SPEKE, JOHN HANNING (1827–1864), African explorer and discoverer of the source of the Nile, second son of William Speke (1798–1887) of Jordans, near Ilminster, Somerset, by Georgina Elizabeth, daughter of William Hanning of Dillington, was born at Jordans on 4 May 1827. His father, who had been a captain in the 14th dragoons, was the representative of a younger branch of the ancient family of Speke of White Lackington [see Speke, Hugh] (Collinson, Hist. Somerset, i. 69). From his childhood Speke was educated for the army, and entered the 46th regiment Bengal native infantry (1844). He served through the Punjab campaign under Sir Hugh, first viscount Gough [q. v.], and was present during the Sikh war at the battles of Rámnagar, Sadullápur, Chilianwala, and Gujarat, acting in Sir Colin Campbell's division. He was promoted lieutenant 1850 and captain 1852. At the close of the war Speke appears first to have conceived the idea of exploring Central Equatorial Africa (What led to the Discovery of the Nile, p. 1), and all the leave of absence which he could secure in India he spent in hunting and exploring expeditions over the Himalayas and in unknown portions of Thibet, during which he proved himself a competent sportsman, botanist, and geologist. Having completed his ten years' service in India, 3 Sept. 1854, he left Calcutta the following day for Aden, intending to put in effect the scheme he had formed for African exploration. He arrived at Aden at a moment when an expedition was being organised by the Bombay government, under the command of Lieutenant (afterwards Sir Richard) Burton, for the purpose of investigating the Somali country.

Dictionary of National Biography Entry (1897, WILLIAM CARR} : (with minor corrections of fact), Burtonmania

John Hanning Speke - English Soldier and Explorer (1827-1864)=

By Raymond John Howgego
Born in Devon, Speke was one of seven children of William Speke, a retired army captain and a tenant at Orleigh Court, near Bideford, and Georgina Elizabeth (née Hanning) who came from a wealthy mercantile family. (Note: Speke's birthplave has been variously given as Orleigh Court; Jordans, the family seat near Ilminster; or Bamford Speke, near Bampton in Devon.) He was educated at Barnstaple Grammar School and at a college in Blackheath, London, but from an early age suffered bouts of ophthalmia which made reading difficult and discouraged learning. Through his mother's acquaintanceship with the Duke of Wellington, he obtained a commission in the army of the East India Company, and in 1844 sailed for India to join the 46th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry. Speke served with distinction in the Punjab War under General Sir Colin Campbell, and in the second Sikh War under Lord Gough when he fought in the Multani campaign of 1849. It was during these actions that he formed a lifelong friendship with fellow officer JAMES AUGUSTUS GRANT (see below), who would later accompany Speke in his African explorations. In the peace that followed the Sikh War, Speke occupied his leave with hunting and collecting trips in the Himalayas, and by producing some remarkably accurate freehand maps of the country traversed.

The Expedition to Somaliland==

(Note: Speke's first two expeditions took place under the leadership of Richard Burton. To avoid repetition, details are given in the article for Burton, while the notes below serve only to distinguish Speke's particular role and important diversions.)

ILAB

Biography, BBC

Wikipedia

"From George Speke's younger brother, William, was descended the explorer John Hanning Speke."

George Speke, Wikipedia

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