Digital Archive |date=4 November 1929 |page=14 }}</ref>
[[Colonel]] '''Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG|KCIE|CB|FRGS}} (13 February 1843 – 2 November 1929) was an [[England|English]] geographer and president of the [[Royal Geographical Society]]. He is best known as Superintendent of Frontier Surveys in [[British India]], [[Arbitral tribunal|arbiter]] in the [[Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Williams|first1=Glyn|title=The desert and the dream: A study of Welsh colonization in Chubut 1865 – 1915|date=1975|publisher=University of Wales Press|location=Cardiff|isbn=978-0-7083-0579-9|page=140|chapter=Cwm Hyfryd}}</ref> and author of numerous books, including ''The Gates of India'', ''The Countries of the King's Award'' and ''Political Frontiers and Boundary Making''.<ref name="times">{{cite news |title= Obituary: Sir Thomas Holdich – A Maker of Frontiers |work=[[The Times]] |date=4 November 1929 |page=14 }}</ref>


==Life==
==Life==
Born in [[Dingley, Northamptonshire]], [[England]] to the Rev. Thomas Peach Holdich, he was educated at [[Godolphin and Latymer School|Godolphin Grammar School]] and the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich|Royal Military Academy]], obtaining a commission in the [[Royal Engineers]] in 1862. He saw active service in the [[Bhutan]] expedition of 1865, the [[1868 Expedition to Abyssinia|Abyssinian campaign of 1867-68]] and the [[Second Afghan War]] of 1878–79.
Born in [[Dingley, Northamptonshire]], [[England]] to the Rev. Thomas Peach Holdich, he was educated at [[Godolphin and Latymer School|Godolphin Grammar School]] and the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich|Royal Military Academy]], obtaining a commission in the [[Royal Engineers]] in 1862. He saw active service in the [[Bhutan]] expedition of 1865, the [[1868 Expedition to Abyssinia|Abyssinian campaign of 1867–68]] and the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]] of 1878–79.


During peacetime, Holdich was largely occupied with the survey of India, and served on the Afghan Boundary Commission of 1884–86, the Tasmar Boundary Commission of 1894, the Pamir Boundary Commission of 1895 and the Perso-Baluchistan Boundary Commission of 1896. He was also engaged in [http://legal.un.org/riaa/cases/vol_IX/37-49.pdf ''The Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case''] by the governments of [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]] in 1902 to define the boundary along the [[Andes| Andes Mountains]]. He was awarded the [[Gold Medal (RGS)|Founder's Gold Medal]] of the [[Royal Geographical Society]] in 1887 in recognition of his work on the Afghan frontier.
During peacetime, Holdich was largely occupied with the survey of India. He was the chief surveyor on the [[Afghan Boundary Commission]] of 1884–86. The Commission soon found itself in the midst of a crisis, inflamed by the [[Panjdeh incident]]; when this nearly led to war with Russia, Holdich was put in charge of fortifying [[Herat]] against a potential Russian invasion.<ref>[[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury|Salisbury, Robert]] (2020). ''William Simpson and the Crisis in Central Asia, 1884-5''. {{ISBN|978-1-5272-7047-3}}</ref> He later served on the Tasmar Boundary Commission of 1894, the Pamir Boundary Commission of 1895 and the Perso-Baluchistan Boundary Commission of 1896. He was awarded the [[Founder's Medal]] of the [[Royal Geographical Society]] in 1887 in recognition of his work on the Afghan frontier.

Holdich was also member of the British tribunal engaged in [http://legal.un.org/riaa/cases/vol_IX/37-49.pdf ''The Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case''] by the governments of [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]] in 1902 to [[Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case|arbitrate the boundary]] along the [[Andes| Andes Mountains]]. For this service he was appointed a Knight Commander of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG) in December 1902.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27503 |date=12 December 1902 |page=8589}}</ref>


On his retirement to half-pay in 1898, he thanked "that providence which had been good to me in that during that last year of my Indian career I had been able to put a round finish on the last of our frontier maps". He was placed on the Retired list with an Indian pension 13 February 1900.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27167|page=1173| date=20 February 1900}}</ref>
On his retirement to half-pay in 1898, he thanked "that providence which had been good to me in that during that last year of my Indian career I had been able to put a round finish on the last of our frontier maps". He was placed on the Retired list with an Indian pension 13 February 1900.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27167|page=1173| date=20 February 1900}}</ref>


In later years, he wrote and lectured extensively on geographical issues, and served as president of the Royal Geographical Society from 1917–19. He also served as President of the Geographical Association between 1917–18. He contributed a number of entries to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|eleventh edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'']].
In later years, he wrote and lectured extensively on geographical issues, and served as president of the Royal Geographical Society from 1917 to 1919. He also served as President of the Geographical Association between 1917 and 1918. He contributed a number of entries to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|eleventh edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'']].


