Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Sir Arthur Arnold Barrett, (3 June 1857 – 20 October 1926) was a British officer of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

. He saw action at the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment in December 1879 and at the Battle of Kandahar in September 1880 during the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dy ...

and went on to serve in the Hunza-Nagar Campaign in 1891. During 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 General Officer Commanding the Poona Division which successfully took

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

in November 1914 and then Al-Qurnah in Mesopotamia in December 1914. He spent the rest of the War commanding the Northern Army in which role he took part in operations against the Mahsuds in Spring 1917. He saw action again as the senior British officer on the ground during the

Third Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War was a short war which began on 3 May and ended on 8 August 1919. The new Amir of the Emirate of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan declared a Jihad against the British in the hope to proclaim full independence, as well as ...

in 1919 before retiring in May 1920.

Early life and service

Born the son of Alfred Barrett (a clergyman) and Emma Barrett (née Collins), Barrett was commissioned sub-lieutenant in the 44th Regiment of Foot on 10 September 1875 and immediately sailed to join his

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

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 ...

.Heathcote, p. 39 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 ...

in June 1878 with seniority backdated to the date of his commission. He transferred from the 44th Foot to the Indian Staff Corps on 17 January 1879 and was posted to the 3rd Sikhs, a regiment of the Punjab Frontier Force, and saw action at the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment in December 1879 and at the Battle of Kandahar in September 1880 during the

. Barrett transferred to the 1st battalion the 5th Gurkha Rifles in 1882 and, having been 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 10 September 1886, he took part in the Hunza-Nagar Campaign in 1891.

Later service in India

Promoted 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 10 September 1895, Barrett became deputy assistant quartermaster-general and then assistant quartermaster-general of the large force mobilised for the Tirah Campaign in 1897. He was

mentioned in dispatches 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 ...

and promoted to brevet lieutenant-colonel on 20 May 1898 on appointment as assistant adjutant-general of the Punjab Frontier Force.Heathcote, p. 40 He became Commanding Officer of the 1st battalion the 5th Gurkha Rifles in 1899 and received promotion to the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel on 10 September 1901 and to brevet

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 11 October 1902. He was appointed

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 ...

(CB) in 1903 and became deputy adjutant-general at Northern Command in India with the substantive rank of colonel on 20 February 1905. He was promoted major-general on 1 December 1906 and given command of the Nowshera Brigade on 29 March 1907. He commanded the second

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

in the Bazar Valley Campaign in February 1908 and operations against the

Mohmand The Mohmand () or Momand is a prominent tribe of Pashtun people. Distribution They are based primarily in the Mohmand territory, which is located in Nangarhar, Afghanistan and Mohmand Agency, Pakistan. In Afghanistan, their areas of presence i ...

s a few months later and for this he was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 14 August 1908. He was appointed Adjutant-General, India on 1 April 1909 and, having been 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 norma ...

on 23 October 1911, he was given command of the Poona Division on 21 February 1912. He was appointed

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(KCVO) on 14 January 1912.

First World War and aftermath

On the declaration of war on the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in November 1914 Barrett was sent to

with his division and occupied the city of

later that month. Before the end of the year he had pushed forwards to occupy Al-Qurnah. When the troops in Mesopotamia were reorganised as a

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 formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

under John Nixon in 1915 he retained command of the 6th Division, but soon resigned due to ill-health, passing command to

Charles Townshend Charles Townshend (27 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the Amer ...

. He returned to India, was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI), 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 ...

the Northern Army on 31 May 1916. He commanded operations against the Mahsuds in March to August 1917. Promoted to full

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

on 1 August 1917, he was appointed ADC General to the King on 3 November 1917 and was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1918 King's Birthday Honours. Ministry of Information First World War Official Collection Q25671

Ministry of Information First World War Official Collection Q25671

When the

broke out in May 1919 Barrett was given command of the North-West Frontier Force and was the senior officer on the ground throughout the war. He was promoted to Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI) on 1 January 1920.

Retirement

Barrett retired from the

on 31 May 1920. He was promoted to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

on 12 April 1921 and received the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, 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 feat ...

1st Class on 19 August 1921. He died at the age of 69 at his home in

Sharnbrook Sharnbrook is a village and civil parish located in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, situated around north-west of Bedford town centre. The settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a parish within the Hundred o ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

on 20 October 1926.Heathcote, p. 41

Family

In 1894 Barrett married Mary Haye; they had one daughter. After his first wife died he married Ella Lafone in 1907; they had no children.

Early life and service

Later service in India

First World War and aftermath

Retirement

Family

References

Sources

Further reading