William Furse

Sir William Furse

Lieutenant General Sir William Furse
Born 1865
Died 1953 (aged 87 or 88)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held 9th (Scottish) Division
Battles/wars Second Boer War
World War I
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order

Lieutenant General Sir William Thomas Furse KCB KCMG DSO (1865–1953) was a Master-General of the Ordnance.

Military career

Educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Furse was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1884.[1] He was Aide-de-Camp to Lord Roberts from 1891 to 1893.[1]

He served in the Second Boer War as a Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at Army Headquarters.[1] In 1911 he was appointed Commander 12th (Howitzer) Brigade Royal Field Artillery.[1]

He served in World War I initially as a General Staff Officer on the British Expeditionary Force and then as General Officer Commanding 9th (Scottish) Division from 1915.[1] He was made Master-General of the Ordnance in 1916; in this capacity he opposed the introduction of the Madsen machine gun, preferring the Lewis gun.[2] He retired in 1920.[1]

References

Military offices
Preceded by
George Thesiger
General Officer Commanding the 9th (Scottish) Division
September 1915–December 1916
Succeeded by
Henry Lukin
Preceded by
Sir Stanley Von Donop
Master-General of the Ordnance
1916–1919
Succeeded by
Sir John Du Cane