Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, (13 September 1865 – 17 May 1951) was a

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. He saw active service in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

on the staff of Lord Kitchener. He saw action again in 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, ...

as Commander of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915, leading the landings on the peninsula and then the evacuation later in the year, before becoming commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

during the closing stages of the war. He went on to be general officer commanding the Northern Army in India in 1920 and

Commander-in-Chief, India During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...

, in 1925.

Early life

William Riddell Birdwood was born on 13 September 1865 in Kirkee, India. His father,

Herbert Mills Birdwood Herbert Mills Birdwood LLD (29 May 1837 – 21 February 1907) was an Anglo-Indian judge and administrator. He was the acting governor of Bombay from 16 February 1895 to 18 February 1895. He was also a naturalist and botanist who documented th ...

, born in Bombay and educated in the UK, had returned to India in 1859 after passing the Indian Civil Service examination. In 1861, Herbert Birdwood married Edith Marion Sidonie, the eldest daughter of Surgeon-Major Elijah George Halhed Impey of the Bombay Horse Artillery and postmaster-general of the

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

. They had five sons and a daughter; William was their second son. At the time of William's birth, his father held positions in the Bombay legislative council, and went on to become a Bombay high court judge. William Birdwood was educated at

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , hea ...

Military career

After securing a militia commission in the 4th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1883,Heathcote, p. 43 Birdwood trained at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

, from which he was commissioned early, owing to the Russian war scare of 1885, becoming a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers on 9 May 1885. He joined his regiment in India and then transferred from the 12th Royal Lancers to the Bengal Staff Corps on 20 December 1886. He subsequently transferred to the 11th Bengal Lancers in 1887, seeing action on the North-West Frontier in 1891. He later became

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 ...

of the Viceroy's Bodyguard in 1893. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 9 May 1896 and saw action during the Tirah Campaign in 1897. Birdwood served in the

, initially as brigade-major with a mounted brigade in Natal from 10 January 1900 and then as Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General on the staff of Lord Kitchener from 15 October 1900. Promoted to brevet major on 20 November 1901 and local

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

in October 1901,Heathcote, p. 44 he became military secretary to Lord Kitchener on 5 June 1902, and followed him on his return to the United Kingdom on board the ''SS Orotava'', which arrived in

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

on 12 July 1902. He received a brevet promotion to

in the South African Honours list published on 26 June 1902. In a despatch from June 1902, Lord Kitchener wrote the following about his work in South Africa: :This young officer has held a difficult position as Assistant Adjutant-General, Mounted Troops, and responsible adviser as to the distribution of remounts. In carrying out these duties he has proved himself to possess exceptional ability, and he has shown, moreover, remarkable tact in dealing with and conciliating the various interests which he had to take into consideration. When Kitchener went to India as commander-in-chief in November 1902, Birdwood joined him there as assistant military secretary and interpreter. He was promoted to the substantive rank of major on 9 May 1903 and appointed Military Secretary to Lord Kitchener with the rank of full

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

on 26 June 1905. Having been appointed an aide-de-camp to the King on 14 February 1906, he was given command of the Kohat Brigade on the North West Frontier in 1908 and promoted to temporary

brigadier-general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

on 28 June 1909. Promoted to the rank of major-general on 3 October 1911, Birdwood became quartermaster-general in India and a member of the Viceroy's Legislative Council in 1912 and then Secretary of the Indian Army Department in 1913.

Gallipoli

In November 1914 Birdwood was instructed by Kitchener to form an army

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

from the Australian and New Zealand troops that were training in Egypt. He was promoted to temporary

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

on 12 December 1914 and given command of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Kitchener instructed General Sir Ian Hamilton, Commander of the

Mediterranean Expeditionary Force The Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) was the part of the British Army during World War I that commanded all Allied forces at Gallipoli and Salonika. It was formed in March 1915, under the command of General Sir Ian Hamilton, at the begi ...

