Brigadier-General Herbert Thomas Dobbin, (27 May 1878 – 9 September 1946) 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 of the

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd ( ...

. He commanded a number of battalions during the First World War and in 1918 was appointed to command the 75th Brigade. After the war he became commandant of the

Iraq Levies The Iraq Levies (Commonly known as the Assyrian Levies) was a majority Assyrian force, and the first Iraqi military force established by the British in British controlled Iraq. The Iraq Levies originated in a local armed scout force raised durin ...

and

Colonel Commandant Colonel commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive military rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels. Today, the holder often has an honor ...

of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.

Early life

Herbert Thomas Dobbin was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel G. M. Dobbin and was born on 27 May 1878. He was educated at

Bedford Modern School Bedford Modern School (often called BMS or simply Modern) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in Bedford Charity, The Harpur Trust, born from the financial endowme ...

and was commissioned a second-lieutenant in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on 18 January 1899. He saw active service in Africa, and from 1911 to 1913 was commander of the Gambia Company, part of the

West African Frontier Force The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In 1928, it received royal recognit ...

First World War

As an experienced professional soldier, Dobbin was attached to a variety of regiments as battalion commander during the war. From 29 June to 6 September 1916 he commanded the 1/4th Battalion,

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

. From 7 September 1916 to 24 February 1917, he commanded the 1/8th Battalion,

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

. From 30 May 1917 to 11 July 1917 he commanded the 1/8th (Ardwick) Battalion of the

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th R ...

at Havrincourt Wood, after which he was appointed the commander of the 4th Army Military School. He was appointed GOC of the 75th Infantry Brigade on 8 February 1918 and was its commander during the German offensive at the

First Battle of Bapaume Operation Michael () was a major German Empire, German Offensive (military), military offensive during World War I that began the German spring offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Qu ...

during the following month. Dobbin was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

in 1916 and 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 ...

three times. He was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Belgium.

Post-war service

After the war Dobbin saw further service in West Africa before assuming command of the

in October 1922. This was a force of roughly brigade-strength drawn in large numbers from Iraq's non-Muslim population. In 1923 Dobbin was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in recognition of his command of this force.''Who was Who'' p. 319 In 1926 he returned to England and until 1930 served as

Colonel-Commandant Colonel commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive military rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels. Today, the holder often has an honor ...

of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. Herbert Dobbin retired from the army in 1935. He died at

Budleigh Salterton Budleigh Salterton is a seaside town on the coast in East Devon, England, south-east of Exeter. It lies within the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and forms much of the electoral ward of Budleigh, whose ward population at the ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, on 9 September 1946. He was unmarried.''The Eagle'' p. 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobbin, Herbert Thomas 1878 births 1946 deaths People educated at Bedford Modern School Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British Army generals of World War I British Army brigadiers