George Thesiger
Encyclopedia
Major-General George Handcock Thesiger, CB, CMG
(6 October 1868 - 27 September 1915) was a senior officer in the British Army
during World War I
who was killed in action during the battle of Loos
by German shellfire. His career had encompassed military service in Egypt
, South Africa
, Ireland
, British India and France
and had been rewarded with membership in two chivalric orders.
and nephew of Major-General Frederic Thesiger
and the judge Alfred Henry Thesiger
.
Thesiger was educated at Eton College
before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst for training as an infantry officer. In 1890, Thesiger was Gazetted into the Rifle Brigade as a junior officer aged 22 and served with his unit in England until 1898, when the regiment was dispatched to Egypt. There the Rifle Brigade served on the Nile expedition under Horatio Kitchener during the Mahdist War
and was present at the Battle of Omdurman
which decided the campaign.
The Rifle Brigade was then briefly stationed in Crete
during operations to maintain peace between Turkish and Greek populations on the island. In October 1899, Thesiger and the second battalion were sent for service in South Africa in the aftermath of the outbreak of the Second Boer War
. There Thesiger saw action and was badly wounded during the battle at Wagon Hill during the Siege of Ladysmith
on the 6 January 1900. He was mentioned in dispatches
for his conduct during the engagement.
Evacuated to Britain to recover from his wounds, Thesiger attended the Staff College
and between 1902 and 1906 was in charge of musketry practice on Salisbury Plain
, from there he moved to Ireland
to work as Assistant Military Secretary to the GOC in Dublin until 1909. From there he was assigned to colonial service as the Inspector General of the King's African Rifles
and in 1913 was dispatched to India as a Lieutenant Colonel
to command the 4th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. In 1913 in reward for his distinguished service he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, and the following year was also made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.
In 1902, Thesiger married Frances Fremantle, daughter of General Fitzroy William Fremantle, and the couple had two children, daughter Oona Thesiger (later Buckley) and son Gerald Thesiger
, who became a notable High Court Judge and minor politician.
was already well advanced. In May 1915 he was promoted to (temporary) Brigadier-General and given command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade serving in the trenches during the spring of 1915, where he was again mentioned in dispatches. On 27 August 1915, due to the shortage of senior officers, Thesiger was again promoted to (temporary) Major-General and placed in charge of the 33rd Infantry Division, one of the new Kitchener Divisions
. He was only in this position for just over a week when on 8 September 1915 he was again transferred to the 9th (Scottish) Division, another new division which he would command during the opening of the battle of Loos
.
Two days after the battle opened, Thesiger's division was suffering heavy casualties and reports were reaching divisional headquarters that the 73rd Infantry Brigade was on the verge of breaking. Thesiger immediately departed for the frontline to investigate the situation with his divisional staff and was touring a trench named Fosse 8 opposite the Hohenzollern Redoubt
when the German artillery opened fire on the British positions. One of the first shells fired exploded directly in the trench occupied by the 26th Brigade
where the party was sheltering, instantly killing Major General Thesiger and his aides Major Le Mottee and Lieutenant Burney. None of their bodies were removed from the battlefield as fighting continued for another day and consequently only Burney's remains were recovered — sometime later. General Thesiger's name is amongst the 20,000 recorded on the Loos Memorial
to the missing.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(6 October 1868 - 27 September 1915) was a senior officer in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
who was killed in action during the battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
by German shellfire. His career had encompassed military service in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, British India and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and had been rewarded with membership in two chivalric orders.
Early career
Thesiger was born in October 1868 into the Thesiger family, the son of Lieutenant General Charles Wemyss Thesiger and Charlotte Elizabeth Handcock. He was the middle of three children, with one older sister, Ethel Mary, and one younger brother, Gerald. He was the grandson of the politician Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron ChelmsfordFrederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford PC KC FRS was a British jurist and Conservative politician. He was twice Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.-Early life:...
and nephew of Major-General Frederic Thesiger
Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford
General Frederic Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford GCB, GCVO, was a British general, best known for his commanding role during the Anglo-Zulu war. The centre column of his forces was defeated at the Battle of Isandlwana, a crushing victory for the Zulus and the British army's worst ever...
and the judge Alfred Henry Thesiger
Alfred Henry Thesiger
The Hon. Alfred Henry Thesiger PC, QC, LJ , was a British lawyer and judge.-Early life:Thesiger was the third son of Lord Chancellor Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford, by his wife Anna Maria .-Career:...
