Robert George Broadwood
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Robert George Broadwood, CB
(1862 – 21 June 1917) was Commander of British Troops in South China
.
the founder of the Broadwood Piano Company. He never married.
He joined the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales)
in 1881 and participated in the Dongola Expeditionary Force and Egyptian Campaign in 1896. Between 1893 and 1896 he worked closely with Egypt
ian forces allied with Great Britain
and was present at Atbara and Khartoum
.
As a Lieutenant Colonel he served under Lord Kitchener in the Battle of Omdurman
in Sudan
during the Nile Campaign of 1898 launched to suppress the Sudanese Mahdist revolt
. In this capacity he was placed in charge of the contingent of Egyptian cavalry fighting alongside Commonwealth
regulars. At the start of the battle Lord Kitchener placed this contingent on the British right flank to protect a small hill there. The Sudanese initially attacked this flank and Broadwood was commended in the official dispatch back to the War Office in England for his adept leadership. He was also awarded the Order of Osmanieh (Fourth Class) as a result of this incident.
As a Brigadier General he commanded Commonwealth forces at the Surprise of Sanna’s Post
(aka Korn Spruit) during the Second Boer War
. In this engagement Boer
forces achieved complete tactical surprise and Broadwood’s forces suffered over 150 fatalities in the resulting ambush
.
He later served as Commander of Troops in Natal, South Africa
from 1903 to 1904. He went on to serve as Commander of British Troops in South China
in 1906.
During World War I
he served as Commanding General of the 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division, which fought at the Second Battle of Passchendaele, from 20 October 1916 until he died of wounds suffered in battle on 21 June 1917. He is buried in the Anzac Cemetery near Sailly-sur-la-Lys
.
During his career he was awarded the CB
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1862 – 21 June 1917) was Commander of British Troops in South China
Commander British Forces in Hong Kong
The Commander British Forces in Hong Kong was a senior British Army officer who acted as Military Advisor to the Governor of Hong Kong.-Structure:...
.
Military career
Robert was the third son and child of Thomas Broadwood and Mary Athlea Matthews and a grandson of John BroadwoodJohn Broadwood
John Broadwood was the Scottish founder of the piano manufacturer Broadwood and Sons.-Life:Broadwood was born 6 October 1732 and christened 15 Oct 1732 at St Helens, Cockburnspath in Berwickshire, and grew up in Oldhamstocks, East Lothian...
the founder of the Broadwood Piano Company. He never married.
He joined the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales)
12th Royal Lancers
The 12th Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. In 1960, it was amalgamated with 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, to form 9th/12th Royal Lancers .-History:...
in 1881 and participated in the Dongola Expeditionary Force and Egyptian Campaign in 1896. Between 1893 and 1896 he worked closely with 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...
ian forces allied with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and was present at Atbara and Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
.
As a Lieutenant Colonel he served under Lord Kitchener in 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...
in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
during the Nile Campaign of 1898 launched to suppress the Sudanese Mahdist revolt
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...
. In this capacity he was placed in charge of the contingent of Egyptian cavalry fighting alongside Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
regulars. At the start of the battle Lord Kitchener placed this contingent on the British right flank to protect a small hill there. The Sudanese initially attacked this flank and Broadwood was commended in the official dispatch back to the War Office in England for his adept leadership. He was also awarded the Order of Osmanieh (Fourth Class) as a result of this incident.
As a Brigadier General he commanded Commonwealth forces at the Surprise of Sanna’s Post
Sanna's Post
-References:* Three Years War, by Christiaan Rudolf De Wet, 1st American Edition, published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1902* The Great Boer War, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, originally published in 1902; republished by IndyPublish.com in 2002, ISBN 1-4043-0472-X* Goodbye Dolly Gray: The Story of...
(aka Korn Spruit) during 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...
. In this engagement Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
forces achieved complete tactical surprise and Broadwood’s forces suffered over 150 fatalities in the resulting ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
.
He later served as Commander of Troops in Natal, South Africa
Natal, South Africa
Natal is a region in South Africa. It stretches between the Indian Ocean in the south and east, the Drakensberg in the west, and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The main cities are Pietermaritzburg and Durban...
from 1903 to 1904. He went on to serve as Commander of British Troops in South China
Commander British Forces in Hong Kong
The Commander British Forces in Hong Kong was a senior British Army officer who acted as Military Advisor to the Governor of Hong Kong.-Structure:...
in 1906.
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...
he served as Commanding General of the 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division, which fought at the Second Battle of Passchendaele, from 20 October 1916 until he died of wounds suffered in battle on 21 June 1917. He is buried in the Anzac Cemetery near Sailly-sur-la-Lys
Sailly-sur-la-Lys
Sailly-sur-la-Lys is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Sailly-sur-la-Lys is a large farming and light industrial village situated some southeast of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D945 and D66 roads...
.
During his career he was awarded the CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
.