Richard Lambart, son of the Honorable Henry Lambart, third son of Charles third Earl of Cavan, served in the army in the war of the Austrian succession, and in June, 1756, he was promoted to captain and lieut.-colonel in the first foot guards. He was advanced to the rank of colonel in 1762, and to that of major-general in 1772; he succeeded to the dignity of Earl of Cavan in the same year. In 1774 he was appointed colonel of the fifty-fifth regiment; and was removed to the Fifteenth in the following year: in 1777 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general. He died in November, 1778.
Sir William Fawcett, K.B.
Appointed 12th November, 1778.
William Fawcett, descended from the ancient family of Fawcetts, of Shipden Hall, near Halifax, having, from his early youth, a strong predilection for a military life, his friends procured him an ensign's commission in General Oglethorp's regiment, which was stationed in Georgia; but a British force having been sent to Flanders in 1742, he resigned his commission, proceeded to the continent, and, serving as a volunteer, was at the battles of Dettingen and Fontenoy, where his gallantry attracted admiration; and he was appointed ensign in a regiment raised by Colonel Johnstone, with which he served until the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, when it was disbanded.
Being now unemployed, he engaged in the service of a mercantile establishment in the city of London; but finding his propensity to a military life invincible, he subsequently purchased an ensign's commission in the foot guards, and, by a strict attention to his duties, procured the favour of his Royal Highness William Duke of Cumberland, who gave him the adjutancy of the second battalion of the third foot guards, which he held together with a lieutenantcy, which gave him the rank of captain. Neglecting no opportunity of qualifying himself for the highest posts in his profession, he studied the German and French languages, acquired a knowledge of Prussian and French tactics; and in 1757 published a translation of the 'Memoirs upon the Art of War, by Marshal Count de Saxe,' and 'The Regulations for Prussian Cavalry;' and, in 1759, 'Regulations for the Prussian Infantry,' and 'The Prussian Tactics.' These works met with great attention, and a new edition in 1760 was also well received.
In the early part of the Seven Years' War, Captain Fawcett served in Germany as aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General Grenville Elliott, where he acquired increased knowledge of the military art; and his ardour, intrepidity, and attention to the duties of his situation, were such, that on the decease of Lieutenant-General Grenville Elliott, Captain Fawcett was recommended for the appointment of aide-de-camp to Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, and he had also the offer of the same appointment to the Marquis of Granby; he chose the latter, and was sent to England with the despatches which gave the account of the victory at Warbourg; on which occasion, King George II. was highly gratified at having the particulars of this engagement related to him in the German language by Captain Fawcett. He was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the army on the 25th of November, 1760; and, continuing to serve in Germany, was appointed military secretary to the Marquis of Granby. It is recorded that, in Lieutenant-Colonel Fawcett's character, strength and softness were happily blended together, and to coolness, intrepidity, and extensive military knowledge, he added all the requisite talents of a man of business, and the most persevering assiduity. He was highly esteemed by every officer on the staff of the army, and was the intimate and confidential friend of the Marquis of Granby. He remained on service until the peace in 1763, when he returned to England; and his knowledge of the German language, with the information he possessed from his late office, was the occasion of his being employed by King George III. as commissary to settle the claims made by the Allies against Great Britain for the expenses of the war.
In November, 1767, he obtained a company in the third foot guards; and in 1772 he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army, and nominated deputy adjutant-general of the forces.
At the commencement of the American war, Colonel Fawcett was sent to Germany, to negotiate with the states of Hesse, Hanover, and Brunswick, for a body of troops to serve in British pay. In 1776 he was appointed governor of Gravesend and Tilbury-fort; was promoted to major-general in 1777, and nominated colonel of the Fifteenth foot in 1778: in 1781 he was constituted adjutant-general of the forces. The rank of lieut.-general was conferred upon this valuable servant of the crown in 1782; in 1786 His Majesty honored him with the riband of the Order of the Bath, and in 1792, gave him the colonelcy of the third, or Prince of Wales's, dragoon guards.
In May, 1796, Sir William Fawcett received the rank of general, and was appointed governor of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in July following. The duties of adjutant-general requiring greater exertions than his health would admit of, he obtained the King's permission to resign, and on retiring from office His Majesty honored him with distinguished marks of his royal favour and approbation. In 1799 Sir William Fawcett was appointed general on the staff, and performed the duties of commander-in-chief during the absence of the Duke of York on the continent.
He died in March, 1804, and his funeral was honored with the presence of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of York, Clarence, Kent, and Cambridge, and of many noblemen and general officers.