Colin Robert Ballard

Who was Colin Robert Ballard?

Brigadier-General Colin Robert Ballard, CB, CMG was a Brigadier-General in the British Army, a knight of the Order of the Star of Romania, recipient of the collar of the Order of Carol I and a military author. Ballard was the second son of General John Archibald Ballard, and his wife Joanna, the daughter of Robert Scott-Moncrieff, and was born at Cockpen, Midlothian, Scotland on 20 July 1868. Ballard spent his early life in Scotland and then in Kent before attending the United Services College, Westward Ho!, Devon in 1885.

According to the records of the India Office, Ballard was granted a Queen's India Cadetship in 1887 but he must have decided against service in the Indian Army as he was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the Norfolk Regiment in 1888 with a subsequent promotion to Lieutenant in 1890. The Regiment were posted to Burma for 1891–1892 for which Ballard received the Burma Medal and Clasp and were posted to India in 1895 for which he received the India Medal with Relief of Chitral clasp. Subsequent service in the Tirah Campaign during 1897 and 1898 saw him mentioned in dispatches and promoted to Captain.

The Norfolks were then posted to South Africa where Ballard was Station Commandant during 1899 and early 1900 before becoming a Staff Officer with a field rank of Brevet-Major in the Mounted Infantry Corps Mobile Column through to 1902. In this period he received the Queen's South Africa Medal with 6 clasps and the King's South Africa Medal with both 1901 and 1902 Clasps. It was not long, however, before the Regiment was on the move again and this time Ballard found himself as Transport Officer for the Somaliland Field Force during 1903 and 1904 before being appointed Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General in Ceylon in 1905 and then Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General in Ceylon from 1905 until 1908.