Herbert Charles Chermside was born on 31 July 1850 at Wilton. Following his education at Eton College, he entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich and was commissioned in the Royal Engineers in 1870. In 1873, Chermside travelled as a passenger in the steamer Diana on the British Exploring Expedition (leader Benjamin Leigh Smith), a private venture to explore in waters north of Svalbard. After delivering supplies to Nils Otto Gustaf Nordenskild's expedition at Mosselbukta, Diana was beset for a short time off Kapp Platen preventing further progress. The expedition returned to Dundee in September with a variety of natural history collections and observations.
On his return, Chermside served in HMS Hood at Chatham and studied at Portsmouth and Devonport. In 1876, he was employed in Turkey during the operations against Serbia and Montenegro and was acting as military attach when Russia declared war on Turkey in 1877. Remaining attach until 1879, he was appointed military vice-consul in Anatolia and was promoted captain in 1882. The following year, he was appointed to the intelligence staff of a British expeditionary force in Egypt and was given the command of the first battalion of the reconstituted Egyptian army, later taking up an appointment as Governor-General of the Red Sea littoral.
In 1887, Chermside was appointed brevet colonel, returning to consular duties in Kurdistan and later in Constantinople [Istanbul]. In 1897, he was knighted and was appointed British military commissioner and commander of the British troops on Crete, advancing to the rank of major general in 1898. On his return from foreign service in 1899, he was placed in command of the troops at Curragh, later serving in the war in South Africa before resuming command in 1901. Between 1902 and 1904, Chermside served as Governor of Queensland, later retiring from the army with the rank of lieutenant general in 1907. In 1916, he was made colonel-commandant of his own corps, the Royal Engineers. He died on 24 September 1929 in London.
From the guide to the Herbert Chermside collection, 1871-1873, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
