William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood (1865-1951), Field Marshal

BIRDWOOD, WILLIAM RIDDELL (1865-1951), 1st Baron Birdwood of Anzac and Totnes, Field Marshal, was born on 13 September 1865 at Kirkee, India, second son of Herbert Mills Birdwood, under-secretary to the government of Bombay, and Edith Marion, daughter of Surgeon Major E. G. H. Impey of the Bombay Horse Artillery. Birdwood was educated at Clifton College, Bristol, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, England, from which he was commissioned early owing to the Russian war scare of 1885. He was posted to the 12th Lancers in India, transferring in 1887 to the 11th Bengal Lancers. In 1894 he married Jeannette Hope Gonville, daughter of the fourth Baron Bromhead of Lincoln.

During WW1 he was a General Officer Commanding Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, World War I 1914-1918; Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and Commander, Dardanelles Army, Gallipoli 1915-1916; General Officer Commanding Australian Imperial Force 1915-1918; France 1916-1918; Commander, 5 Army, France 1918-1919

Commissioned 4 Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers 1883; 12 Lancers 1885; 11 Bengal Lancers 1887; Hazara Campaign 1891; Isazai 1892; Adjutant, Viceroy's Bodyguard, India 1893; North West Frontier, India and Tirah campaign 1897-1898; South African War 1899-1902; Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, South Africa 1900; Military Secretary to Commander-in-Chief (Gen Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum), South Africa 1902; Assistant Military Secretary and interpreter to Commander-in-Chief, India 1902; Assistant Adjutant General, Headquarters India 1904; Military Secretary to Commander-in-Chief (Gen Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Vicount Kitchener of Khartoum), India 1905; Mohmand expedition 1908; Bde Commander, Kohat Bde, North West Frontier, India 1909; Quartermaster General, India 1912; Secretary to Government of India, Army Department and Member of the Governor General's Legislative Council 1912-1914; General Officer Commanding Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, World War I 1914-1918; Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and Commander, Dardanelles Army, Gallipoli 1915-1916; General Officer Commanding Australian Imperial Force 1915-1918; France 1916-1918; Commander, 5 Army, France 1918-1919; General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Army, India 1920-1924; Commander-in-Chief, India 1925-1930; Member of the Executive Council of the Governor Gen and of the Council of State of India 1925

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/BIRDWOOD.html

http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070299b.htm

http://ww1talk.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=245&highlight=birdwood

 

Described by Charles Bean as "short and dapper in figure, a vigorous, brave, upright and understanding leader of fighting men"