<blockquote>Boundaries are the inevitable product of advancing civilisation; they are human inventions not necessarily supported by nature's dispositions, and as such they are only of solid value so long as they can be made strong enough and secure enough to prevent
<blockquote>Boundaries are the inevitable product of advancing civilisation; they are human inventions not necessarily supported by nature's dispositions, and as such they are only of solid value so long as they can be made strong enough and secure enough to prevent
their violation and infringement. - Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich (1916)<ref>Political Frontiers and Boundary Making (London:Macmillan
their violation and infringement. – Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich (1916)<ref>Political Frontiers and Boundary Making (London:Macmillan
and Co., 1916 p.2.</ref></blockquote>
and Co., 1916 p.2.</ref></blockquote>

His thought on international boundaries emphasized a need for them to be, or have the potential to become, militarily strong.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Geography of Frontiers and Boundaries |last=Prescott |first=J.R.V. |publisher=Hutchinson University Library |year=1965 |pages=14}}</ref>


Holdich died in 1929 at his home at Parklands in [[Merrow, Surrey]], near [[Guildford]], at the age of 86.
Holdich died in 1929 at his home at Parklands in [[Merrow, Surrey]], near [[Guildford]], at the age of 86.
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* T H Holdich, Leonard Arthur Bethell and [[Hamilton Bower]]. ''The Abor Expedition: Geographical Results: Discussion''. [[Geographical Journal]], Feb., 1913, vol. 41, no. 2, pages 109–114.
* T H Holdich, Leonard Arthur Bethell and [[Hamilton Bower]]. ''The Abor Expedition: Geographical Results: Discussion''. [[Geographical Journal]], Feb., 1913, vol. 41, no. 2, pages 109–114.
* T H Holdich. ''Gates of India, Being an Historical Narrative of Early Relations Between the East and the West'', 1910.
* T H Holdich. ''Gates of India, Being an Historical Narrative of Early Relations Between the East and the West'', 1910.
* T H Holdich. ''Tibet, the Mysterious'', 1906.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Review of ''Tibet, the Mysterious'' by Sir Thomas Holdich|journal=Journal of the Royal Colonial Institute|date=February 1907|issue=3, Session 1906–1907|pages=194–195|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eDo4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA194}}</ref>
* T H Holdich. ''Tibet the Mysterious'', 1906.
* T H Holdich. ''Countries of the King's Award'', 1904.
* T H Holdich. ''Countries of the King's Award'', 1904.
* T H Holdich. ''England's Strength in Asia''. Proceedings of the Central Asian Society, 1904.
* T H Holdich. ''England's Strength in Asia''. Proceedings of the Central Asian Society, 1904.
* T H Holdich. ''Indian Borderland 1880-1900'', 1901.
* T H Holdich. ''Indian Borderland 1880–1900'', 1901.
* M. G. Gerard, T. H. Holdrich, R. A. Wahab, A. W. Alcock. [http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/afghanenglish/159 Report on the proceedings of the Pamir Boundary Commission.] Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. 1897.
* M. G. Gerard, T. H. Holdrich, R. A. Wahab, A. W. Alcock. [http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/afghanenglish/159 Report on the proceedings of the Pamir Boundary Commission.] Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. 1897.
* T H Holdich. ''Notes on the Antiquities, Ethnography and History of Las Bela and Makran'', 1894.
* T H Holdich. ''Notes on the Antiquities, Ethnography and History of Las Bela and Makran'', 1894.
* {{cite book |ref=harv|title=The Empire and the century |publisher=John Murray |location=London |pages=651–662 |chapter=[[s:The Empire and the century/The Frontier Question|The Frontier Question]]|year=1905}}
* {{cite book |title=The Empire and the century |publisher=John Murray |location=London |pages=651–662 |chapter=[[s:The Empire and the century/The Frontier Question|The Frontier Question]]|year=1905}}


==Family==
==Family==
Holdich was married to Ada Vanrenen, and had two daughters and two sons.
Holdich was married to Ada Vanrenen, and had two daughters and two sons.
His elder daughter Laura Holdich married in 1898 Major Edmund Peach (1865–1902), Indian Staff Corps.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Obituaries |date=22 December 1902 |page=6 |issue=36957}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 41: Line 46:
{{wikisource author}}
{{wikisource author}}
* [http://www.holdiches.com/sir-thomas-hungerford-holdich-1843-1929/ Biography] from the Holdich Family History Society
* [http://www.holdiches.com/sir-thomas-hungerford-holdich-1843-1929/ Biography] from the Holdich Family History Society
* [https://www.jstor.org/pss/1784003 The Geographical Journal] - Obituary, Vol LXXV, No 3, March 1930
* [https://www.jstor.org/pss/1784003 The Geographical Journal] – Obituary, Vol LXXV, No 3, March 1930
* {{Gutenberg author | id=Holdich,+Thomas | name=Thomas Holdich}}
* {{Gutenberg author | id=41957| name=Thomas Holdich}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Thomas Holdich}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Thomas Holdich}}


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[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:British people of colonial India]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]

Latest revision as of 20:28, 22 September 2023

Colonel Thomas Holdich.

