TOWNSEND, SIR CHARLES VERE FERRERS (1861-1924), English general and politician, was born on Feb. 21, 1861. He first joined the Royal Marines, but in 1886 was transferred to the Indian army. He received rapid promotion, and was one of the officers in the Kashmir contingent of the Hunza Nagar expedition of 1891 to the Himalayas, becoming military governor of Hunza. In 1895 he went with Sir G. Robertson to Chitral, on the occasion of the revolt of Umra Khan and Sher Afzil. In 1896 he returned to Egypt with Kitchener's Egyptian army, and took part in the Dongola expedition. Townsend acted for a time as military attache in Paris, and in 1907 received a staff appointment in India. In 1909 he commanded the Orange River Colony, with the rank of brigadier-general, and two years later was promoted major-general. For a short time he held a territorial command in England, but in 1913 returned to India.
The 2nd Rawal Pindi division, which he commanded at the out break of the World War, was stationed by the .Khyber, but in April 1915 Townsend was given command of the 6th Division in Mesopotamia. After outmanoeuvring the Turks, Townsend was encouraged to attack Kut on Sept. 26, 1915. He captured Kut, and on Nov. 22 attacked Ctesiphon, but was obliged to fall back on Kut. For a detailed account of the siege of Kut, see MESOPOTAMIA, OPERATIONS IN. Townsend surrendered on April 29, 1916. In Oct. 1918, the Turks released him as an emissary to make terms with the British. He received a K.C.B. for his serv ices in Mesopotamia, but was not again employed. He resigned in 192o, and later in the same year became M.P. for the Wrekin division in Shropshire. In 1922 he joined the Conservative Party, but retired at the next election. He died on May 18, 1924.