Samuel Lomax
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Samuel Holt Lomax (August 1855 - 10 April 1915) was a senior and highly respected British general who served in the opening months of World War I
and was the first (and one of only three) British Lieutenant General
s to be killed on active service during the entire war.
as a junior officer aged eighteen in June 1874. In 1877 he travelled with his regiment to South Africa
and participated in the 9th Cape Frontier War
of the same year and the latter stages of the Zulu War in 1878, seeing action at Kambula
and Ulundi
, battles which secured British victory in the campaign. Returning to Britain with his regiment, Lomax was promoted captain following the Cardwell Reforms
which amalgamated his regiment into the Scottish Rifles in 1881. His unit was not called on for service in India
or the Boer War
and he did not see further action for 36 years. In 1904 he was made a Brigadier
and in 1910 became Major General in charge of the 1st Division. In late July 1914 he received notice that he would not be further employed due to his advanced age and lack of military experience.
. Arriving in the aftermath of the battle of Mons
, the Fourth Division was immediately engaged in the battle of Le Cateau
where the advancing German Army was held up long enough to allow the outnumbered BEF to escape. Lomax also led his division at the battle of the Marne
and the counter-attack at the battle of the Aisne
. His operations were so successful that it has been said that he was "the best Divisional General of those early days of the war". On the 19 October, he received notice that he was to be promoted to Lieutenant General and would gain promotion to Corps Command when one became available.
During October 1914, the First Division was engaged in the First Battle of Ypres
in the salient
around the Belgian town of Ypres
, with its headquarters based in a large stately home named Hooge Chateau, recently vacated by General Douglas Haig
. On the 31 October 1914, a meeting took place at the Chateau between Lomax and his Second Division counterpart, Major-General C. C. Monro. An observer noted that the officers' staff cars were parked along the roadsides and provided an obvious target to German artillery. An aerial spotter soon noticed the gathering and reported the situation to artillery officers on the ground, who fired three 5.9" shells at the Chateau. Both sides had been targeting chateaux on either side of the line in an effort to kill senior officers and gain some advantage in the developing stalemate.
where he received palliative care
for the next five months.
General Lomax died on the 10 April 1915 never having recovered from his wounds. He was cremated at Golders Green
and buried in a plot at Aldershot Military Cemetery
, where he was later joined by his wife under a private headstone. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
later wrote that his death "was a brain injury to the Army and a desperately serious one."
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Samuel Holt Lomax (August 1855 - 10 April 1915) was a senior and highly respected British general who served in the opening months of 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...
and was the first (and one of only three) British Lieutenant General
Lieutenant-General (UK)
Lieutenant-general is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines, although the highest ranking officer in the Royal Marines at present is major general...
s to be killed on active service during the entire war.
Military service
Born in August 1855 to Thomas and Mary Helen Lomax in South-East England, Samuel joined the Scottish 90th Regiment of Foot90th Regiment of Foot
Three regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 90th Regiment of Foot:*90th Regiment of Foot , raised in 1759*90th Regiment of Foot , raised in 1779*90th Regiment of Foot , raised in 1794...
as a junior officer aged eighteen in June 1874. In 1877 he travelled with his regiment to 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...
and participated in the 9th Cape Frontier War
Xhosa wars
The Xhosa Wars, also known as the Cape Frontier Wars, were a series of nine wars between the Xhosa people and European settlers, from 1779 to 1879 in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa....
of the same year and the latter stages of the Zulu War in 1878, seeing action at Kambula
Battle of Kambula
Battle of Kambula took place in 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War when a Zulu Army attacked the British camp at Kambula. It resulted in a decisive Zulu defeat and is considered to be the turning point of the Anglo-Zulu War.-Prelude:...
and Ulundi
Battle of Ulundi
The Battle of Ulundi took place at the Zulu capital of Ulundi on 4 July 1879 and was the last major battle of the Anglo-Zulu War. The British army finally broke the military power of the Zulu nation by defeating the main Zulu army and immediately afterwards capturing and razing the capital of...
, battles which secured British victory in the campaign. Returning to Britain with his regiment, Lomax was promoted captain following the Cardwell Reforms
Cardwell Reforms
The Cardwell Reforms refer to a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874.-Background:...
which amalgamated his regiment into the Scottish Rifles in 1881. His unit was not called on for service in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
or the 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...
and he did not see further action for 36 years. In 1904 he was made a Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
and in 1910 became Major General in charge of the 1st Division. In late July 1914 he received notice that he would not be further employed due to his advanced age and lack of military experience.
First World War
The outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 put all plans of retirement on hold, and General Lomax was commissioned to command the 1st Division as part of the Expeditionary Force under Sir John FrenchJohn French
John French may refer to:* John French , English doctor and chemist* John French , Canadian ice hockey player* John French , American drummer and musician...
. Arriving in the aftermath of the battle of Mons
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
, the Fourth Division was immediately engaged in the battle of Le Cateau
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
where the advancing German Army was held up long enough to allow the outnumbered BEF to escape. Lomax also led his division at the battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
and the counter-attack at the battle of the Aisne
First Battle of the Aisne
The First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
. His operations were so successful that it has been said that he was "the best Divisional General of those early days of the war". On the 19 October, he received notice that he was to be promoted to Lieutenant General and would gain promotion to Corps Command when one became available.
During October 1914, the First Division was engaged in the First Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
in the salient
Salient
Salient may refer to:* See Salients, re-entrants and pockets for the battlefield feature* Salient , part of a discrete territory projecting out of the main portion, bordered by foreign territory on three sides, into which it projects...
around the Belgian town of Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
, with its headquarters based in a large stately home named Hooge Chateau, recently vacated by General Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig was a British soldier and senior commander during World War I.Douglas Haig may also refer to:* Club Atlético Douglas Haig, a football club from Argentina* Douglas Haig , American actor...
. On the 31 October 1914, a meeting took place at the Chateau between Lomax and his Second Division counterpart, Major-General C. C. Monro. An observer noted that the officers' staff cars were parked along the roadsides and provided an obvious target to German artillery. An aerial spotter soon noticed the gathering and reported the situation to artillery officers on the ground, who fired three 5.9" shells at the Chateau. Both sides had been targeting chateaux on either side of the line in an effort to kill senior officers and gain some advantage in the developing stalemate.
Death
The first shell exploded in the garden, causing the officers at the meeting to go to the windows of the garden room to see the fall of the shell. Thus they were in the worst possible position for the second shell which exploded right in the window frame of the room. The explosion killed six officers and mortally wounded two others. The third shell impacted an empty part of the house, although the owner, Baron de Vinck, narrowly escaped injury. Monro had stepped into another room for a conference with his Chief of Staff and so survived with minor injuries, but Lomax was seriously wounded and evacuated back to England, being placed in a nursing home in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he received palliative care
Palliative care
Palliative care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients...
for the next five months.
General Lomax died on the 10 April 1915 never having recovered from his wounds. He was cremated at Golders Green
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
and buried in a plot at Aldershot Military Cemetery
Aldershot Military Cemetery
Aldershot Military Cemetery, is a burial ground for military personnel, or ex-military personnel. It is located in Aldershot Military Town, Hampshire...
, where he was later joined by his wife under a private headstone. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
later wrote that his death "was a brain injury to the Army and a desperately serious one."