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Robert Whigham

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Sir Robert Whigham
General Sir Robert Whigham by Philip Alexius de László
Born(1865-08-05)5 August 1865
Died23 June 1950(1950-06-23) (aged 84)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1883–1931
RankGeneral
CommandsEastern Command
3rd Division
Light Division British Army of the Rhine
62nd (2nd West Riding) Division
59th (2nd North Midland) Division
Battles / warsMahdist War

Second Boer War

First World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches (4)
Legion of Honour (France)

General Sir Robert Dundas Whigham, GCB, KCMG, DSO (5 August 1865 – 23 June 1950) was a Scottish British Army officer and a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.

Early life

Whigham was born in 1865, the son of David Dundas Whigham[1] and Ellen Murray (née Campbell). His father was a lawyer and a cricket player.[2] His sister was Sybil Whigham who was a successful tennis player;[1] another brother was the golfer and journalist H. J. Whigham.[3] Their sister Molly Whigham also played golf.[4]

Military career

Educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Robert Whigham was commissioned into the 1st Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a lieutenant on 9 May 1885.[5]

He was promoted to captain on 3 March 1892, when he became Adjutant for the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and was seconded to the Egyptian Army in 1897, where he served in the Nile Expedition of 1898 with the 12th Sudanese Battalion.[5] During the Second Boer War he served first 1899–1900 as Aide-de-camp to Major-General Hector MacDonald, in command of the Highland brigade, and was promoted to major on 1 August 1900. He was later at Army Headquarters in South Africa, and for his service was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in the South Africa Honours list published on 26 June 1902.[6][5] Following the end of the war, he returned to the United Kingdom in August 1902,[7] and then became Brigade Major for 2nd Army Corps on 1 November 1902.[8]

He also served in the First World War with the British Expeditionary Force.[5] He was appointed Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the War Office in 1915.[5] He became General Officer Commanding 59th (2nd North Midland) Division in June 1918 and GOC 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division in August 1918.[5][9][10]

After the War he became General Officer Commanding of the Light Division in the British Army of the Rhine.[5] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd Division in 1919,[11] Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1923[12] and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Eastern Command in 1927.[13] He retired in 1931.[14]

Family

In 1899 he married Isabel Adeline Muntz.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Death of Capt. Nicholson, R. N. at Sidmouth" Western Times (12 February 1932).
  2. ^ "England/Players/David Whigham" ESPNcricinfo.
  3. ^ "Success of Younger Element in Women's Golf Championship" Outing (October 1900): 97.
  4. ^ "Golf: The Ladies' Championship" Leeds Mercury (May 17, 1900): 6. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Anglo Boer War
  6. ^ "No. 27448". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1902. pp. 4191–4192.
  7. ^ "The War - Return of Troops". The Times. No. 36842. London. 9 August 1902. p. 11. template uses deprecated parameter(s) (help)
  8. ^ "No. 27496". The London Gazette. 18 November 1902. p. 7339.
  9. ^ Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8, pp. 17, 41
  10. ^ Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918, London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-43-6, p. 2.
  11. ^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ An account of the unveiling of the Royal Air Force Memorial 16 July 1923 Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Flight Global 18 August 1927
  14. ^ Whitaker's Almanack 1931
Military offices
Preceded by Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff
1915–1918 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC 59th (2nd North Midland) Division
June 1918 – August 1918 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division
1918−1919 		Succeeded by
Post Disbanded
Preceded by GOC 3rd Division
1919–1922 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Adjutant General
1923–1927 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC-in-C Eastern Command
1927–1931 		Succeeded by
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