John Hardress Lloyd
Encyclopedia
Brigadier-General John Hardress Lloyd (14 August 1874 – 28 February 1952) was an Anglo-Irish
soldier
and polo player
. He was awarded a DSO
and made a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur for his service in the British Army
during the First World War. As a polo player he won a silver medal with the Ireland team at the 1908 Summer Olympics
.
family with connections to County Offaly
. He was the son of John Lloyd, a lawyer, and Susanna Frances Julia Colclough. He was the second of their seven children and their oldest son. On 5 August 1903 he married Adeline Wilson. They did not have any children. Hardress-Lloyd is the great uncle of John Lloyd
, the TV producer behind the Blackadder
series.
, Hardress Lloyd, together with John Paul McCann
, Percy O'Reilly
and Auston Rotheram
, was a member of the Ireland team that won a silver medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics
. The Ireland team was part of the Great Britain Olympic team. In 1911 he also captained the England team that played in the United States
on 10 October 1894. He served in the Tirah Campaign
on the North West Frontier
in 1897-98 and then in the Second Boer War
. Between March 1901 and September 1902 he served as aide-de-camp
to Lieutenant-General Sir E. L. Elliot.
On the outbreak of the First World War he served on the Western Front
before joining Major-General Beauvoir De Lisle
’s 1st Cavalry Division staff. He followed De Lisle to Gallipoli
when the latter took command of the 29th Division. Hardress Lloyd was appointed second in command of the 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
in May 1916, becoming its commanding officer a month later. Whilst commanding this battalion he was awarded the DSO
in January 1917. In February 1917 he was appointed commander of D Battalion, one of the founding units of the Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps. The battalion’s first actions were at the Battle of Arras (1917)
and included the disastrous Bullecourt operation in April 1917. The 3rd Tank Brigade was formed under his command on 27 April 1917 and Hardress Lloyd remained in charge of this brigade until the war ended. He was promoted to Brigadier-General on 16 April 1918 and a Bar was added to his DSO in July. He was also mentioned in despatches six times and appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur.
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and polo player
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
. He was awarded a DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and made a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur for his service 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 the First World War. As a polo player he won a silver medal with the Ireland team at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Polo at the 1908 Summer Olympics
At the 1908 Summer Olympics, a polo tournament was contested. It was the second time the sport had been featured at the Olympics, with 1900 being its first appearance....
.
Biography
Hardress Lloyd was born into an Anglo-IrishAnglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
family with connections to County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
. He was the son of John Lloyd, a lawyer, and Susanna Frances Julia Colclough. He was the second of their seven children and their oldest son. On 5 August 1903 he married Adeline Wilson. They did not have any children. Hardress-Lloyd is the great uncle of John Lloyd
John Lloyd (writer)
John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd CBE is a British comedy writer and television producer. He is the great nephew of John Hardress Lloyd.-Early life and career:...
, the TV producer behind the Blackadder
Blackadder
Blackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC1 historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television programme episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick...
series.
Polo player
As a polo playerPolo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
, Hardress Lloyd, together with John Paul McCann
John Paul McCann
John Paul McCann was an Irish polo player who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Together with Percy O'Reilly, John Hardress Lloyd and Auston Rotheram, he was a member of the Ireland team that won a silver medal The Ireland team was part of the Great Britain Olympic team.-References:...
, Percy O'Reilly
Percy O'Reilly
Percy Philip O'Reilly was an Irish polo player who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Together with John Paul McCann, John Hardress Lloyd and Auston Rotheram, he was a member of the Ireland team that won a silver medal The Ireland team was part of the Great Britain Olympic team.His daughter...
and Auston Rotheram
Auston Rotheram
Auston Morgan Rotheram was an Irish polo player who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics.-Biography:He was born in Sallymount House, County Westmeath and died in Cheltenham....
, was a member of the Ireland team that won a silver medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Polo at the 1908 Summer Olympics
At the 1908 Summer Olympics, a polo tournament was contested. It was the second time the sport had been featured at the Olympics, with 1900 being its first appearance....
. The Ireland team was part of the Great Britain Olympic team. In 1911 he also captained the England team that played in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
British Army soldier
Hardress Lloyd was commissioned in the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards
The 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922....
on 10 October 1894. He served in the Tirah Campaign
Tirah Campaign
The Tirah Campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah Expedition, was an Indian frontier war in 1897–98. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country.-Rebellion:...
on the North West Frontier
North-West Frontier (military history)
The North-West Frontier was the most difficult area, from a military point of view, of the former British India in the Indian sub-continent. It remains the frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the...
in 1897-98 and then in 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...
. Between March 1901 and September 1902 he served as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Lieutenant-General Sir E. L. Elliot.
On the outbreak of the First World War he served on the Western Front
Western 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...
before joining Major-General Beauvoir De Lisle
Beauvoir De Lisle
General Sir Henry de Beauvoir De Lisle KCB KCMG DSO was a British Army General who served in World War I.-Military career:...
’s 1st Cavalry Division staff. He followed De Lisle to Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
when the latter took command of the 29th Division. Hardress Lloyd was appointed second in command of the 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...
in May 1916, becoming its commanding officer a month later. Whilst commanding this battalion he was awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in January 1917. In February 1917 he was appointed commander of D Battalion, one of the founding units of the Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps. The battalion’s first actions were at the Battle of Arras (1917)
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
and included the disastrous Bullecourt operation in April 1917. The 3rd Tank Brigade was formed under his command on 27 April 1917 and Hardress Lloyd remained in charge of this brigade until the war ended. He was promoted to Brigadier-General on 16 April 1918 and a Bar was added to his DSO in July. He was also mentioned in despatches six times and appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur.