William John Codrington General Sir William John Codrington GCB ( 1804 – 6 August 1884 ) was a British general and politician who served in the Crimean War . Military career . He was the second son of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington , the victor of the Battle of Navarino . He was born on 26 Nov . 1804 . He entered the army as an ensign in the Coldstream Guards in 1821 , and was promoted lieutenant in 1823 , lieutenant and captain in 1826 , captain and lieutenant - colonel in 1836 , and colonel in 1846 , and throughout that period had never been on active service . He found himself at Varna in the summer of 1854 , when the English and French armies were encamped there , either as a mere visitor and colonel unattached , as Kinglake says , or in command of the battalion of Coldstream guards , when his promotion to the rank of major - general was gazetted on 20 June 1854 . As a general officer on the spot , he was requested by Lord Raglan to take command of the 1st brigade of the Light Division , consisting of the 7th , 23rd , and 33rd regiments , which had become vacant owing to the promotion of Brigadier - general Richard Airey to be quartermaster - general in the place of Lord de Ros . As a general commanding a brigade and absolutely without experience of war , Codrington went into action in his first battle , the Battle of Alma . The light division got too far ahead and fell into confusion in crossing the Alma , and Codrington , seeing that his men could not lie still and be slaughtered by the Russian guns , boldly charged the great redoubt and carried it . But he had soon to fall back before the weight of the Russian column , and ran a risk of being utterly crushed , until the Russian column was broken by the charge of the highland brigade under Sir Colin Campbell . His bravery in this battle showed that Codrington deserved his command , and he again proved his courage at the battle of Inkerman , where he occupied the Victoria Ridge throughout the day , and perpetually sent off all the troops who came up to his help to assist in the real battle on the Inkerman tusk . Sir George Brown , who commanded the light division , was severely wounded in this battle , and after it Codrington assumed the command of the whole division as senior brigadier . Throughout the winter 1854 - 5 he remained in command of the division , and on 5 July 1855 he received the reward of his constancy by being made a K . C . B . Codrington arranged with General Markham , commanding the 2nd division , the attack on the Redan of 8 September , but blame seems to have been showered more freely on Sir James Simpson , who commanded in chief since Lord Raglan ' s death , than on the actual contrivers of that fatal attack . On 11 November 1855 , for some reason that has never been properly explained , Codrington succeeded Sir James Simpson as Commander - in - Chief instead of Sir Colin Campbell , who had much better claims to the succession , and he commanded the force occupying Sebastopol , for there was no more fighting , until the final evacuation of the Crimea on 12 July 1856 . On his return to England , Codrington was promoted lieutenant - general , appointed colonel of the 54th Foot , and in 1857 was elected M . P . for Greenwich , in the liberal interest . From 1859 to 1865 , he was governor of Gibraltar . He was made a G . C . B . in the latter year , and was promoted general in 1863 . In 1860 , he was transferred to the colonelcy of the 23rd Foot , and in 1875 to that of the Coldstream guards , the regiment in which he had risen . He remained an active politician to the end of his life , and contested Westminster in 1874 , and Lewes in 1880 , in the liberal interest . He saw no active service except in 1854 and 1855 , and yet he was twice offered the rank of field - marshal , which he wisely refused . He wore a medal and four clasps for the Crimea , and was a commander of the Legion of Honour , a knight grand cross of the order of Savoy , and a member of the first class of the Medjidie . Codrington died on 6 August 1884 , in his eightieth year , at Danmore Cottage , Heckfield , Winchfield in Hampshire . Political career . In politics , Codrington was a Liberal supporter of Viscount Palmerston . He particularly liked his leader ' s foreign policy . He was in favour of " progressive reform " and " civil and religious liberty " , but did not support the secret ballot . He was Member of Parliament for Greenwich between a by - election in February 1857 and 1859 . He contested Westminster in 1874 and Lewes in 1880 . Family . In 1836 he married Aymes and together they went on to have two sons and two daughters . His son , Alfred , also joined the Army , commanding a Home Service army during the First World War ; his daughter Mary married William Earle , an Army officer killed commanding the forces the Battle of Kirbekan . The other two children died young .