VETERAN SOLDIER

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 36, 13 February 1933, Page 7

VETERAN SOLDIER

FIELD-MARSHAL" ROBERTSON

MILITARY OEGANISEE

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph— Copyright.

(Received February 13, 10 a.m.) LOjSTDOJT, February 12. The death ,is announced of FieldMarshal Sir William Robertson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the war. He was 73 years of age.

Sit "William Bobertson 's career has been remarkable in many ways. As a lad he enlisted as a trooper in the Sixteenth Lancers and served in the ranks for over ten years, attaining the rank of troop sergeant-major. In 1888, however, lie was given a commission in the Third Dragoon Guards and joined his regiment in India. He saw service on the North-West Frontier, being wounded during the Chitral Expedition, in which he acted as Field intelligence Officer. He passed the Staff College, and during the Boer War held a post in the Intelligence Department at Army headquarters in the field. As a brigatlier-general, in 1910, he was appointed Commandant of the Staff College, the first "ranker" to direct it. He mad© an ideal commandant, and after three, years at Camberley succeeded Brigadier-General Henderson as Director of Military Training ;at the War Office.

On the outbreak of war Sir John French selected Sir "William Robertson as his Quartermaster-General, and in that capacity he proved his great administrative ability 'by his work in adapting the lines of communication and supplying the' Army during the first critical weeks of fighting. During the -winter of 1914-15 Sir William took Sir A. Murray's place, as Chief of the Staff of the Expeditionary Force, and as such it fell to him to plan the offensive battles of Neuve Cnapelle and Loos. After the latter; when Sir Douglas Haig succeeded to the chief command- of the British. Armies, Sir "William Kobertson became Chief of the Imperial General Staff. He filled tho post till February, 1918; when, owing to the extension of the functions of the Permanent Military Representative at Versailles limiting the special powers of the Chief of the Imperial Staff, Sir William, found it impossible to retain his position or accept that of British Military Representative at "Versailles. He subsequently, however, was given the command of the Eastern Command, and then that of the forces in Great Britain, in succession to "Viscount French.

Sir William had many orders and decoration* from, different countries. Britain gave him the G-.C.8., G.C.M.G., X.C.V.0., and D.5.0,; France the Legion of Honour; and the United States the Distinguished Service MedaL Other countries -which honoured him ■were Belgium, Italy, China, Japan, Russia, and Serbia. .'■.•-■ ■ ~ He married in 1594 the daughter of thftlate Lieutenant-Genoral T. 0. Palm, of the Bombay Staff Corps, and leaves a widow and one son and two daughters.