William Nicholson, 1st Baron Nicholson

The Lord Nicholson
Field Marshal Lord Nicholson
Born	2 March 1845(1845-03-02) Leeds, West Yorkshire
Died	13 September 1918(1918-09-13) (aged 73) London
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1865–1912, 1914 - 1918
Rank	Field Marshal
Battles/wars	Second Anglo-Afghan War Battle of Kandahar Mahdist War Third Burmese War Second Boer War World War I
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Mention in Despatches

Field Marshal William Gustavus Nicholson, 1st Baron Nicholson, GCB (2 March 1845 – 13 September 1918), was a British Army officer who, in a half-century of service, rose through the ranks in India and the Boer War to the rank of Field Marshal. After retirement, he was called for final duty in World War I.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Military career 3 Later life 4 Decorations and campaign medals 5 References 6 External links

Early life

William Nicholson was born at the family estate of Roundhay Park, Leeds, the youngest son of William Nicholson Phillips of Leeds, who had in 1827 assumed his mother's surname and the arms of the Nicholson family. In 1863 he graduated from Leeds Grammar School and entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, where he was awarded the Pollock Medal the following year.^[1]

Military career

On 21 March 1865 he gained a commission as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, training at Chatham, Kent. From 1868 to 1871 he was employed on coastal fortification work in Barbados, West Indies. Following this he was posted to India, with the Public Works Department at Hyderabad, the Punjab Irrigation Branch, and at Rawalpindi and Peshawar on barrack work and the construction of Army waterworks. In 1871 he married Victoria D'Allier.^[1]

On 16 March 1878, Nicholson was promoted to the rank of captain, and posted to Afghanistan, seeing service in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. He served in the first campaign as Field Engineer, Kandahar Field Force from 10 October 1878 to 5 March 1879, and as Royal Engineers Commander for the Thal-Chotiali Field Force from 6 March to 30 April 1879. During the second campaign of the war he served first as Field Engineer, 1st Division, Kabul Field Force from 23 September 1879 until 7 August 1880, being present at the action near Surkai Kotal on 14 October 1879, the defence of the Shutargardan in October 1879, and the defence of the Lataband in December 1879. He then served as Field Engineer, Kabul-Kandahar Field Force, taking part in the advance to the relief of Kandahar, and being present at the battle of Kandahar. During the Afghanistan campaigns, he was three times mentioned in despatches, was awarded a campaign medal with three clasps, and promoted to the brevet rank of major.^[1]

In 1880, he was appointed Secretary of the Defence Committee at Simla, and promoted to major the following year. His time as secretary was interrupted by service in Egypt in 1882, where he served with the Indian contingent in the Egyptian Campaign. His force made a successful flanking movement at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir^[1] and opened up the way to Cairo by cutting the enemy’s railway system near Zagazig, where Nicholson, then with the cavalry, captured four trains under steam, which were later used to transport British infantry. His efforts earned him another campaign medal with clasp, the Order of Osmanieh, and the Khedive's Star.

In 1885 to 1886 he served as Assistant Adjutant General, Royal Engineers in Bengal. Service in the Third Burmese War, which stamped out the guerrilla activities that followed the overthrow of King Thibaw Min, earned Nicholson further honours and the rank of lieutenant colonel.^[1]

On 1 July 1890, Nicholson was appointed Military Secretary to Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief in India. The following year he was knighted, being created a Companion of the Bath, and promoted to colonel. He was employed with the Military Works Department, India as a Chief Engineer until 1895, when he was appointed Adjutant General for the Punjab,^[1] with rank of brigadier general, under Lieutenant General Sir William Lockhart.

Nicholson saw service on the North West Frontier of India, at Tirah in 1897 to 1898.^[1] He was mentioned in despatches, awarded a campaign medal with two clasps, and elevated to Knight Commander of the Bath.^[2] He was Adjutant General in India from 1898 to 1899.^[2]

He was again appointed as Military Secretary to Lord Roberts, now Commander-in-Chief in South Africa during the Second Boer War.^[2] While serving as a local major general, Nicholson was mentioned in Lord Roberts' despatch dated 31 March 1900. In this despatch Lord Roberts wrote, "...Colonel Sir W. Nicholson (local Major-Gen.), R.E., undertook, at my request, organisation of a transport department in the limited time available; he performed this duty with conspicuous ability."

He was present at Battle of Paardeberg and at the actions at Poplar Grove, Driefontein, Vet and Zand Rivers, and in operations near Johannesburg, Pretoria and Diamond Hill, and in the operations in the Transvaal, east of Pretoria, during the latter half of 1900. During part of the time he was employed on Intelligence work, in addition to other duties. On 4 November 1901 he was promoted to lieutenant general and made Director of Military Operations at the War Office.^[2]

From 1904 to 1905 Nicholson was Chief Military Attaché to the Imperial Japanese Army in Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War,^[2] later appointed Quartermaster-General to the Forces^[2] and Member of the Army Council. He was promoted to general on 23 October 1906.^[2] In 1908 he was appointed as Chief of the General Staff^[2] and first Chief of the Imperial General Staff,^[2] and created Knight Grand Cross of the Bath.

