William Pulteney (British Army officer)

For other people named William Pulteney, see William Pulteney (disambiguation).

Sir William Pulteney
Sir William Pulteney Pulteney by Philip Alexius de László
Born	18 May 1861 (1861-05-18)
Died	14 November 1941 (1941-11-15) (aged 80)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1878-1920
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Commands held	1st Bn Scots Guards 16th Brigade 6th Division British III Corps 23rd Army Corps
Battles/wars	Anglo-Egyptian War Second Boer War World War I
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order

Lieutenant-General Sir William Pulteney Pulteney, GCVO, KCB, KCMG, DSO (18 May 1861 – 14 November 1941) was a British general during the First World War.

Military career

Educated at Eton College, Pulteney was commissioned into the Oxford Militia in 1878. In 1881 he transferred to the Scots Guards and served in various campaigns in Africa including the Anglo-Egyptian War and the Second Boer War. He was given command of 1st Bn Scots Guards in 1900, 16th Brigade in Southern Ireland on 1908 and the 6th Division in Southern Ireland in 1910.

Pulteney commanded III Corps from 5 August 1914 to 19 February 1918. He then headed 23rd Army Corps from 20 February 1918 to 15 April 1919. He was not highly regarded as an officer, being described by one of his subordinates as "the most completely ignorant general I served during the war". After World War I he was specially employed by the British Military Mission to Japan until retired in 1920.

He then served as Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod for over twenty years from 1920 until 1941.

He was created a KCB, 1915; a KCMG, 1917, and a KCVO, 1918. Pulteney was married in 1917 to Jessie, daughter of Sir John Arnott, Baronet.

References

• Centre for First World War Studies: William Pulteney Pulteney
• Profile at Anglo-Boer War