George Augustus Frederick Lake

The Honourable George Augustus Frederick Lake (1781-1808) was a British Army Infantry Officer who Commanded His Majesty's 29th Regiment of Foot during the early stages Peninsular War.

The Honourable George Augustus Frederick Lake
Born21 February 1781
Died17 August 1808(1808-08-17) (aged 27)
Roliça, Leiria District, Portugal
Buried
Roliça, Leiria District, Portugal
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army/Anglo-Portuguese Army/Infantry
RankLieutenant Colonel
Unit29th Regiment of Foot, 2nd Infantry Division
Battles/warsIrish Rebellion of 1798, Second Anglo-Maratha War, Second Battle of Porto and Roliça

George Lake's family were well connected at court and in 1790 he was appointed one of the Prince of Wales' Pages of Honour.[1]

George Lake's father was General Gerard Lake who became Viscount Lake of Delhi and Laswary and Aston Clint after his service in India.[2] George Lake served with his father as his aide-de-camp and military secretary from 1798 to 1803 in both Ireland and India. As a Major in the 94th Regiment of Foot he was seriously wounded at the Battle of Laswaree, whilst ensuring his father remounted after General Lake had his horse shot from under him.[3]

In early 1808 Lieutenant Colonel Lake embarked with his regiment and travelling via Gibraltar, landed in the Iberian Peninsula in June 1808, one of the regiment's officers claimed they were one of the first British units to do so.[4]

In regimental muster returns for August and September 1808 recorded Lake had killed in one of the early engagements with the French in the Peninsular War, at the Battle of Roliça on 17 August 1808.[5] According to various accounts Lake was leading his Grenadier Company into a mountain pass when they were fired on by French infantry from well-prepared positions and he was killed; although his unit succeeded in overcoming the enemy defences.[6][7] He was buried by his men after the battle (as was the habit of the time) close to the spot where he died (the grave site is marked with a cross); there is also a memorial plaque in Westminster Abbey commemorating his death.[8] His father had predeceased him by six months having died shortly after his son's regiment had sailed for Gibraltar.

References
  1. "The Gentleman's Magazine". 68. July 1790: 1154. Retrieved 31 May 2017. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. Lodge, Edmund (1842). The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage: With Sketches of the Family Histories of the Nobility. London: Saunders. pp. 279–280. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  3. Philippart, John (1826). "Containing the Services of General and Field Officers of the Indian Army". The East India Military Calendar. 3: 511. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  4. Leslie, Charles. "A Record of the 29th Foot by Colonel Charles Leslie, KH (1807 to 1813)". Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  5. Leslie, Charles. "A Record of the 29th Foot by Colonel Charles Leslie, KH (1807 to 1813)". Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  6. "The Royal Military Chronicle or the British Officer's Monthly and Military Mentor". 2. May 1811: 333. Retrieved 31 May 2017. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. Patterson, John (1837). The Adventures of Captain John Patterson: With Notices of the Officers, &c. of the 50th, Or Queen's Own Regiment, from 1807 to 1821. London: T. & W. Boone. pp. 35–36. Retrieved 31 May 2017. George Augustus Frederick Lake.
  8. Lake, George. "History". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
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