Ivor Maxse
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General Sir (Frederick) Ivor Maxse, KCB, CVO, DSO, (1862-1958) was a World War I divisional and corps commander, and noted wartime trainer.
He was born in London on 22 December 1862. He was educated at Rugby School and Sandhurst. He was commissioned in the Royal Fusiliers and saw service in India. He transferred to the Coldstream Guards in 1891, commanding its first battalion from 1903 to 1907. In 1910, he was promoted to command of the 1st Guards Brigade.
As a divisional commander, he led 18th (Eastern) Division when it took all its objectives on the First Day of the Somme. He achieved this in part by hiding the division in no man's land before the battle was joined and having them closely follow the creeping barrage towards the German line. The division was probably the best fighting division possessed by the British Army in 1916 and consisted entirely of volunteers from London and the south-east.[1] In January 1917, Maxse had been given command of XVIII Corps, commanding them at Passchendaele. Maxse's speciality was training and he was moved from field command in June 1918, to become head of training, preparing men for the combination of assault and open warfare that was to characterise the Hundred Days Offensive.
[edit] Further reading
- Baynes, John Far from a Donkey: Life of General Sir Ivor Maxse KCB CVO DSO Brassey's (UK) Ltd, 1995, ISBN 1-857531-85-X
- Nicholls, Jonathan Cheerful Sacrifice: The Battle of Arras 1917. Pen & Sword Books (February 2006) ISBN-10: 1844153266 ISBN-13: 978-1844153268
[edit] References
- ^ Nicholls, Jonathan Cheerful Sacrifice: The Battle of Arras 1917 Pen & Sword, 1990, p12
