Lloyd Mathews

Sir Lloyd William Mathews, GCMG, CB was a British naval officer, politician and abolitionist. Mathews joined the Royal Navy as a cadet at the age ofand progressed through the ranks to lieutenant. He was involved with the Third AngloAshanti War of 18734, afterwards being stationed in East Africa for the suppression of the slave trade. In 1877 he was seconded from the navy to Sultan Barghash of Zanzibar in order to form a Europeanstyle army he would remain in the employment of the government of Zanzibar for the rest of his life. His army quickly reached 6,300 men and was used in several expeditions to suppress the slave trade and rebellions against the Zanzibar government.

Mathews was born at Funchal on Madeira onMarch 1850. His father, Captain William Matthews was Welsh, and his mother Jane Wallis Penfold, was the daughter of William Penfold and Sarah Gilbert. Her sister, Augusta Jane Robley ne Penfold was the author of a famous book about the flora and fauna of Madeira, which is now in the Natural History Museum. Mathews became a cadet of the Royal Navy in 1863 and was appointed a midshipman onSeptember 1866. From 1868 he was stationed in the Mediterranean but his first active service was during the Third AngloAshanti War of 18734 where he qualified for the campaign medal. He was promoted to lieutenant onMarch 1874. OnAugust 1875 Mathews was posted to HMS160London, a depot ship and the Royal Navy headquarters for East Africa, to assist in the suppression of the slave trade in the area. Whilst onboard he drilled his own troops, captured several slave dhows and was commended for his actions by the Admiralty.

Source: Wikipedia