In 1911 he received promotion to field marshal, before retiring in 1912,^[2] when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Nicholson, of Roundhay in the County of York.^[3]

As World War I erupted, he returned to duty at the age of sixty-nine. From Autumn 1914 he served on the Committee of Imperial Defence, investigating the conduct of operations in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia. In 1916 he was appointed to the Dardanelles Commission and was also appointed Colonel Commandant, Royal Engineers.^[2] His other duties included those of Chairman of the Territorial Forces Association for London.

Later life

Less than two months before Armistice Day, Lord Nicholson died in his home at 15 Pont Street, London, aged 73. He left no heirs and the barony died with him. He was buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.

Decorations and campaign medals

• Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (G.C.B.), 1908.
• Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.), 1898.
• Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.), 1891.
• Afghanistan 1878–1880 Medal with clasps [CHARASIA][KABUL][KANDAHAR].
• Egypt 1882 Medal with clasp [TEL-EL-KEBIR].
• India General Service Medal 1854 with clasp [BURMA 1883–6].
• India General Service Medal 1895 with clasps [PUNJAB FRONTIER 1897–98][TIRAH 1897–98]
• Queen's South Africa Medal with 5 clasps
• Turkish Order of Osmanieh, 4th Class
• Khedive's Star
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun
• Japanese War Medal

References

• Heathcote, T. A., The British Field Marshals 1736 - 1997, Leo Cooper, 1999, ISBN 0 850526965
• Connolly, T.W.J., Roll of Officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers from 1660 to 1898, The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1898
• Hart, H.G., The New Annual Army List, 1885, John Murray, London, 1885
• Hart, H.G., The New Annual Army List, 1893, John Murray, London, 1893
• Hart, H.G., The New Annual Army List, 1909, John Murray, London, 1909
• Shadbolt, S.H., The Afghan Campaigns of 1878–1880, J.B. Hayward & Son, London
• Army and Navy Gazette, South African War Honours & Awards, 1899–1902, Arms and Armour Press, London, 1979
• Maurice, J.F., Military History of the Campaign of 1882 in Egypt, J.B. Hayward & Son, London, 1973
• Creswicke, L., South Africa and the Transvaal War, Volume VI, T.C. & E.C. Jack, Edinburgh, 1901
• Vibart, H.M., Addiscombe: Its Heroes and Men of Note, Archibald Constable and Co., Westminster, 1894
• The Sapper (Regimental Journal of the Corps of Royal Engineers) Vol. II, No. 6, November 1964
• Who Was Who, 1916–1928 A. & C. Black, London, 1947

External links

• Royal Engineers Museum - Royal Engineers Field Marshal Biographies (Nicholson)

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Herbert Plumer	Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1905–1908	Succeeded by Sir Herbert Miles
Preceded by Sir Neville Lyttleton	Chief of the General Staff 1908	Succeeded by Position abolished
Preceded by New position	Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1908–1912	Succeeded by Sir John French
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Nicholson 1912–1918	Extinct

Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces and Chiefs of the General Staff of the British Army Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces Duke of Albemarle · Duke of Monmouth · Earl of Marlborough · Duke of Leinster · Duke of Marlborough · Duke of Ormonde · Earl of Stair · George Wade · Duke of Cumberland · Viscount Ligionier · Marquess of Granby · Lord Amherst · Henry Conway · Lord Amherst · Duke of York · Sir David Dundas · Duke of York · Duke of Wellington · Viscount Hill · Duke of Wellington · Viscount Hardinge · Duke of Cambridge · Viscount Wolseley · Earl Roberts Chief of the General Staff Sir Neville Lyttelton Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff Sir William Nicholson • Sir John French • Sir Charles Douglas • Sir James Murray • Sir Archibald Murray • Sir William Robertson • Sir Henry Wilson • The Earl of Cavan • Sir George Milne • Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd • Sir Cyril Deverell • The Viscount Gort • Sir Edmund Ironside • Sir John Dill • Sir Alan Brooke • The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein • Sir William Slim • Sir John Harding • Sir Gerald Templer • Sir Francis Festing • Sir Richard Hull Chiefs of the General Staff Sir Richard Hull • Sir James Cassels • Sir Geoffrey Baker • Sir Michael Carver • Sir Peter Hunt • Sir Roland Gibbs • Sir Edwin Bramall • Sir John Stanier • Sir Nigel Bagnall • Sir John Chapple • Sir Peter Inge • Sir Charles Guthrie • Sir Roger Wheeler • Sir Michael Walker • Sir Mike Jackson • Sir Richard Dannatt • Sir David Richards • Sir Peter Wall

Persondata
Name	Nicholson, William Gustavus
Alternative names
Short description	Army officer
Date of birth	1845-03-02
Place of birth	Leeds, West Yorkshire
Date of death	1918-09-13
Place of death	London