Major General Sir Spring Robert Rice (11 July 1858 – 11 August 1929) was a British Army general who was on the staff of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War.

Biography

He entered the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

in 1877, and was promoted to captain in 1888. He was appointed the adjutant of the School of Military Engineering in 1892, and promoted to major in 1896. During the

South African 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 ...

he commanded 23rd Field Company RE, deployed to

Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to: * Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada * Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States * Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia * Ladysmith, Virginia, United States * Ladysmith Island, Queensl ...

; during the Siege of Ladysmith, he acted as the commanding officer of the Royal Engineers. In 1901, he designed a simple and inexpensive

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

, which saw extensive use. For his services during the war, he was mentioned in despatches four times, received the Queen's Medal with two clasps and the

King's medal The King's Medal may refer to: * H. M. The King's Medal, Swedish royal medal * King's Medal of Merit, Norwegian award *The King's South Africa Medal awarded to military personnel who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa on or after Janua ...

with two clasps, and was 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 ...

in the South African honours list published on 26 June 1902. He left the School of Military Engineering in 1905, and was appointed the chief engineer in charge of coastal defences for Southern Command in 1909, with the rank of colonel. In 1911 he was appointed as the chief engineer of

Aldershot Command 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 Alders ...

, holding this post until 1914. On the outbreak of the First World War, he was appointed to the post of Brigadier-General Royal Engineers in I Corps, the senior engineering officer of the corps. He was promoted to major general in 1915 for distinguished service, and in February 1916 he was appointed Engineer-in-Chief of the entire BEF, succeeding

G. H. Fowke Lieutenant General Sir George Henry Fowke (10 September 1864 – 8 February 1936) was a British Army general, who served on the staff of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Biography Fowke joined the Royal Engineers as ...

. He picked up the trial project to form the Royal Engineer tunnelling companies, forming them into a distinct branch within the Corps. He was transferred to the Forts Garrison Command in 1917, a posting he held for the remainder of the war. He retired in 1919, having been mentioned in despatches a further six times, awarded the

Knight Commander 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, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

and the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

, and made a Commander of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

for his wartime service.''Who Was Who'' He was a first-class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

player and played for the Royal Engineers in 1878 and 1879.

Notes

References

* "RICE, Maj.-Gen. Sir Spring Robert", in

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Spring 1858 births 1929 deaths British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army generals of World War I Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Royal Engineers officers