Peter Lumsden

Sir Peter Stark Lumsden
Lumsden circa 1879
Born(1829-11-09)9 November 1829
Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Died9 November 1918(1918-11-09) (aged 89)
Dufftown, Banffshire, Scotland
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Raj Indian Army
Years of service1847–1887
RankGeneral
Battles / warsIndian Rebellion of 1857
Second Opium War
Bhutan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of the Star of India
Mentioned in Despatches (6)
RelationsHarry Burnett Lumsden
Other workJustice of the peace

General Sir Peter Stark Lumsden GCB CSI DL (9 November 1829 – 9 November 1918) was a British military officer who served in India. Born in Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire, he was the fourth son of Colonel Thomas Lumsden CB. He studied at Addiscombe Military Seminary, before officially joining military service as an ensign in the 60th Bengal Native Infantry in 1847. From 1852 to 1857 he served on the North-West Frontier, where, among other activities, he participated in the suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the capture of Tantya Tope in 1859.

Following his time on the North-West Frontier, Lumsden served as quartermaster general in 1860 during the Second Opium War, where he participated in the capture of both Tang-ku and the Taku Forts. He was promoted to brevet-lieutenant-colonel, before giving his final act of military service in the Bhutan War of 1865. He was promoted again to Adjutant-General of the Indian Army in 1874, and also acted as aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria for eleven years.

In 1883, Lumsden was awarded a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath and was appointed as a commissioner on the Council of India for 10 years. He represented Britain a year later at the Anglo-Russian Commission for the demarcation of the north-west boundary of Afghanistan, then acted as British representative on the Afghan Frontier Commission. After retiring from military service in 1893, Lumsden served as a justice of the peace in his home county of Aberdeenshire, before dying on his 89th birthday, 9 November 1918, in Dufftown, Banffshire.