Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Gerald Frederic Trotter, (21 July 1871 – 14 June 1945) was a British Army officer and courtier. Trotter was the son of Major-General Sir Henry Trotter and Hon. Eva Gifford, daughter of

Robert Gifford, 2nd Baron Gifford Robert Francis Gifford, 2nd Baron Gifford (19 March 1817 – 13 May 1872) was a British peer. He was the son of Robert Gifford, 1st Baron Gifford. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and served as an officer in the British Army. He ...

. His younger brother was the army officer,

Edward Henry Trotter Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter, DSO (1 December 1872 – 8 July 1916) was a British Army officer who commanded the 18th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) during the First World War. Early life He was born in London, the s ...

. Trotter was educated at HMS Britannia, but commissioned into the Royal Scots and transferred to the Grenadier Guards in June 1892. He was promoted to lieutenant on 3 March 1897, and to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

(supernumerary) on 18 November 1899. He first saw active service in the Second Boer War in South Africa. In March 1900 he was badly wounded when a small foraging party, mainly of officers, including Colonels Crabbe and Codrington, was ambushed at Karee Siding; one man was killed. This episode was generally regarded as "plucky" but widely reported round the world as an example of the "over-confidence and recklessness" (in the words of the

New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

) of British officers. Trotter′s arm was amputated after the insident, but despite his incapacity, he returned to the war and 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 ...

in September 1901. That same month he was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Following the end of the war in June 1902, Trotter received a regular commission as a captain in his regiment in July 1902, and returned to the United Kingdom on board the SS ''Lake Michigan'' with a large contingent of men from the guards regiments in October 1902. Trotter was made Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1906, was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 8 August 1907 and retired from the regular army on 27 July 1912, joining the Reserve of Officers of the Grenadier Guards. He rejoined the regiment following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, and served with the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards in France from 1914 until 1916. In 1915 he was appointed temporary lieutenant colonel in command of the 1st Battalion until 17 March 1916, when he was promoted to brigadier general in command of 27th Brigade. His command of the brigade was brief, as he was injured on 2 May. He was then appointed to command 51st Brigade on 6 July 1916, which appointment he held until June 1917. In October 1917, he was appointed brigadier general on the general staff to command the British Military Mission (Training) to the US. Trotter was mentioned in dispatches in January and June 1916 and was created 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 IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) in 1916. He was further mentioned in dispatches in January and June 1917, and was made

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 caregive ...

in 1917. On 19 December 1918, he was given the honorary rank of brigadier general. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

by the US government in 1919. Trotter served as

Gentleman Usher Gentleman Usher is a title for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. See List of Gentlemen Ushers for a list of office-holders. Gentlemen Ushers as servants Historical Gentlemen Ushers were originally a class of servants fou ...

to George V between 1919 and in 1936,

Groom-in-Waiting The office of Groom in Waiting (sometimes hyphenated as Groom-in-Waiting) was a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, which in earlier times was usually held by more than one person at a time – in the late Middle Ages there might be d ...

in 1920 and

Extra Equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

to the Prince of Wales in 1925. He was made Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the

1926 Birthday Honours The 1926 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 on 3 June, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trotter, Gerald 1871 births 1945 deaths British amputees British Army generals of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Order of the Bath English courtiers Equerries Gentlemen Ushers Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Grenadier Guards officers Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Royal Scots officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)