BRITISH GENERALS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2234, 21 August 1914, Page 6

BRITISH GENERALS

LEADERS OF EXPEDITIONARY FORCE THE MEN AND THEIR RECORDS This morning's cable news gives tlio namos of the four Britisli generals, who, under Field-Marshal Sir John French, aro leading the British Expeditionary Force on the Continent. The position ■held by .'the Generals are as follow.— First Corps. —Lieut.-General Sir ' Douglas Haig. Second Corps.—Lieut.-Genoral Sir Horace Smith-Domen. Third'- Corps. — Major-General William Pulteney. ■ ' Chief of Sir John French's Staff. —Major-General Sir Archibald Murray. • - Some account of the careers of eaci of those officers will bo found below:— Sir Douglas Haig.: Sir Douglas Haig, like the Com-mander-in-Chief, is primarily a cavalry officer. He joined tho 7th Hussars iii 1885, when /he was 24 years old, and in 1898 served in tho Nile Expedition and took part in the cavalry reconnaissance of April 5. He was mentioned iii dispatches for distinguished conduct at the battles of Atbara and Khartoum and was promoted to a brevet majority and received ;th© British medal and Egyption. medal with two clasps. In the South African war (1899-ISJO2) he. served at' first as Deputy-Assistant Ad-jutant-General in Natal and later commanded columns. He was Chief Staff Officer to General French during the Colosberg operations and became Assist-aiit-Adjutant-General to tho Cavalry Division in 1900. From 1901-2 ho commanded a group of columns'and was again mentioned in dispatches and was appointed A.D.O. to the King with the rank of Brevet Colonel. He- was made a C.B. and received the Queen's medal with eeven clasps and the King's.medal. In 1899 General Haig took part in the Natal campaign, including the actions at Elandslaage, Reitfontem, and Lonbard's Kop. He was a'member of the column under-Sir John Frendh which ! relieved Kimberley and took part in the operations in the Orange Free State in the early part of 1900. Afterwards he was: present at' many actions in -the Transvaal and elsowhere and served in the field until the conclusion of the I war. Appointed Lieut.-Colonel commanding. the' 17tH Lancers In 1901, he filled the' office, of Inspector-General of Cavalry in India from 1903 to 1906 and became Major-General in 1904, Director of Military Training (1906-7); Director of Staff Duties. at Army Headquarters (1907-9); Chief of Staff, India (1909-12), and General Officer Commanding at Aldersliot- in 1912. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Goneralin 1910 and kniehted in 1913. '/ General Haig is the youngest son of Mr. John Haig, J.P., of Cameronbridge, Fife. Ho was born in June, 1861, and married in 1905 the Hon. Dorothy Vivian, daughter of the third Lord Vivian. Ho is the author of "Cavalry 1 Studies," published in 1907. • Sir Horaoe Smith-Dorrlon. _ Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien. 19 described as a fighting general rather than ah administrative one. Born on May;-1858,r'he entered the. Army'on February 26, 1876, as lieutenant in tho Sherwood Foresters, and first saw active service in the Zulu campaign of 1879. He was .present at the battles of Isan--dula and TJlinuli, being oho of the four who escaped/the massacre in the former, .engagement. Promoted captain on Auf list,. 1882,-he next saw service in tho igyptian campaign of the same year, when he raised and commanded a corps of mounted infantry. He also did good service in tho Soudan Expedition of 1885, when/he - went to Suakinm with his mounted infantry, and helped to defeat the rebellious' Arabs. Later he. was present at, the investment of Kosh'oh, and the_ engagement of Giniss. Up to this period ho'had secured several mentions in dispatches, a oonplo of medals with various clasps, tho D.5.0., tho Khedive's Bronze Star, and the Fourth Class of the Osmanich. Appointed major' in 1 1892, be went to India as station staff officer, First' Class Bengal, and in the following year was appointed A.A.G., Bengal and Punjab, which lie rotained. until 1896. He also acted ,as D.A.A.G. .to the brigade in the diitral Field Force.. 'He'next served on the North-west Frontier of India, under Sir William Lockhart, with the Tirah Expeditionary Force, being present at the capture of the Sampagha and Arhanga Passes, and in the operations in the Mastura, Waran and Bazar valleys. For his services; he got promotion by to lieutenant-colonel, and the 'medal with two clasps. He returned to Egypt; and took part in the Nile Expedition of 1898, and was present at the battle ■of: Khartum, and tho subsequent operations in the Sudan. , On the outbreak, of the South African War Colonel Smith-Donrien was appointed to tho 19tli Brigade as supernumerary 'major-general, and he came out of tho campaign with an enhanced reputation. In the affair at Banna's Post he followed Nelson's example, and omitted to obey an order which he felt would lend to disaster, and his judgment, luckily for him, proved accurate. Instead of ■having-to face a court-martial, which would have been, his fate had he taken a wrong step, lie was commended. The war over, he next went to India as ad-jutant-general, and since then has .rendered invaluable service to the Empire. He was promoted lieutenant-general in April, 1906./ From 1907 to 1912 he was Commander-in-Chief at Aldershot, and since then has held the Southern Command. . • , Major-Ceneral Pujteney. Major-General William Pulteney, who has commanded the 6th Division (the Irish Command) since 1910, has filled many important. military and official positions. He was born in May, 1861, so that he is now 53 years of age, and is the youngest son of the late Rev. 11. T. Pulteney, of Ashley, Market Harborough. Educated at Eton, 'he joinec the Scots Guards in 1881 and served it Egypt in 1882, "being present at the action of Mahuta and the battle of Tel-el-Kebir. Ho was employed under tlu Foroign Office in Uganda from 1895 to 1897, and served in the Muyoro Expedition in 1895 and the Nandi Expedi-j tion in 1895-6. His services earned mention in dispatches and the decoration of D.5.0.•. General Pulteney served throughout tho South African war and was mentioned three times in dispatches, promoted to Brovet-Coloriel and i received the Queen's medal witty six clasps and' the King's medal 'with two clasps. He commanded the 16th Infantry Brigade in 1908-9. In 1899 lie was Vice-Consul to-tho Congo Free State. ' Sir Archibald Murray. Major-General Sir Arcliibald Jas. Mur- ! ray is 64 years of age and became Inspector of Infantry in 1912. He is a 1 son of the late Mr. Charles Murray, of . Woodhouse, Hants, and was educated : at Cheltenham College and Sandhurst. 1 Entering tho 17th Regiment in 1879 ho 1 became captain in the Royal Inniskil--1 ling Fusiliers in 1887,' Major in 1898, ' Lieutenant-Colonel in 1900, Colonel in 1902, and Major-General in 1910. Flo served in Zululand in 1888 and in South Africa in 1899, 1900, and 1902. In tho latter campaign ho was dangerously wounded. Mentioned in dispatches several times he recoivetl tlio Queen's medal with- five clasps, tho King's medal with two clasps, and the D.S.O. He was appointed Director of Military Training in '1907 and held that office until 1912, /Ho was knighted ia 1011.