Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Altham Altham, (13 April 1856 – 27 September 1943)"Altham, Lt-Gen. Sir Edward Altham" WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. December 01, 2007. Oxford University Press. was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

and as a senior intelligence officer during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was Quartermaster-General in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

1917–1919.

Biography

Altham was born in Wilton, Somerset in 1856, the second son of Major W. S. Altham, late 83rd Foot, of Timbercombe,

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

, and Henrietta Moulton-Barrett of Hope End, Herefordshire. He entered the Army in 1876, and was commissioned into

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...

, the oldest infantry regiment in the

, and served in the

Bechuanaland Expedition The Bechuanaland Expedition or Warren Expedition, of late 1884/1885, was a British military expedition to the Tswana country, to assert British sovereignty in the face of encroachments from Germany and the Transvaal, and to suppress the Boer stat ...

1884–85. He transferred to staff duty and was at the Intelligence Division,

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

, from 1897 to 1899. After the outbreak of the

in October that year, he was sent to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, where he served as Assistant Adjutant-General for Intelligence. For his service he was twice

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

, received the Queen's Medal with four clasps, and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. After his return to the United Kingdom in 1900, he passed Staff College, and from 1900 to 1904 was back at the Intelligence Division, where he served as deputy assistant adjutant-general. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(CMG) in the November

1901 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1901 were announced 9 November 1901, the birthday of the new monarch Edward VII. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British India. The list was published in ''The Ti ...

list. He served on the General Staff in South Africa from 1906 to 1908. Atham served throughout the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was appointed in charge of Administration, Southern Command, in 1914; then served, commanding the Lines of Communication on Mudros, with conspicuous success, Dardanelles campaign 1915, and in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force 1916. He gave evidence to the Dardanelles Commission of Enquiry. He was appointed Quartermaster-general in India in 1917, serving as such until 1919. For his service in the war, he was mentioned in despatches seven times, and promoted to

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) 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 normall ...

. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(KCB) in 1916, a Knight Commander of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...

(KCIE) in 1919, and received the Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle from

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, and the Grand Cross of the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

from Japan. He was Colonel of the Royal Scots from 1918 until 1934. After his retirement he lived in

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

, where he was a member of the Winchester

Diocesan Board of Finance A Diocesan Board of Finance, often abbreviated to DBF, is an institution of the Church of England which owns land and controls a number of financial matters in each of the Church's dioceses. Such boards have existed in every diocese of the Church s ...

. Altham died on 27 September 1943, at the age of 87.

Family

Altham married in 1880 Georgina Emily Nicol, daughter of William Macpherson Nicol of

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

. They had two sons and one daughter: *Captain Edward Altham, CB (1882–1950), of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

"Altham, Captain Edward" WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. December 01, 2007. Oxford University Press. *Major

Harry Surtees Altham Harry Surtees Altham (30 November 1888 – 11 March 1965) was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His ''Wisden'' obituary described him as "among the best known personalities ...

, CBE, DSO, MC (1888–1965) *Dorothy Mary Altham (1883-1969)

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Altham, Edward Altham 1856 births 1943 deaths Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army lieutenant generals British Army generals of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Royal Scots officers British people in colonial India Military personnel from Taunton