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 Robert Hadden Haining, (28 July 1882 – 15 September 1959) was a senior

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 during the

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 ...

Early life and education

Haining was born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

, the eldest son of Dr. William Haining and Mary Ellen Roberts. He was educated at Uppingham School and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

Military career

After Woolwich, Haining was commissioned into the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1900.Liddell Hart Centre for Military archives He served during 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 ...

, where he 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 ...

(DSO) in 1915 and mentioned in dispatches six times throughout the war. In November 1914 he was seconded and made a staff captain. After attending the Staff College, Camberley from 1920 to 1921, he returned there as an instructor from 1922 to 1924. Haining was appointed Assistant

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 ...

and Quartermaster General for the 2nd Division based at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

in 1928. He then became GSO1 of the 4th Division at

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

in January 1930. He served in Military Operations in the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

from 1931 to 1933, becoming deputy director of Military Operations and Intelligence at the

in 1933. He became Commandant of the Imperial Defence College in 1935 and Director of Military Operations and Intelligence at the

in 1936. He was appointed General Officer Commanding British Forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan in 1938. At the outbreak of the

, Haining was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command and moved on to be Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1940. He was appointed Intendant General for Middle East Forces in 1941: Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

described the role of an ''Intendant General'' to be that of "serving the Commander-in-Chief with the largest possible measure of supplies". He retired from the

in 1942. Haining was

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 Royal Artillery from 1939 to 1950.

Retirement and death

In retirement Haining became active in civil life and was Lord Lieutenant of Surrey.Surrey Police
Haining died in September 1959, aged 77. Following his death, his friend George Richard Hodges Nugent (later Baron Nugent of Guildford) wrote to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' to remark on Haining's character and post-retirement life:

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Haining, Robert 1882 births 1959 deaths People educated at Uppingham School Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army generals of World War II Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Lord-lieutenants of Surrey Companions of the Distinguished Service Order English justices of the peace British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Academics of the Staff College, Camberley Military personnel from Chester