Robert George Broadwood
| Robert Broadwood | |
|---|---|
 Robert Broadwood | |
| Born | 1862 |
| Died | 21 June 1917 (agd 54 or 55) |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Commands held | Commander of British Troops in South China |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Lieutenant General Robert George Broadwood, CB (1862 – 21 June 1917) was Commander of British Troops in South China.
Military career
Robert was the third son and child of Thomas Broadwood and Mary Athlea Matthews and a grandson of John Broadwood the founder of the Broadwood Piano Company. He never married.
He joined the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales) in 1881[1] and participated in the Dongola Expeditionary Force and Egyptian Campaign in 1896.[1] Between 1893 and 1896 he worked closely with Egyptian forces allied with Great Britain and was present at Atbara and Khartoum.[1]
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.[2]
Broadwood served as a cavalry officer during the Second Boer War (1899–1902). As a Brigadier General he commanded Commonwealth forces at the Surprise of Sanna’s Post (aka Korn Spruit) in late March 1900. In this engagement Boer forces achieved complete tactical surprise and Broadwood’s forces suffered over 150 fatalities in the resulting ambush.[3] Broadwood was mentioned in despatches dated 31 March 1900, when the commander-in-chief, Lord Roberts, described him as "commanding the 2nd Cavalry Brigade with exceptional ability and dash throughout the operations".[4]
He later served as Commander of Troops in Natal, South Africa from 1903 to 1904.[1] He went on to serve as Commander of British Troops in South China in 1906.[5]
During World War I he served as Commanding General of the 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division, which fought at the Second Battle of Passchendaele,[6] from 20 October 1916 until he died of wounds suffered in battle on 21 June 1917.[1] He is buried in the Anzac Cemetery near Sailly-sur-la-Lys.[7]
During his career he was awarded the CB.
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27012. p. 5863. 7 October 1898. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ↑ Military History Journal - Vol 12 No 2 The South African Military History Society
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27282. p. 846. 8 February 1901.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27973. p. 8538. 4 December 1906. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ↑ "57th (2nd Lancashire) Division". Informational page. Retrieved 23 February 2006.
- ↑ Anzac Cemetery
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Villiers Hatton |
Commander of British Troops in South China 1906–1910 |
Succeeded by Sir Charles Anderson |