Gaston Thierry
Gaston Thierry (born 17 July 1866 in Munich, † 16 September 1904 near Mubi) was a German officer and civil servant in Togo and Cameroon.
Gaston Thierry | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 July 1866 Munich |
| Died | 16 September 1904 (aged 38) Mubi |
| Buried | Garoua |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Service/ | Army |
| Years of service | 1886-1904 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Infantry Regiment No. 88 |
Life
Thierry was the son of a tradesman. After attending the Gymnasium, he joined the Infantry Regiment No. 88 in 1886. In the same year, he became Portepee-Fähnrich (ensign with sword-knot) and in 1887 Sekondeleutnant (second lieutenant). In 1891 he retired from the army and became a member of the First See-Bataillon. In 1894, after the suppression of the mutiny of the police force, he was temporarily ordered to Cameroon. In 1894 he was promoted to first lieutenant, he resigned on 12 September 1895 from the Marine Infantry and entered into the Grenadier Regiment of King Frederick William II (1st Silesian) No. 10.
In June 1896 he was made à la suite of the regiment and ordered to serve at the Foreign Office. Thierry was first used in Togo, where he served as station director of Sansanné-Mango and district manager in Yendi, and was involved in the occupation of the north. In 1902 he was transferred to Cameroon, stationed first in Victoria and after his promotion to captain (12 September 1902) in 1903 was appointed station director of Yaoundé. In 1903 he accompanied Governor Jesko von Puttkamer on his trip to Chad and on this occasion was appointed first Resident of Adamawa on 20 September 1903.
Thierry was killed in a battle against the Kirdi people of Cameroon in September 1904, and was buried in Garoua.
A species of West African lizard, Chalcides thierryi, is named in his honor.[1]
References
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Thierry", p. 264).
Sources
- Ergebnisse der Untersuchung über den Tod des Hauptmanns Thierry, in: Deutsches Kolonialblatt 16 (1905), p. 161
- Manfred Maximilian Ulbrich: Offizier-Stammliste des Grenadier-Regiments König Friedrich Wilhelm II. (1. Schlesischen) Nr. 10 1808-1908, Berlin 1907, p. 499f.