.
Thesiger was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst for training as an infantry officer. In 1890, Thesiger was Gazetted into the Rifle Brigade as a junior officer aged 22 and served with his unit in England until 1898, when the regiment was dispatched to Egypt. There the Rifle Brigade served on the Nile expedition under Horatio Kitchener during the Mahdist War
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
and was present at the Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman
At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
which decided the campaign.
The Rifle Brigade was then briefly stationed in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
during operations to maintain peace between Turkish and Greek populations on the island. In October 1899, Thesiger and the second battalion were sent for service in South Africa in the aftermath of the outbreak of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. There Thesiger saw action and was badly wounded during the battle at Wagon Hill during the Siege of Ladysmith
Siege of Ladysmith
The Siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 30 October 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal.-Background:...
on the 6 January 1900. He was mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
for his conduct during the engagement.
Evacuated to Britain to recover from his wounds, Thesiger attended the Staff College
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
and between 1902 and 1906 was in charge of musketry practice on Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
, from there he moved to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to work as Assistant Military Secretary to the GOC in Dublin until 1909. From there he was assigned to colonial service as the Inspector General of the King's African Rifles
King's African Rifles
The King's African Rifles was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the East African colonies as well as external service as...
and in 1913 was dispatched to India as a Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
to command the 4th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. In 1913 in reward for his distinguished service he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, and the following year was also made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.
In 1902, Thesiger married Frances Fremantle, daughter of General Fitzroy William Fremantle, and the couple had two children, daughter Oona Thesiger (later Buckley) and son Gerald Thesiger
Gerald Thesiger
The Hon. Sir Gerald Alfred Thesiger MBE QC was a British High Court Judge of the Queen's Bench Division between 1958 and 1978.-Background and education:...
, who became a notable High Court Judge and minor politician.
First World War
At the outbreak of the First World War, Thesiger and his men were still in India and so did not arrive in Europe until December 1914 when the campaign in FranceWestern Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
was already well advanced. In May 1915 he was promoted to (temporary) Brigadier-General and given command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade serving in the trenches during the spring of 1915, where he was again mentioned in dispatches. On 27 August 1915, due to the shortage of senior officers, Thesiger was again promoted to (temporary) Major-General and placed in charge of the 33rd Infantry Division, one of the new Kitchener Divisions
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
. He was only in this position for just over a week when on 8 September 1915 he was again transferred to the 9th (Scottish) Division, another new division which he would command during the opening of the battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
.
Two days after the battle opened, Thesiger's division was suffering heavy casualties and reports were reaching divisional headquarters that the 73rd Infantry Brigade was on the verge of breaking. Thesiger immediately departed for the frontline to investigate the situation with his divisional staff and was touring a trench named Fosse 8 opposite the Hohenzollern Redoubt
Hohenzollern Redoubt
The Hohenzollern Redoubt, near to Auchy-les-Mines in France, was a German fortification on the Western Front in World War I.-Introduction:The British first attacked the Redoubt on September 25, 1915, the first day of the Battle of Loos...
when the German artillery opened fire on the British positions. One of the first shells fired exploded directly in the trench occupied by the 26th Brigade
British 26th Infantry Brigade
The 26th Infantry Brigade was a 2nd Line Territorial Army brigade, and duplicate of the 152nd Infantry Brigade, during the Second World War. After the reformation of the Territorial Army in 1947 it was active as an independent infantry brigade within Scottish Command for a period.- History :The...
where the party was sheltering, instantly killing Major General Thesiger and his aides Major Le Mottee and Lieutenant Burney. None of their bodies were removed from the battlefield as fighting continued for another day and consequently only Burney's remains were recovered — sometime later. General Thesiger's name is amongst the 20,000 recorded on the Loos Memorial
Loos Memorial
The Loos Memorial is a World War I memorial forming the sides and rear of Dud Corner Cemetery, located near the commune of Loos-en-Gohelle, in the Pas-de-Calais département of France. The memorial lists 20,610 names of British and Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave who were killed in the...
to the missing.