Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Gerald James Cuthbert (12 September 1861 – 1 February 1931) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

officer who commanded a battalion in the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

and a division in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. Cuthbert joined the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

in 1882 and served in Egypt and the Sudan during the late 19th century. During the Boer War he served with his regiment, rising to command a battalion and after the war he was given command of a brigade in 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 i ...

and then in the British Expeditionary Force of 1914. He served on the Western Front from 1914 to 1917, rising to command 39th Division, then returned to home service before retiring in 1919.

Early career

The fifth son of William Cuthbert of Beaufront Castle in Northumberland, Gerald was privately educated, and attended the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry ...

.''Who Was Who'' He was commissioned in the

Oxfordshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

in May 1882, transferring to the

two months later. He served with the 2nd Battalion during the Sudan Expedition of 1885,Obituary in the ''Times'' where he saw service at the

Battle of Suakin The Battle of Suakin (also known as the Battle of Gemaizah), part of the Mahdist War, occurred on 20 December 1888 when General Francis Grenfell defeated a Mahdist, or Dervish, force near Suakin, a chief port of Sudan. The Mahdist force, under ...

, and in 1889–90 was the aide-de-camp to Major-General Frederick Forestier-Walker at Aldershot. Returning to his regiment, he was promoted to Captain in 1893, and appointed

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of the 2nd Battalion from February 1895 to February 1899. Shortly after his period as adjutant was finished, in May, he was promoted to Major. He served extensively during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

, seeing action at

Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...

, Enslin,

Modder River The Modder River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Riet River that forms part of the border between the Northern Cape and the Free State provinces. The river's banks were the scenes of heavy fighting in the beginning of the ...

, Magersfontein, Poplar Grove, Dreifontein, Vet River, Zand River, Johannesburg, Pretoria,

Diamond Hill Diamond Hill is a hill in the east of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The name also refers to the area on or adjacent to the hill. It is surrounded by Ngau Chi Wan, San Po Kong, Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan. Its northeast is limited by the ridge. It i ...

, Riet Vlei, and

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

. Between January and July 1901, he commanded the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) 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 ...

during the war, and given a brevet promotion to

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

(dated 29 November 1900) in the South Africa Honours list 1901. Back with the 2nd battalion on the conclusion of hostilities in June 1902, he left

Port Natal Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

with men of this battalion on the SS ''Michigan'' in late September 1902, arriving at Southampton in late October, when the battalion was posted to

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alde ...

. Following the Boer War, he again commanded the 1st Battalion from 1904 until 1906, when he was relieved of his command and placed on half-pay after an inquiry into

ragging Ragging is the term used for the so-called " initiation ritual" practiced in higher education institutions in the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The practise is similar to hazing in North America, in Fr ...

in the battalion. Later that year, he was posted to Egypt as a temporary assistant adjutant-general; this was made permanent in December. He remained on the staff in Egypt until October 1909. He then returned home to command the

4th London Brigade The 140th (4th London) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army's Territorial Army (TA) that had its origins in a South London Brigade (known as the 'Grey Brigade') of the former Volunteer Force. It served on the Western ...

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 ...

, a

unit, as well as the regimental district of the Scots Guards. In February 1914 he was appointed to command 13th Infantry Brigade, a regular brigade in 5th Division, stationed in Ireland.

First World War

Cuthbert remained in command of 13th Brigade when it was mobilised for service in the British Expeditionary Force after the

began in August 1914. He took the brigade to France and commanded it through the

Retreat from Mons The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western Fro ...

, the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

and the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated ...

. He was sent back to England at the end of September and placed on "invalid" status. He was succeeded by William Hickie. On 26 November, Cuthbert was appointed to take command of a Territorial unit; this was the 140th Infantry Brigade, which he had commanded in its peacetime incarnation as the 4th London Brigade, of the

47th (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 ...

. He remained with them through 1915 and 1916, culminating in the

German attack on Vimy Ridge The German attack on Vimy Ridge (/Operation Schleswig-Holstein) was a local attack on the Western Front on 21 May 1916, during the First World War. The Germans intended to prevent mines being blown under German positions by capturing the British ...

in May 1916, where Cuthbert led the division in lieu of the divisional commander, who was on leave. He was not a popular brigadier; the London volunteers particularly objected to his strict views on cleanliness, a story circulated that he had ordered front-line trenches to be swept out with brooms. He was nicknamed "Spit and Polish" by the infantry as a result of his obsession with appearances, alongside his earlier nickname of "Bluebell", which may have been a reference to a brand of polish. He left the 140th Brigade in early July 1916, promoted to command 39th Division. He commanded it during the later phases of the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

and the Battle of Pilckem. His record with the division was not well received by his superiors;

Claud Jacob Field Marshal Sir Claud William Jacob, (21 November 1863 – 2 June 1948) was a British Indian Army officer. He served in the First World War as commander of the Dehra Dun Brigade, as General Officer Commanding 21st Division and as General Off ...

of II Corps described him as "obstinate and mulish" during the Battle of the Somme, whilst

Ivor Maxse General Sir Frederick Ivor Maxse, (22 December 1862 – 28 January 1958) was a senior British Army officer who fought during the First World War, best known for his innovative and effective training methods. Early life Ivor Maxse was the eldest ...

of XVIII Corps noted he had "little or no conception of training methods", and "few ideas" regarding tactical operations; his only merit was perceived to be his rigorous approach to discipline.Robbins, p. 63 He was removed from command in August 1917, and transferred to command the 72nd Division on home service. He later commanded

Shorncliffe Army Camp Shorncliffe Army Camp is a large military camp near Cheriton in Kent. Established in 1794, it later served as a staging post for troops destined for the Western Front during the First World War. History The camp was established in 1794 when th ...

, before retiring from the Army in 1919.

Retirement

Cuthbert never married. After he retired from the service, he lived in Sandhoe Garden Cottage on the family estate at Beaufront Castle. He died in February 1931, aged 69.

Notes

References

*"CUTHBERT, Maj.-Gen. Gerald James". (2007). In ''Who Was Who''
Online edition
*Obituary in the ''Times'', 2 February 1931, p. 14 * * * * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuthbert, Gerald 1861 births 1931 deaths British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army generals of World War I Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Order of the Bath Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Scots Guards officers British Army major generals Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers Territorial Force officers