Harry Rawson

Harry Rawson Full Name: Harry Holdsworth Rawson Origin: Lancashire, United Kingdom Occupation: Commander of Cape of Good Hope Station Governor of New South Wales Skills: Military prowess Goals: Expand British influence in Africa Crimes: War crimes Mass murder Type of Villain: War Criminal

Admiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson (5 November 1843 - 3 November 1910) was a senior officer in the British Royal Navy who served as Governor of New South Wales 1902 - 1909. He is mostly remembered for overseeing the Benin Expedition of 1897, an expedition against the Kingdom of Benin in retaliation for the murders of a British delegation under General James Phillips. In the expedition, Rawson massacred entire Beni villages, sacked Benin City and plundered the Benin Bronzes and other royal treasures.

Biography

Born in 1843, Rawson joined the Royal Navy in 1857 and fought in the Second Opium War in the 1860s. In 1877 he was appointed captain of HMS Minotaur, serving as Principal Transport Officer in the Anglo-Egyptian War, and in 1895 was appointed Commander of British naval forces in West Africa.

Rawson held this post in 1896, when pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini of Zanzibar suddenly died and his cousin Khalid bin Barghash, who was more hostile to the British, ascended the throne. As Zanzibar was a British protectorate, Khalid's accession without the permission of the British consul was deemed an act of war and a naval fleet under Rawson's command was dispatched to Zanzibar to depose Khalid, alongside ground troops under the command of Lloyd Mathews. On 26 August 1896, Rawson landed at Zanzibar Town aboard the HMS St. George and issued an ultimatum to Khalid that if he did not haul down his flag and leave the palace by 27 August then he would open fire. Khalid refused, and at 08:55 am the following day Rawson hoisted the signal to prepare for action. Five minutes later, the HMS Racoon, HMS Sparrow and HMS Thrush commenced bombardment of Zanzibar Town. Khalid fled almost immediately, leaving three thousand soldiers behind to defend the palace. During the engagement, the Zanzibari ship HHS Glasgow attempted to sink the St. George with a Gatling gun but was sunk when Rawson ordered his men to return fire. Meanwhile, Mathews' pro-British Zanzibari troops advanced on the palace, whose defenses had been destroyed by Rawson's bombardment, and cut down the flag before installing the pro-British Hamoud bin Mohammed as Sultan. Fighting ceased at about 09:46, making the Anglo-Zanzibar War the shortest war in history.

In January 1897, Oba (King) Ovonramwen of Benin ordered the ambush of a British trade delegation under General James Phillips, with only two soldiers surviving. The British Foreign Office ordered a retaliatory expedition, and the Admiralty appointed Rawson to lead the expedition. His official objective was to capture Ovonramwen and destroy Benin City. The invasion was launched on 9 February 1897, with an invasion force of 1,200 men landing in Benin and splitting into three columns which separately advanced on Benin City, along the way discovering the remains of many Beni subjects who had been sacrificed by Ovonramwen to stave off disaster. During the expedition, troops under Rawson's command razed entire villages with artillery and massacred and raped hundreds of men, women and children. After twelve days, Benin City was captured and sacked, with houses, ceremonial sites and the palaces of many chieftains being looted before the city was burned to the ground. Chief among the looted treasures were the Benin Bronzes, thousands of metal plaques and sculptures belonging to the Oba intended to glorify him and his predecessors. Ovonramwen had fled, but was captured in August and exiled to Calabar for the rest of his life. Rawson's execution of the campaign was widely praised as an example of disciplined and coordinated planning.

In February 1902, Rawson was appointed Governor of New South Wales by King Edward VII. He proved so popular in the position that his term was extended until 1909, when he retired. He died from appendicitis the following year.