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 Sydney Frederick Muspratt (11 September 1878 – 28 November 1972) 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 who went on to be

Military Secretary to the India Office A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a di ...

. He was born 11 September 1878 the son of Henry Muspratt, Indian Civil Service.

Military career

Muspratt was commissioned into the

Indian Staff Corps The Indian Staff Corps was a branch of the Indian Army during the British Raj. Separate Staff Corps were formed in 1861 for the Bengal, Madras and Bombay Armies, which were later combined into the Indian Army. They were meant to provide officers f ...

in 1898. He served extensively on the North West Frontier of

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 ...

. He was appointed to the

12th Cavalry The 5th Horse is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 5th King Edward's Own Lancers Probyn's Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of ...

1 April 1900.Supplement to the Indian Army List January 1939 He was first appointed to the staff as Staff Captain, Intelligence and General Staff Officer 3rd Class from 18 June 1906 to 17 June 1910, during which time he served on the Mohmand and Zakka Khel expeditions of 1908. He is reappointed to the staff serving

World War I 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 ...

from 5 September 1914 and spent the war in France & Belgium as a staff officer, ending up a General Staff Officer 1st Class from 18 January 1918 to 31 October 1920. He did a brief stint as Deputy Director (Intelligence) in India from 1 November 1920 to 15 December 1920 before returning to regimental soldiering with the

until be appointed to the staff at the War Office from 3 February 1922 to 6 October 1925. Returning to India he was appointed a Brigade commander,

4th Indian Infantry Brigade The 4th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939, as the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade and renumbered 4th in June 1940, The brigade was assigned to HQ Rawalpin ...

from 17 November 1925 to 31 October 1927. Then he was made Director of Military Operations in India 1 November 1927 to 25 October 1929. Subsequently he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Director of Staff Duties at Army Headquarters, India 13 December 1929 to 6 September 1931. He was

from 1931 to 1933. Then as

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 ...

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

District from 26 November 1933 to 1 November 1936, he commanded the latter part of the

Second Mohmand Campaign The Second Mohmand campaign of 1935 was a British military campaign against the Mohmand tribes in the Northwest Frontier area of British India, now Pakistan. The campaign began in August 1935 where Tanks were used, their first operational use in I ...

.Indian military appointments
The Glasgow Herald, 8 May 1937 He was Military Secretary to the India Office again from 1937 to 1941.

Personal life

In 1925, he married Rosamonde Barry, youngest daughter of Sir Edward Barry, 2nd Baronet, and they went on to have two sons, John Scott and David Barry.Kelly's handbook 1944 He died at 43 Broad Street, Alresford, Hampshire, aged 94.

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Muspratt, Sydney 1878 births 1972 deaths Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian Army generals of World War II British Indian Army generals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of the Star of India Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Indian Staff Corps officers People from Battersea Military personnel from Surrey British people in colonial India