Brigadier General George Colborne Nugent, (22 February 1864 – 31 May 1915) was a

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 who served on the staff 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 ...

, was closely involved in training the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

, and was killed in action whilst leading an infantry brigade in action in May 1915 during 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 ...

Early life

George Colborne was born on 22 February 1864, the eldest son of Sir Edmund Charles Nugent, 3rd Baronet of Waddesdon (1839–1928) and his wife Evelyn Henrietta Gascoigne.'Nugent of Waddesdon', ''Burke's Peerage'' (various edns). He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

.Obituary, ''The Times'' (London), 4 June 1915.

Military career

Nugent was initially commissioned as a subaltern, with the rank of

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 ...

, into the 3rd (

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) Battalion, Norfolk Regiment (later the

Royal Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

) in October 1881. He resigned his commission, however, in February 1884 and then entered the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. and on

passing out Syncope , commonly known as fainting or passing out, is a loss of consciousness and muscle strength characterized by a fast onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery. It is caused by a decrease in blood flow to the brain, typically from l ...

in February 1885 was commissioned as a lieutenant into the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

. Promoted to

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in May 1897,''Quarterly Army List'' (various edns) Nugent served with the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, at

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before being appointed aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Sir Henry Colville, commanding the infantry brigade at Gibraltar, in March 1899.

Second Boer War

In October 1899 Nugent and his brigadier were transferred to

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

as part of the troop build-up for the

. Colville took command of the 1st (Guards) Brigade in Major General

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's 1st Division, with Nugent as his aide-de-camp.Creswicke. Advancing to relieve Kimberley at the beginning of the war, Methuen attempted a night attack at Belmont on 22–23 November 1899. He sent Colville off with his brigade to assault Gun Hill; although the attack was a failure, Nugent 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 ...

for the first time for his work that night. He distinguished himself again at the

Battle of Modder River The Battle of Modder River (, fought near the confluence of the Modder and Riet Rivers) was an engagement in the Boer War, fought at Modder River, on 28 November 1899. A British column under Lord Methuen, that was attempting to relieve the ...

and was present at the

Battle of Magersfontein The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley, South Africa, on t ...

. When Colville was promoted to command the 9th Division, Nugent went with him and served at the battles of Poplar Grove and Driefontein. However, in May 1900, while Lord Roberts was closing in on Johannesburg, a

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units and sub-units in the British Army Reserve which are descended from volunteer cavalry regiments that now serve in a variety of different roles. History Origins In the 1790s, following the ...

battalion under Colville's command was cut off and forced to surrender; Colville was made a scapegoat and sent home. Nugent also returned to the UK, because he had been appointed with the rank of

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 ...

as one of the first officers of the

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG) is one of the Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infant ...

, newly-forming in London.

Service in London

In 1901 Nugent was made commandant of the School of Instruction for Officers of the Auxiliary Forces. Based at

Chelsea Barracks Chelsea Barracks was a British Army barracks located in the City of Westminster, London, between the districts of Belgravia, Chelsea and Pimlico on Chelsea Bridge Road. The barracks closed in the late 2000s, and the site is currently being redev ...

, it provided training for the part-time officers of the

and the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...

. In May 1908 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and took command of the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards. As

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

(CO) of the battalion, Nugent was appointed a

Member 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 ...

(MVO) by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

in January 1909. Nugent became commander of the regiment and the regimental district in July 1909. This brought him the rank of temporary colonel, and also made him ''ex-officio'' commander of the 5th London Infantry Brigade in the

(TF), newly formed from the

. The brigade comprised four battalions (17th–20th) of the

London Regiment London Regiment may refer to two infantry regiments in the British Army: * London Regiment (1908–1938) The London Regiment was an infantry regiment in the British Army, part of the Territorial Force (renamed the Territorial Army in 1921). Th ...

and formed part of the

2nd London Division The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. Formation The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Res ...

