General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Sir Ashton Gerard Oswald Mosley Mayne, (24 April 1889 – 17 December 1955) was a senior

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

active in both 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 ...

and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where he commanded Eastern Command, India.

Early career

Born on 24 April 1889 and educated at Wellington College and 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 ...

, Mayne was commissioned as a second lieutenant on to the Unattached List,

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

on 9 September 1908.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He arrived in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

on 9 December 1908. After spending a year first attached to the

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 ...

East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59t ...

then the

6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. One of the regiment's most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. It became ...

he was accepted for the Indian Army on 9 December 1909 and appointed to the 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse). He was 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 9 December 1910. The regiment was stationed at

Risalpur Risalpur (Pashto/) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 316 meters abo ...

in 1914 for service, if needed, on the North West Frontier. On the outbreak of the

in 1914 the officer who held the appointment of

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), 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 ...

was posted away and Mayne was temporarily appointed to the role. On 8 May 1915 the appointment was made permanent. He saw action against the

Mohmand The Mohmand () or Momand is a prominent tribe of Pashtun people. Distribution They are based primarily in the Mohmand territory, which is located in Nangarhar, Afghanistan and Mohmand Agency, Pakistan. In Afghanistan, their areas of presence i ...

s and the

Swati Swati may refer to Films * ''Swati'' (1984 film), a Telugu film * ''Swati'' (1986 film), a 1986 Bollywood romantic drama film * '' Swati Mutyam'', a 1986 Telugu-language drama film written, directed by K. Viswanath * '' Swati Kiranam'', a 1992 ...

s on the North West Frontier between August and October 1915, was promoted to temporary

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 1 September 1915 and having his first taste of staff work being appointed temporary Staff Captain in India from 23 to 30 September 1915. The regiment was sent to

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

in July 1916, Mayne arriving on 25 August. He was to serve in Mesopotamia until the end of the war against Turkey on 31 October 1918 and was wounded. He was promoted to substantive captain during this period, his seniority later being antedated to 1 September 1915. He was made a companion of 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 ...

for service in Mesopotamia in the London Gazette, 25 August 1917. He was additionally

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 ...

in the London Gazettes of 15 August 1917, 18 February 1919 and 5 June 1919. He was first appointed to the staff as a General Staff Officer III (GSO3) on 27 March 1918 on the staff of the 3rd Army Corps,

Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

remaining there until 11 September 1918. He was then appointed a temporary

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 ...

on the staff of 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) the Cavalry Division, Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force from 26 September to 31 December 1918, then a GSO II with G.H.Q., Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force 1 January to 8 June 1919. He was appointed a brevet major (London Gazette 3 June 1919) for his services in Mesopotamia.

Between the wars

He was posted back to India as a Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General Army Headquarters India from 9 June 1919 to 15 May 1920. He then went to England where he attended the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which ...

from 1921 to 1922. His regiment amalgamated with the 16th Cavalry in 1921 to form the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse). He was appointed a General Staff Officer 2nd grade 15 February 1922 to 11 June 1923 at Army Headquarters followed by appointment as an instructor at the Cavalry School,

Saugor Sagar, formerly Saugor, is a city, municipal corporation and administrative headquarter in Sagar district of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. It's Madhya Pradesh's 6th largest city of by Population. The city is situated on a ...

from 12 December 1923 to 10 November 1924. He was on leave on a medical certificate for one year to 19 September 1925. He served as a General Staff Officer 2nd grade at the War Office in London from 22 January 1927 to 22 January 1931. Promoted to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel on 1 July 1930, he attended the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

in 1933 and transferred to the 9th Royal Deccan Horse on 29 August 1933 as second in command and then was appointed lieutenant colonel and commanding officer (CO) of the regiment from 4 August 1934 to 2 June 1936. He was promoted to local

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

whilst officiating as Director Military Operations & Intelligence 18 March 1936 to 3 June 1936 and temporary Brigadier whilst appointed as Director Military Operations & Intelligence from 3 June 1936 to 17 September 1938, and retained the temporary rank when appointed to command the 4th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade on 17 September 1938. The 4th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade was disbanded in July 1940 and he was appointed commander of the 9th Indian Infantry Brigade.

Second World War

From September 1940, the 9th Indian Brigade fought in the East African Campaign as part of 5th Indian Infantry Division where in battles at

Agordat Agordat (also spelled Akordat or Ak'ordat) is a city in Gash-Barka, Eritrea. It was the capital of the former Barka Province, which was situated between the present-day Gash-Barka and Anseba regions. History Agordat was historically a key ce ...

and Keren they saw fighting said by commentators to be as fierce as any seen during the war. Mayne was promoted to

(GOC) of the 5th Indian Division in April 1941. As a newly promoted major general, he succeeded Major General Lewis Heath who had been posted to command III Indian Corps in Malaya. Under Mayne's command the major fighting was concluded by 5th Indian Division and took the Italian Commander-in-Chief's surrender. At the end of June 1941, 5th Indian Division left East Africa. During the

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, also known as the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia, was the joint invasion of the neutral Imperial State of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in August 1941. The two powers announced that they w ...

it was in

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

but was not involved with the fighting. In September 1941, Mayne's division relieved the British 50th Infantry Division in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. In June 1942, Mayne was promoted to command XXI Indian Corps which became part of Persia and Iraq Command's Tenth Army based in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. In August 1943, XXI Corps was disbanded and Mayne returned to India to become General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Eastern Command, India in October 1943 to December 1944, being promoted full

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in April 1944. In January 1945, Mayne was appointed Military Secretary to the India Office and, after 37 years of military service, retired from the army after the war in 1947.

Honours

Between 1944 and 1947 Mayne held the honorary title of ADC General to the King. He was appointed Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

and 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 1941, Knight Commander in 1944, and Knight Grand Cross (GCB) in 1947.

Personal

Mayne was married in 1916 to Phyllis Tweddell who died in 1949. His only son pre-deceased him, killed in action in 1943 in the Italian campaign. He was friends with Indian army officers like Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri and actively promoted them to higher positions.''Disastrous Twilight'' by

Syed Shahid Hamid Syed Shahid Hamid (), HJ (17 September 1910 – 12 March 1993) was a two-star general in the Pakistan Army, and a close associate of President Ayub Khan. Hamid was the first Master General of Ordnance (MGO) of the Pakistan Army. ISI was f ...

He died on 17 December 1955.

References

;Notes ;Sources * London Gazette (various dates) * Indian Army List (various dates) * John Gaylor, Sons of John Company * Obituary, The Times (London, England), Wednesday, 28 December 1955; pg. 11; Issue 53413

Bibliography

External links

British Military History Biographies M

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayne, Mosley 1889 births 1955 deaths Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian Army generals of World War II Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley East Lancashire Regiment officers 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons officers People from Wincanton People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire British Indian Army generals Military personnel from Somerset