Brigadier-General Charles Bulkeley Bulkeley-Johnson (19 November 1867 – 11 April 1917) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

Egyptian Army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...

officer who served in the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War (; 1881–1899) was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese, led by Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided One"), and the forces of the Khedivate of Egypt, initially, and later th ...

and 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 killed in action on 11 April 1917, while commanding the 8th Cavalry Brigade, on the second day of the Battle of Arras.Lions Led by Donkeys: Surnames beginning 'B'
." ()

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

. Retrieved on 27 September 2013. He is the only foreigner to receive the Russian Imperial Order of St. George Cross, — the highest military order, in both fourth and third class, for his bravery in First World War

Biography

The son of Francis Bulkeley Johnson, he was born in 1867. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and graduated from the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

. Bulkeley-Johnson was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) on 5 February 1887, 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 16 March 1889 and 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 13 June 1894. He served in the Egyptian Army from January 1899 to January 1903, during which he participated in the Nile Expedition. He also participated in operations that resulted in the defeat of the

Khalifa ''Khalifa'' or ''Khalifah'' (; commonly "caliph" in English) is a name or title which means "successor", "ruler" or "leader". It most commonly refers to the leader of a Caliphate, but is also used as a title among various Islamic religious groups ...

, when he was in command of a squadron of cavalry during the Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on 25 November 1899 (mentioned in despatches 25 November 1899). Promotion 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 ...

came on 17 September 1902. On 19 August 1911, at 43 years of age, Bulkeley-Johnson was appointed as the commanding officer of the Royal Scots Greys. On 13 November 1914, after receiving a promotion to the temporary rank of brigadier-general, he was promoted to be the

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) of the 8th Cavalry Brigade of the 3rd Cavalry Division and he commanded this brigade until his death. For his exploits he has been awarded the two Crosses of the Russian Order of St. George — which makes him the only Allied Officer during WWI ever to achieve such a level of recognition. On 11 April 1917, during the Battle of Arras, British infantry were pinned down in front of the village of Monchy under very heavy machine-gun fire from the north ridge of Scarpe. The General was mortally wounded and died at age 49 in

Monchy-le-Preux Monchy-le-Preux () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southeast of Arras. History During World War I ten Commonwealth soldiers, from Newfoundland territory while still independent from Canada ...

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 ...

. His burial site is the Gouy-en-Artois Communal Cemetery Extension. An account of General Bulkeley-Johnson's death is related in detail in And All For What? by D.W.J Cuddeford.

References

* Davies, Frank and Graham Maddocks. ''Bloody Red Tabs: General Officer Casualties of the Great War 1914–1918''. Leo Cooper, 1995. .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulkeley-Johnson, Charles Bulkely 1867 births 1917 deaths People educated at Harrow School Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army brigadiers British military personnel killed in World War I British Army cavalry generals of World War I Royal Scots Greys officers British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British expatriates in China British expatriates in Egypt Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree 19th-century British Army personnel