[Limerick Reporter, 31 Dec. 1895, with obituary notice from Limerick Chronicle; Times, 26 Dec. 1895; Brit. Mus. Cat.]
LENNOX, Sir WILBRAHAM OATES (1830–1897), general royal engineers, fourth son of Lord John George Lennox (1793–1873), second son of the fourth Duke of Richmond, was born on 4 May 1830 at Molecomb House, Goodwood, Sussex. His mother was Louisa Frederica (d. 12 Jan. 1863), daughter of Captain the Hon. John Rodney, M.P., third son of Admiral Lord Rodney. He was privately educated and, after passing through the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, received a commission as second lieutenant in the royal engineers on 27 June 1848 His further commissions were dated: lieutenant 7 Feb. 1854, second captain 25 Nov. 1857, brevet major 24 March 1858, brevet lieutenant-colonel 26 April 1859, first captain 1 April 1863, brevet colonel 26 April 1867, regimental major 5 July 1872, lieutenant-colonel 10 Dec. 1873, major-general 13 Aug. 1881, lieutenant-general 12 Feb. 1888, general 28 June 1893.
Lennox went through the usual course of professional instruction at Chatham, served for a few months at Portsmouth, and embarked for Ceylon on 20 Nov. 1850. In August 1854 he went direct from Ceylon to the Crimea, where he arrived on 30 Sept., and was employed under Major (afterwards General Sir) Frederick Chapman [q. v. Suppl.] in the trenches of the left attack on Sevastopol, and had also charge of the engineer park of the left attack. He was present at the battle of Inkerman on 5 Nov., having come off the sick list for the purpose. On 20 Nov. he won the Victoria Cross 'for cool and gallant conduct in establishing a lodgment in Tryon's rifle pits, and assisting to repel the assaults of the enemy. This brilliant operation drew forth a special order from General Canrobert.' On 9 Dec. he was appointed adjutant to the royal engineers of the left attack. He acted as aide-de-camp to Chapman with Eyre's brigade at the attack of the Redan on 18 June, and was present in September at the fall of Sebastopol, after which he was adjutant of all the royal engineer force in the Crimea until the army was broken up. He arrived home on 5 Aug. 1856. For his services he was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette, 21 Dec. 1855), received the war medal with two clasps, the Sardinian and Turkish medals, the 5th class of the Turkish order of the Medjidie, and on 24 Feb. 1857 the Victoria Cross.
Lennox was adjutant of the royal engineers at Aldershot until he again left England on 25 April 1857 as senior subaltern of the 23rd company of royal engineers to take part in the China war. On arrival at Singapore the force for China was diverted to India for the suppression of the mutiny, and Lennox reached Calcutta on 10 Aug. On the march to Cawnpore he took part on 2 Nov. in the action at Khajwa under Colonel Powell. The captain of his company was severely wounded on this occasion, and, Colonel Goodwyn of the Bengal engineers having fallen sick on 14 Nov., Lennox became temporarily chief engineer on the staff of Sir Colin Campbell. In this position he served at the second relief of Lucknow. He submitted a plan of attack which was adopted by Sir Colin. He took a conspicuous part in the operations, and the relief was accomplished on 17 Nov. He continued to act as chief engineer in the operations against the Gwalior contingent, and in the battle of Cawnpore on 6 Dec. He commanded a detachment of engineers at the action of Kali Naddi under Sir Colin Campbell on 2 Jan. 1858, and at the occupation of Fathghar. He was assistant to the commanding royal engineer, Colonel (afterwards Sir) Henry Drury Harness [q. v.], in the final siege of Luckuow from 2 to 21 March.
After the fall of Lucknow Lennox commanded the engineers of the column under Brigadier-general (afterwards Sir) Robert Walpole [q. v.] for the subjugation of Rohilkhand, was present at the unsuccessful attack on Fort Ruiya on 15 April, its occupation on the following day, and the action of Alaganj on 22 April. Having rejoined Lord Clyde he commanded the engineers at the battle of Bareli on 5 May and the occupation of the town. In June Lennox took his company to Rurki, and in September to Allahabad, where he was appointed commanding engineer to the column under Lord Clyde for the subjugation of Oude. He was present at the capture of Amethi on 10 Nov., and of Shankarpur on the 16th, and at the action of Dundia Khera or Buxar on 24 Nov. On 30 Nov. he left Lucknow as commanding royal engineer of the column under Brigadier-general Eveleigh to settle the country to the north-east, and was present at the capture of Umria on 2, Dec. He commanded the 23rd company royal engineers at the action on 26 Dec. under Lord Clyde at Barjadua or Chandu in the Trans-Gogra campaign, at the capture of Fort Majadua on the 27th, and at the action at Banki on the Rapti on 31 Dec. Lennox was included in the list of officers honourably mentioned