Colonel Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich KCMG KCIE CB FRGS (13 February 1843 – 2 November 1929) was an English geographer and president of the Royal Geographical Society. He is best known as Superintendent of Frontier Surveys in British India, arbiter in the Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case[1] and author of numerous books, including The Gates of India, The Countries of the King's Award and Political Frontiers and Boundary Making.[2]

Life

[edit]

Born in Dingley, Northamptonshire, England to the Rev. Thomas Peach Holdich, he was educated at Godolphin Grammar School and the Royal Military Academy, obtaining a commission in the Royal Engineers in 1862. He saw active service in the Bhutan expedition of 1865, the Abyssinian campaign of 1867–68 and the Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1878–79.

During peacetime, Holdich was largely occupied with the survey of India. He was the chief surveyor on the Afghan Boundary Commission of 1884–86. The Commission soon found itself in the midst of a crisis, inflamed by the Panjdeh incident; when this nearly led to war with Russia, Holdich was put in charge of fortifying Herat against a potential Russian invasion.[3] He later served on the Tasmar Boundary Commission of 1894, the Pamir Boundary Commission of 1895 and the Perso-Baluchistan Boundary Commission of 1896. He was awarded the Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1887 in recognition of his work on the Afghan frontier.

Holdich was also member of the British tribunal engaged in The Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case by the governments of Argentina and Chile in 1902 to arbitrate the boundary along the Andes Mountains. For this service he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in December 1902.[4]

On his retirement to half-pay in 1898, he thanked "that providence which had been good to me in that during that last year of my Indian career I had been able to put a round finish on the last of our frontier maps". He was placed on the Retired list with an Indian pension 13 February 1900.[5]

In later years, he wrote and lectured extensively on geographical issues, and served as president of the Royal Geographical Society from 1917 to 1919. He also served as President of the Geographical Association between 1917 and 1918. He contributed a number of entries to the eleventh edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.

Boundaries are the inevitable product of advancing civilisation; they are human inventions not necessarily supported by nature's dispositions, and as such they are only of solid value so long as they can be made strong enough and secure enough to prevent their violation and infringement. – Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich (1916)[6]

His thought on international boundaries emphasized a need for them to be, or have the potential to become, militarily strong.[7]

Holdich died in 1929 at his home at Parklands in Merrow, Surrey, near Guildford, at the age of 86.

List of publications

[edit]
  • T H Holdich. (Editor). Peru-Bolivia Boundary Commission Report 1911-1913. 1918.
  • T H Holdich. Boundaries in Europe and the Near East, 1918.
  • T H Holdich. Frontiers and Boundary Making, 1916.
  • T H Holdich, Leonard Arthur Bethell and Hamilton Bower. The Abor Expedition: Geographical Results: Discussion. Geographical Journal, Feb., 1913, vol. 41, no. 2, pages 109–114.
  • T H Holdich. Gates of India, Being an Historical Narrative of Early Relations Between the East and the West, 1910.
  • T H Holdich. Tibet, the Mysterious, 1906.[8]
  • T H Holdich. Countries of the King's Award, 1904.
  • T H Holdich. England's Strength in Asia. Proceedings of the Central Asian Society, 1904.
  • T H Holdich. Indian Borderland 1880–1900, 1901.
  • M. G. Gerard, T. H. Holdrich, R. A. Wahab, A. W. Alcock. Report on the proceedings of the Pamir Boundary Commission. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. 1897.
  • T H Holdich. Notes on the Antiquities, Ethnography and History of Las Bela and Makran, 1894.
  • "The Frontier Question" . The Empire and the century. London: John Murray. 1905. pp. 651–662.

Family

[edit]

Holdich was married to Ada Vanrenen, and had two daughters and two sons. His elder daughter Laura Holdich married in 1898 Major Edmund Peach (1865–1902), Indian Staff Corps.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Williams, Glyn (1975). "Cwm Hyfryd". The desert and the dream: A study of Welsh colonization in Chubut 1865 – 1915. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-7083-0579-9.
  2. ^ "Obituary: Sir Thomas Holdich – A Maker of Frontiers". The Times. 4 November 1929. p. 14.
  3. ^ Salisbury, Robert (2020). William Simpson and the Crisis in Central Asia, 1884-5. ISBN 978-1-5272-7047-3
  4. ^ "No. 27503". The London Gazette. 12 December 1902. p. 8589.
  5. ^ "No. 27167". The London Gazette. 20 February 1900. p. 1173.
  6. ^ Political Frontiers and Boundary Making (London:Macmillan and Co., 1916 p.2.
  7. ^ Prescott, J.R.V. (1965). The Geography of Frontiers and Boundaries. Hutchinson University Library. p. 14.
  8. ^ "Review of Tibet, the Mysterious by Sir Thomas Holdich". Journal of the Royal Colonial Institute (3, Session 1906–1907): 194–195. February 1907.
  9. ^ "Obituaries". The Times. No. 36957. London. 22 December 1902. p. 6.
[edit]
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