Harry Daniel
(1847-1929)

 

[This portrait does not appear in the Silvy daybooks in the archives of the National Portrait Gallery. The sitting probably took place between July 1863 and June 1864, the period covered by the missing volume of the daybooks. The sitter is identified by a pencilled inscription verso in a period hand.]

Born in Ireland in or about 1847, William Henry Daniel was the younger son of William Henry Daniel of Lough Rea Lodge, County Westmeath, Ireland.

On Saturday 20 June 1863 ‘Harry Daniels,’ together with W.H. Daniels, Esq. and the Honourable Mrs George Annesley departed from Kingstown [Dún Laoghaire] aboard the Royal Mail steamer Leinster en route to London (Dublin Evening Mail, 22 June 1863). In June 1861 Harry’s sister Georgina Henrietta Daniel had married the Honourable George Annesley, son of William Richard Annesley, 3rd Earl Annesley.

The following month it was reported that Mr Harry Daniel of Castle Lyons [in County Cork] had placed ninth out of 120 competitors ‘in the order of merit, and among the highest candidates who successfully competed from Ireland’ in the competition ‘for admission to the Royal Military College.’ He had been educated ‘in the Military Academy of Mr Dunbar, Talbot place, Dublin’ (Irish Times, 15 July 1863).

The following year ‘Gentleman Cadet William Henry Daniel’ left the Royal Military College to become an Ensign in the 15th Regiment of Foot (Sun, 28 June 1864). Three yeas later he was raised (by purchase) to the rank of Lieutenant (Morning Post, 8 February 1868). In 1875, still serving in the same regiment, he became a Captain (Morning Post, 7 August 1875). On 4 March 1882 he was promoted to the rank of Major (Yorkshire Post, 19 April 1882).

On 30 July 1878 at St Mark’s in Surbiton Captain W.H. Daniel of the 15th Regiment married Ellen Dunbar Crabbe, eldest daughter of George Crabbe of Haramby, Teddington (London Evening Standard, 2 August 1878).

The retirement of Lieutenant-Colonel William Henry Daniel, late of the East Yorkshire Regiment, was reported in the Dublin Daily Express on 28 February 1889.

He appears on the 1901 census living at the military base at Farnborough in Hampshire with his wife Ellen Dunbar Daniel and their daughter Winifred, aged 21. Lt. Colonel Daniel was 54 years old, so he was born in or about 1847. He gave ‘Ireland’ as his place of birth.

Lieutenant-Colonel William Henry Dunbar died, aged 82, on 18 June 1929 at The Gables, Aldershot, Hampshire. He left an estate valued at £2222. Probate was granted to his widow Ellen Dunbar Daniel.