Major General Alexander Whitelaw Thorneycroft, (19 January 1859 – 4 November 1931) was a senior

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 during 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 ...

Personal life

Thorneycroft was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Thorneycroft, a former High Sheriff of Staffordshire and Yeomanry officer, by his wife Jane Whitelaw.

Military career

Thorneycroft was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

on 22 February 1879, and served in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

later the same year, followed by the operations against

Sekukuni Sekhukhune I (Matsebe; circa 1814 – 13 August 1882) was the paramount King of the Marota, more commonly known as the Bapedi (Pedi people), from 21 September 1861 until his assassination on 13 August 1882 by his rival and half-brother, Mampuru ...

. Two years later, he served in the

First Boer War The First Boer War (, ), was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and Boers of the Transvaal (as the South African Republic was known while under British ad ...

of 1881, and took part in the defence of

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

, following which he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 1 July 1881. He was promoted to

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

on 23 January 1887, to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 1 July 1899, and received the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel on the same day. Expecting military hostilities, Thorneycroft was one of several officers sent to South Africa to raise volunteer units shortly before the

broke out in October 1899. He raised a corps of troopers, later known as the Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry, which served in the early stages of the war, including in the campaign to relieve Ladysmith, which was under siege by troops from the Boer republics. In the

Battle of Spion Kop The Battle of Spion Kop (; ) was a military engagement between British forces and two Boer Republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, during the campaign by the British to relieve the besieged city Ladysmith during the ...

in late January 1900, he was selected to lead the initial assault. Before dawn, the British forces had captured what they thought was the summit of the kop, or hill. The Boers, who actually held the higher ground, soon counter-attacked, swarming the British position. The higher ranking British officers were killed or mortally wounded, leaving Thorneycroft the most senior officer present. A British counterattack failed in the face of withering fire from the Boers, but Thorneycroft refused to allow any under his command to surrender. Not knowing that they actually had gained the upper hand over the course of the day, and running short on both water and ammunition, the British troops retreated under cover of dark. The battle at Spion Kop was considered a resounding defeat, but the British regrouped and were able to relieve Ladysmith four weeks later. Thorneycroft received a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel and was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in the April 1901 South Africa Honours list (the award was dated 29 November 1900). He stayed in South Africa throughout the war, which entered a phase of guerrilla warfare from late 1900. In his final despatch from South Africa in June 1902, Lord Kitchener, Commander-in-Chief of the forces during the latter part of the war, described Thorneycroft as "an absolutely reliable officer of great experience, common-sense and force of character." For his service in the later part of the war, Thorneycroft received a brevet promotion to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

on 22 August 1902. After the end of the war in June 1902, Thorneycroft was among a number of officers who left

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

on the in late July, arriving in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

the following month. Following his return, he was in November 1902 appointed assistant adjutant-general of the 7th Infantry Division, serving in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, and received the substantive rank of colonel on 12 November 1902. He was promoted to temporary brigadier general and became commander of the 14th Infantry Brigade in November 1905 and, promoted in September 1909 to major general, and became

general officer commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

(GOC) South Midland Division in September 1911 before retiring from the army in July 1912.

Later life

Thorneycroft married Rebekhah Frances Crozier at St Marylebone, London, in 1903. They had no children. Thorneycroft died at the age of 72 in 1931, at his home Blandford Lodge in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorneycroft, Andrew Whitelaw 1859 births 1931 deaths British Army generals Companions of the Order of the Bath British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Military personnel from Wolverhampton British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War 20th-century British Army personnel Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Burials in Berkshire British military personnel of the First Boer War