Brigadier-General Arthur Henry Seton Hart-Synnot, (1870–1942)Summary of military career
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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 ...

general who saw service in the

South African 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 ...

; then in Japan, Hong Kong, Burma, and India; and finally in France in 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 ...

Early life

Born at Ballymoyer House between Whitecross and Newtownhamilton in Co Armagh, Hart-Synnot was from a family with a history of military service. His father was Major General

Arthur FitzRoy Hart-Synnot Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

and his uncle, Sir Reginald Hart, was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

in Afghanistan. He was educated at

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

King William's College King William's College () is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school for pupils aged 3 to 18 near Castletown, Isle of Man, Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Hea ...

, Isle of Man and the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He took the added surname of Hart-Synnot (in lieu of Hart) in 1902.

Military career

After passing out from the Royal Military College, Hart-Synnot (then Hart) was commissioned into the

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ( ...

as a second lieutenant on 8 October 1890. He was promoted to lieutenant on 7 June 1892, and served with the

Chitral Relief Force The Chitral Expedition (Urdu:چترال فوجی مہم) was a military expedition in 1895 sent by the British authorities to relieve the fort at Chitral, which was under siege after a local coup following the death of the old ruler. An interve ...

under Sir Robert Low in 1895 in command of the Maxim gun detachment of the ist Battalion East Surrey Regiment (Medal with Clasp). Two years later, he served in the Tirah campaign on the North West Frontier of India under Sir William Lockhart in 1897 as Orderly Officer to the Brigadier General commanding the 1st Brigade Tirah Expeditionary Force.Hart′s army list, 1901 Promotion 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 ...

followed on 21 June 1899, the same year he passed the Staff College. Hart 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 ...

from late 1899, first in command of the Northern Company of Mounted Infantry, being present during all the operations about Naawpoort and Colesberg with

French's French's is an American brand of prepared Mustard (condiment), mustards, condiments, fried onions, and other food items, best known for their popular yellow mustard. Created by Robert Timothy French, French's "Cream Salad Brand" mustard debuted ...

Cavalry Division (for which he was

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 ...

). He commanded the company in the

relief of Kimberley The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try t ...

(15 February 1900) and in the advance on

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

, including the

battle of Paardeberg The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg ("Horse Mountain", 18–27 February 1900) was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near ''Paardeberg Ford (crossing), Drift'' on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free St ...

during which he was wounded, the engagements at Driefontein, Poplar Grove, and Klip Drift, and in the subsequent occupation of Bloemfontein and operations east of that city about Thabanchu. In summer 1900 he served with Hamilton's Force in command of the Northern Company of Mounted Infantry and afterwards as Staff Officer of Legge's Corps of Mounted Infantry during the advance to Pretoria and the following capture of Johannesburg and Pretoria. He took part in the

Battle of Diamond Hill The Battle of Diamond Hill (Donkerhoek) () was an engagement of the Second Boer War that took place on 11 and 12 June 1900 in central Transvaal. Background The Boer forces retreated to the east by the time the capital of the South Africa ...

(June 1900), and as staff officer of Mounted Infantry in the march to Betlehem and Vredefort, following which he served as brigade major of the Irish brigade with Lord Kitchener's column in pursuit of Boer general

Christiaan de Wet Christiaan Rudolf de Wet (7 October 1854 – 3 February 1922) was a Boer general, rebel leader and politician. Life Born on the Leeuwkop farm, in the district of Smithfield in the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State, he later resided at ...

. Following the end of the war in June 1902, Hart returned to the United Kingdom on the SS ''Soudan'', arriving at Southampton in early September. His career then took the staff path, when he was seconded as an Aide-de-Camp to his uncle from December 1902 until November 1903. In 1904 he was posted to

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 ...

, and between 1907 and 1911 served in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. He was promoted

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 17 March 1909. After a tour in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

with his regiment (1911–13), he was appointed general staff officer grade 2 (GSO2) at GHQ India on 27 October 1913, where he remained until October 1916, when he returned to Britain. The

Great 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 ...

was now convulsing Europe, and Hart-Synnot was deployed to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

on New Year's Day 1917. Previously brevetted to lieutenant-colonel, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 17 January 1917. He again served as a GSO2 with the 17th and 40th Divisions. He became a temporary Brigadier-General when he was appointed to command 6th Infantry Brigade on 28 April 1918, where he was severely wounded, losing both legs. In the 1918

King's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

he was awarded a

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to his DSO. The following year, 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 I ...

(CMG) in a special addition to the

1919 Birthday Honours The 1919 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

. He was also made a Chevalier of the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, and awarded the French

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. He was placed on the half-pay list and retired as an honorary brigadier-general in 1920 as a result of these wounds.

Personal life

While a military observer in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War, Hart-Synnot began an extended love affair with a Japanese woman, Suzuki Masa (1878–1965), by whom he had two sons, Suzuki Kiyoshi (1906–1945) and Suzuki Hideo (1911–1915). In the 1980s, approximately 800 letters were discovered in Japan, addressed to Suzuki Masa from Hart-Synnot. This correspondence was the subject of a 2006 biography, ''Falling Blossom'' by Peter Pagnamenta and Momoko Williams published by Century. In 1919, Hart-Synnot married a nurse, Violet Drower (1886–1969), whom he met while convalescing from his wounds. The couple had no children.

Early life

Military career

Personal life

See also

References

Further reading