, to carry out an operation to capture the

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

peninsula and placed Birdwood's ANZAC Corps under Hamilton's command. Hamilton ordered Birdwood to carry out a landing on 25 April 1915 north of

Kabatepe Kabatepe, or Gaba Tepe, is a headland overlooking the northern Aegean Sea in what is now the Gallipoli Peninsula National Historical Park ( tr), on the Gallipoli peninsula in northwestern Turkey. During the First World War, the headland was the ...

at a site now known as ANZAC Cove. The ANZAC Corps encountered high ridges, narrow gullies, dense scrub and strong Turkish resistance and became pinned down. Major-General William Bridges and Major-General Alexander Godley, the divisional commanders, were both of the view that the Allied forces, dealing with stiffer-than-expected resistance, should be evacuated ahead of an expected attack by Turkish forces.Bean, 1981, pp. 456–457 Nevertheless, Hamilton ordered them to hold fast.Bean, 1981, pp. 460–461

General Birdwood Shrapnel Gully Photo William George Clifton SLV MS10484 PHO1Image6

Birdwood took effective command of the Australian Imperial Force, i.e. all Australian Forces in May 1915 while still commanding Allied troops on the ground at Gallipoli. He launched a major attack on the Turks in August 1915 (the Battle of Sari Bair) but still failed to dislodge them from the peninsula. Notwithstanding this, he was the only corps commander opposed to abandoning Gallipoli. He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 28 October 1915 and given command of the newly formed Dardanelles Army: the one outstanding success of the campaign was the evacuation led by Birdwood, which took place in December 1915 and January 1916, when the entire force was withdrawn before any Turkish reaction.

Western Front

In February 1916 the Australian and New Zealand contingents, back in Egypt, underwent reorganisation to incorporate the new units and reinforcements that had accumulated during 1915: the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was replaced by two corps, I ANZAC Corps and II ANZAC Corps, and Birdwood reverted to the command of II ANZAC Corps. When I ANZAC Corps became the first to depart for France, Birdwood, as senior corps commander, took over command. During early 1916 Birdwood advocated for the formation of an Australian and New Zealand Army or a Dominion Army also including Canadian forces under his command, but this did not occur. Birdwood was promoted to the permanent rank of full

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 ...

on 23 October 1917 with command of a formation then known as the Australian Corps in November 1917. He was also appointed aide-de-camp general to the King on 2 November 1917 and given command of the

British Fifth Army The Fifth Army was a field army of the British Army during World War I that formed part of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918. The army originated as the Reserve Corps during the preparations for the Bri ...

on 31 May 1918 and led the Army at the liberation of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

in October 1918 and at the liberation of Tournai in November 1918.

After the war

Birdwood was made a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

, of Anzac and of Totnes, in the County of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, on 29 December 1919. He toured Australia to great acclaim in 1920 and then became general officer commanding the Northern Army in India later that year.Heathcote, p. 45 He was promoted to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

(with the corresponding honorary rank in the Australian Military Forces) on 20 March 1925 and, having been appointed a Member of the Executive Council of the

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

in July 1925, he went on to be

, in August 1925. After leaving the service in 1930, Birdwood made a bid to become

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

and the British government. However, the Australian Prime Minister James Scullin insisted that his Australian nominee

Sir Isaac Isaacs Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs (6 August 1855 – 11 February 1948) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the ninth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1931 to 1936. He had previously served on the High Court of Au ...

be appointed. Instead, Birdwood was appointed Master of

Peterhouse, Cambridge Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...

on 20 April 1931 and

Captain of Deal Castle Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1934. In 1935 he wrote for the Western Australian distance education magazine '' Our Rural Magazine'' claiming that he had two granddaughters making good use of distance courses for educational purposes. In May 1936, he returned to Gallipoli aboard RMS ''Lancastria'' and visited war memorials on the peninsula. He retired from academic work in 1938. In retirement Birdwood was

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

of the

12th Royal Lancers The 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-wa ...

(1920–1951), the 6th Gurkha Rifles (1926–1951), and the 75th (Home Counties) (Cinque Ports) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (1939–1951). In January 1936 he attended the funeral of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

and in May 1937 he was present for the

coronation of King George VI The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May ...

. He was raised to the peerage in recognition of his wartime service as

Baron Birdwood Baron Birdwood, of Anzac and of Totnes in the County of Devon, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 25 January 1938 for Sir William Birdwood, 1st Baronet. He is chiefly remembered as the commander of the Austra ...

