General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Sir Robert Hadden Haining, (28 July 1882 – 15 September 1959) was a senior

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

officer during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Early life and education

Haining was born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, the eldest son of Dr. William Haining and Mary Ellen Roberts. He was educated at

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. The headma ...

and at the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of S ...

Military career

After Woolwich, Haining was commissioned into the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1900.Liddell Hart Centre for Military archives He served during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, where he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(DSO) in 1915 and

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) 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 ...

six times throughout the war. After attending the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, whic ...

from 1920 to 1921, he returned there as an instructor from 1922 to 1924. Haining was appointed Assistant

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

and Quartermaster General for the 2nd Division based at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

in 1928 and then became a

General Staff Officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

in 4th Division at

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

in 1930. He served in Military Operations in the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

from 1931 to 1933, becoming deputy director of Military Operations and Intelligence at the

in 1933. He became Commandant of the Imperial Defence College in 1935 and Director of Military Operations and Intelligence at the

in 1936. He was appointed General Officer Commanding British Forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan in 1938. At the outbreak of the

, Haining was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command and moved on to be Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1940. He was appointed Intendant General for Middle East Forces in 1941: Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

described the role of an ''Intendant General'' to be that of "serving the Commander-in-Chief with the largest possible measure of supplies". He retired from the

in 1942. Haining was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery from 1939 to 1950.

Retirement and death

In retirement Haining became active in civil life and was

Lord Lieutenant of Surrey This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Surrey. Since 1737, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Surrey. Lord Lieutenants of Surrey * William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton 1551–1553? *William Howa ...

.Surrey Police
Haining died in September 1959, aged 77. Following his death, his friend

George Richard Hodges Nugent George Richard Hodges Nugent, Baron Nugent of Guildford, (6 June 1907 – 16 March 1994),The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'' to remark on Haining's character and post-retirement life:

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Haining, Robert 1882 births 1959 deaths People from Chester People educated at Uppingham School Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army generals of World War II Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Lord-Lieutenants of Surrey Companions of the Distinguished Service Order English justices of the peace British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies Academics of the Staff College, Camberley Military personnel from Chester