.Becke, pp. 69–75. He was promoted to substantive colonel in December 1911. On completion of his four-year term commanding the district and brigade, Nugent was appointed commandant of the

Duke of York's Royal Military School The Duke of York's Royal Military School, in Guston, Kent, commonly known as the Duke of York's, is a co-educational academy with military tradition for students aged 11 to 18. In 2010, the school became an academy under the Ministry of Defe ...

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

in July 1913.

First World War

Nugent was still commandant when 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 ...

broke out in August 1914. When

Charles FitzClarence Brigadier General Charles FitzClarence, VC (8 May 1865 – 12 November 1914) was an Anglo-Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and C ...

, VC (who had succeeded him in command of the Irish Guards' regimental district and the 5th London Brigade) was transferred to command the 1st (Guards) Brigade in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), Nugent was brought back to command the 5th London Brigade. He was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general on 24 September. In October, the 2nd London Division was selected for service on the Western Front, where the BEF under Field Marshal

Sir John French Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, (28 September 1852 – 22 May 1925), known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a senior British Army officer. Born in Kent, ...

was engaged in heavy fighting, and progressive training was carried out through the winter. Nugent's brigade was the leading element of the division to land in France on 9 and 10 March 1915. In May the division (already known in France simply as 'The London Division' to distinguish it from the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

's 2nd Division) took its place in the line and was designated the

47th (1/2nd London) Division The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. Formation The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Res ...

, with the brigades numbered consecutively: Nugent's 5th London became the 141st (1/5th London) Brigade. The 47th Division took part in fighting at the battles of

Aubers Ridge The Battle of Aubers (Battle of Aubers Ridge) was a British offensive on the Western Front on 9 May 1915 during the First World War. The battle was part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive int ...

(9 May) and

Festubert Festubert () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southwest of Lille. The village was on the Western Front during the First World War and was largely destroyed in the May 1915 Battle of Festubert ...

(15–25 May), but the 141st Brigade was only marginally involved. During a quiet period of trench-holding, Nugent was

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by a stray bullet on 31 May, "in "Sidbury" Trench near Point Fixe. He was buried at 5.30 pm. in

Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a town in northern France, Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department. Geography Béthune is located in the Provinces of Fran ...

Cemetery. Major-Gen

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, Gen Sergeant, Maj-Gen

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and representatives of units were present at the funeral". A company of the 24th Battalion, London Regiment "in the Béthune area acted as escort. The Buglers of the 6th London Field Ambulance sounded the

Last Post The "Last Post" is a British and Commonwealth bugle call used at military funerals, and at ceremonies commemorating those who have died in war. Versions The "Last Post" is either an A or a B♭ bugle call, primarily within British infan ...

Family life

Nugent married Isabel Bulwer, daughter of General Sir Edward Gascoigne Bulwer in 1891. She died in 1941 They had two sons: * George Nugent, born 5 November 1892, Captain and Adjutant of 3rd Bn Grenadier Guards in the First World War, succeeded his grandfather as the 4th Baronet in 1928 and died in 1970. * Terence Edmund Gascoigne Nugent, Lieutenant, Irish Guards in 1915, later Lt-Col, created Baron Nugent in 1960. In 1935 he married Rosalie Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughy, daughter of Brig.-Gen Charles Strathavon Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, who had commanded 6th London Bde alongside Nugent's brigade in 2nd London Division.Maude, pp. 4, 232.

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Louis Creswicke, ''South Africa and the Transvaal War'', Vol II: ''From the Commencement of the War to the Battle of Colenso, 15 December 1899'', Edinburgh, 190

* Alan H. Maude (ed.), ''The History of the 47th (London) Division 1914–1919'', London: Amalgamated Press, 1922/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, . * Stephen M. Miller, ''Lord Methuen and the British Army: Failure and Redemption in South Africa'', London: Frank Cass, 1999, .. *

External sources

''London Gazette''.The Sandhurst Collection.Anglo-Boer War.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nugent, George Colborne 1864 births 1915 deaths People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Grenadier Guards officers Irish Guards officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army generals of World War I Members of the Royal Victorian Order British military personnel killed in World War I British Army brigadiers British Militia officers Royal Norfolk Regiment officers Military personnel from the City of Westminster Burials in Hauts-de-France