, of Anzac and of Totnes in the County of Devon, on 25 January 1938. His autobiography ''Khaki and Gown'' (1941) was followed by ''In my time: recollections and anecdotes'' (1946). Lord Birdwood died at

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

, where he lived in

grace-and-favour ''Grace & Favour'' (American title: ''Are You Being Served? Again!'') is a British sitcom and a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Are You Being Served?'' that aired on BBC One, BBC1 for two series from 1992 to 1993. It was written by ''Are You Be ...

apartments, on 17 May 1951. He was buried at Twickenham Cemetery with full

military honours A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

. The Australian Government still pays for the upkeep of his grave.

Honours and awards

Grave of William Birdwood and family (Twickenham Cemetery)

British

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

(GCB) – 1 January 1923 (KCB: 4 June 1917; CB: 19 June 1911) *

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander ( GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointme ...

(GCSI) – 1 January 1930 (KCSI: 1 January 1915; CSI: 1 January 1910) *

Knight Grand Cross 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 IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(GCMG) – 1 January 1919 (KCMG: 3 June 1915) * Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) – 11 May 1937 * Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) – 1 January 1908 *

Companion of 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, typic ...

(DSO) – 14 August 1908 * Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of St. John (KStJ) – 21 June 1927

Foreign

* Croix de Guerre (France), 22 February 1916 and 11 March 1919 (with Palm) * Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) – 2 November 1916 * Croix de Guerre (Belgium) – 11 March 1918 *

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

(United States) – 12 July 1919 * Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword (Portugal) – 21 August 1919 * Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight f ...

(Japan) – 21 January 1921

Family

In 1893 Birdwood married Janetta Bromhead, daughter of Sir Benjamin Bromhead; they had a son and two daughters. His wife died in 1947. The son, Christopher Birdwood (1899–1962), succeeded him as 2nd Baron Birdwood. The elder daughter was Constance 'Nancy' Birdwood, and the younger daughter was Judith Birdwood. Other members of the Birdwood family include Labour minister and peer Christopher Birdwood Thomson (1875–1930), Anglo-Indian naturalist Sir George Birdwood (1832–1917), and Jane Birdwood (1913–2000), the second wife of William Birdwood's son.

Legacy

The town of Blumberg, South Australia, changed its German name to Birdwood in 1918, and the

soldier settlement Soldier settlement was the settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under soldier settlement schemes administered by state governments after World War I and World War II. The post-World War II settlem ...

of Birdwoodton, Victoria was named after Birdwood in 1920.

Mount Birdwood Mount Birdwood is a summit in the Spray Mountains range of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. The mountain is situated on the east boundary of Banff National Park in the upper Spray Lakes River Valley. __NOTOC__ History Named in 1919, ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

also bears his name. Many streets and public spaces in Australia and New Zealand are named or commonly believed to be named after Birdwood, including Birdwood Park in

Newcastle West Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicized Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, It is also the county town, and sits on the ...

in 1920 and a street in New Lambton in 1919.

Coat of arms

References

Sources

* * * * * *

External links

* A. J. Hill
'Birdwood, William Riddell (Baron Birdwood) (1865–1951)'
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 293–296.

* Birdwood's AIF service record, available in th
Australian National Archives
as a digital image
Birdwood presenting medals during the First World War
(British-Pathé)
Bust of Birdwood by Barbara Tribe
(Australian National Portrait Gallery)
In the thick of it
article on Birdwood and items relating to him at the Australian National Portrait Gallery
Collection of photographs and artworks of Birdwood
(UK National Portrait Gallery)
Collection of photographs of Lady Birdwood
also includes photographs of their younger daughter Judith (UK National Portrait Gallery) , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Birdwood, William Riddell 1st Baron Birdwood 1865 births 1951 deaths Australian generals British Army cavalry generals of World War I British Commanders-in-Chief of India British field marshals British Indian Army generals British military personnel of the Second Boer War Captains of Deal Castle Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge Field marshals of Australia Masters of Peterhouse, Cambridge People educated at Clifton College People from Pune district Royal Horse Guards officers Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst 12th Royal Lancers officers 1 Barons created by George VI Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights of Grace of the Order of St John Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Grand Officers of the Order of Aviz Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Order of the Tower and Sword Military personnel of British India People from Pune Members of the Council of the Governor General of India