Ivor Maxse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sir Ivor Maxse | |
|---|---|
| 22 December 1862 – 1958 | |
 General Sir Ivor Maxse |
|
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  British Army |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | World War I |
| Commands held | 1 Bn Coldstream Guards 18th (Eastern) Division XVIII Corps 9th Army Corps Northern Command |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order |
General Sir (Frederick) Ivor Maxse, KCB, CVO, DSO, (22 December 1862-1958) was a World War I divisional and corps commander, and noted wartime trainer.
Contents |
[edit] Military career
Educated at Rugby School and Sandhurst, Maxse was commissioned into the 7th Royal Fusiliers in 1882.[1]
He transferred to the Coldstream Guards in 1891, commanding its first battalion from 1903 to 1907.[1] In 1910, he was promoted to command of the 1st Guards Brigade.[1]
In World War I, as a divisional commander, he led 18th (Eastern) Division[1] when it took all its objectives on the First Day of the Somme. He achieved this in part by hiding the division in no man's land before the battle was joined and having them closely follow the creeping barrage towards the German line. The division was probably the best fighting division possessed by the British Army in 1916 and consisted entirely of volunteers from London and the south-east.[2] In January 1917, Maxse was given command of XVIII Corps,[1] commanding them at Passchendaele. Maxse's speciality was training and he was moved from field command in June 1918, to become Inspector General of Training to the British Armies in France,[1] preparing men for the combination of assault and open warfare that was to characterise the Hundred Days Offensive.
After the War he became General Officer Commanding 9th Army Corps in Germany.[1] He went on to be General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Northern Command in 1919; he retired in 1923.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- Baynes, John Far from a Donkey: Life of General Sir Ivor Maxse KCB CVO DSO Brassey's (UK) Ltd, 1995, ISBN 1-857531-85-X
- Nicholls, Jonathan Cheerful Sacrifice: The Battle of Arras 1917. Pen & Sword Books (February 2006) ISBN 1844153266 ISBN 978-1844153268
