James Melville Babington
Sir James Melville Babington | |
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War Cross for Military Valor (Italy) |
General Babington's image was chosen by Paul McCartney and used by the Beatles to depict the fictional "Sgt. Pepper" for the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.[4]
Biography
Babington was born in
In 1873, Babington was commissioned as a lieutenant in the
During the Second Boer War, Babington commanded the 1st Cavalry Brigade. He took part in the Battle of Magersfontein on 10–11 December 1899, in which the defending Boer force defeated the advancing British forces amongst heavy casualties for the latter. Babington was mentioned in the despatch from Lord Methuen describing the battle.[8] In February 1900 he was severely criticised for his part in the battle of Koodoosberg. Richard Danes reports:
"So Macdonald’s plan failed. Not by any fault of his own, but purely owing to the fact that Brigadier-General Babington declined to hurry his cattle. FieldMarshal Lord Roberts liked men who could move when movement was necessary, and the first thing he did on hearing of Babington’s failure was to supersede him in his command."[9]
He was regarded as an expert in the management and deployment of every sort of mounted troop,[10] and he later gained many a decisive victory in South Africa, earning himself a name to be feared among the Boers.[10] He left South Africa in September 1901, returning to England in early October.[11]
From 1902 to 1907, he was in New Zealand as Commander of the
On the outbreak of the
He held the French
Babington lived at Pinnacle Hill, near Kelso, Roxburghshire, which his family came to through the Maitlands of Penpont. He married Eleanor Lawson (1868–1943), daughter of Thomas James Lawson of Veteran Hall, Prospect, New South Wales. Their son, Geoffrey Babington (1902–1956), married Lady Anne Katherine Granville Scrope Egerton (1908–1964), daughter of John Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere, and sister of the 6th Duke of Sutherland.[16]
References
- ^ Genealogy page Archived 28 July 2012 at archive.today, retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ "Babington Chasing the Boers". The Examiner. 6 May 1901. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ Kitchener's Army: The Raising of the New Armies 1914 1916 by Peter Simkins
- ^ Marinucci, Steve (13 May 2017). "Who's the Real Sgt. Pepper? New Beatles Book Unveils Identity of Soldier Seen on Album Cover".
- ^ Burke's Landed Gentry by John Burke & family, et al.
- ^ "Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives". King's College London.
- ^ Robertson 1921, p2
- ^ "No. 27174". The London Gazette. 16 March 1900. pp. 1785–1787.
- ^ Danes, Richard (1903). Cassell's History of the Boer War 1899-1902. London. pp. 563–6.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b A History of British Cavalry: Volume 4: 1899-1913 by Lord Anglesey
- ^ "The War – return of troops". The Times. No. 36578. London. 5 October 1901. p. 10.
- ^ "No. 27390". The London Gazette. 24 December 1901. p. 9066.
- ^ a b c Kitchener s Army: The Raising of the New Armies 1914 1916 by Peter Simkins
- ^ "First World War.com - Primary Documents - Sir Douglas Haig's 2nd Despatch (Somme), 23 December 1916". www.firstworldwar.com.
- ^ Quarterly Army List for the Quarter Ending 31 December 1919 by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
- ^ "Person Page". www.thepeerage.com.
Books
- Robertson, Sir William Robert (1921). From Private to Field Marshal. London: Constable. ASIN B008TCWACC.