William Birdwood
British India | |
---|---|
Died | 17 May 1951 Hampton Court Palace, England | (aged 85)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Indian Army |
Years of service | 1883–1930 |
Rank | Field Marshal |
Commands held | Commander-in-Chief, India Northern Command, India Fifth Army Australian Corps I ANZAC Corps II ANZAC Corps Australian Imperial Force Australian and New Zealand Army Corps Kohat Brigade |
Battles/wars |
|
Awards | Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword (Portugal) Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) |
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
In office 25 January 1938 – 17 May 1951 Hereditary Peerage | |
Succeeded by | Christopher Birdwood, 2nd Baron Birdwood |
Early life
William Riddell Birdwood was born on 13 September 1865 in Kirkee, India.[1] His father, Herbert Mills Birdwood, born in Bombay and educated in the UK, had returned to India in 1859 after passing the Indian Civil Service examination.[2] In 1861, Herbert Birdwood married Edith Marion Sidonie, the eldest daughter of Surgeon-Major Elijah George Halhed Impey of the Bombay Horse Artillery and postmaster-general of the Bombay Presidency.[2] They had five sons and a daughter; William was their second son. At the time of William's birth, his father held positions in the Bombay legislative council, and went on to become a Bombay high court judge.[2] William Birdwood was educated at Clifton College.[3][4]
Military career
After securing a militia commission in the 4th Battalion
Birdwood served in the
- This young officer has held a difficult position as Assistant Adjutant-General, Mounted Troops, and responsible adviser as to the distribution of remounts. In carrying out these duties he has proved himself to possess exceptional ability, and he has shown, moreover, remarkable tact in dealing with and conciliating the various interests which he had to take into consideration.[18]
When Kitchener went to India as commander-in-chief in November 1902, Birdwood joined him there as assistant military secretary and interpreter.
Promoted to the rank of
Gallipoli
In November 1914 Birdwood was instructed by Kitchener to form an army
Birdwood took effective command of the Australian Imperial Force, i.e. all Australian Forces in May 1915 while still commanding Allied troops on the ground at Gallipoli.[4] He launched a major attack on the Turks in August 1915 (the Battle of Sari Bair) but still failed to dislodge them from the peninsula.[4] Notwithstanding this, he was the only corps commander opposed to abandoning Gallipoli.[13] He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 28 October 1915[29] and given command of the newly formed Dardanelles Army: the one outstanding success of the campaign was the evacuation led by Birdwood, which took place in December 1915 and January 1916, when the entire force was withdrawn before any Turkish reaction.[13]
Western Front
In February 1916 the Australian and New Zealand contingents, back in Egypt, underwent reorganisation to incorporate the new units and reinforcements that had accumulated during 1915: the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was replaced by two corps,
Birdwood was promoted to the permanent rank of full general on 23 October 1917[32][33] with command of a formation then known as the Australian Corps in November 1917.[13] He was also appointed aide-de-camp general to the King on 2 November 1917[34] and given command of the British Fifth Army on 31 May 1918 and led the Army at the liberation of Lille in October 1918[35] and at the liberation of Tournai in November 1918.[13][36]
After the war
Birdwood was made a
After leaving the service in 1930, Birdwood made a bid to become
In retirement Birdwood was
His autobiography Khaki and Gown (1941) was followed by In my time: recollections and anecdotes (1946).
Honours and awards
British
- )
- )
- )
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) – 11 May 1937[64]
- Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) – 1 January 1908[65]
- Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) – 14 August 1908[66]
- Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of St. John (KStJ) – 21 June 1927[67]
Foreign
- Croix de Guerre (France), 22 February 1916 and 11 March 1919 (with Palm)[68]
- Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) – 2 November 1916[69]
- Croix de Guerre (Belgium) – 11 March 1918[70]
- Distinguished Service Medal (United States) – 12 July 1919[71]
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword (Portugal) – 21 August 1919[72]
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) – 21 January 1921[73]
Family
In 1893 Birdwood married Janetta Bromhead, daughter of Sir Benjamin Bromhead; they had a son and two daughters.[5] His wife died in 1947.[1] Their son, Christopher Birdwood (1899–1962), succeeded him as 2nd Baron Birdwood. The elder daughter was Constance 'Nancy' Birdwood,[74] and the younger daughter was Judith Birdwood. Other members of the Birdwood family include Labour minister and peer Christopher Birdwood Thomson (1875–1930), Anglo-Indian naturalist Sir George Birdwood (1832–1917), and Jane Birdwood (1913–2000), the second wife of William Birdwood's son.[75]
Legacy
The town of Blumberg, South Australia, changed its German name to Birdwood in 1918,[76] and the soldier settlement of Birdwoodton, Victoria was named after Birdwood in 1920.[77] Mount Birdwood in Alberta, Canada also bears his name.[78]
Birdwood House in Geraldton, Western Australia, which was built in 1935 for the Geraldton RSL and named after Birdwood, has served as the centre of ANZAC Day commemorations in Geraldton since 1936. William Birdwood visited Birdwood House in Geraldton 1937 where he was presented with a gold key and Freedom of Birdwood House.[79][80] Birdwood House became Heritage Registered in 2016.[81][82]
Many streets and public spaces in Australia and New Zealand are named or commonly believed to be named after Birdwood, including Birdwood Park in Newcastle West in 1920[83] and a street in New Lambton in 1919.[83]
Coat of arms
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References
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31898. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31897. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ "Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. p70: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April 1948 Bristol
- ^ a b c d e f g "Birdwood, William Riddell (Baron Birdwood) (1865–1951)". William Birdwood. Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d Heathcote, p. 43
- ^ "No. 25468". The London Gazette. 8 May 1885. p. 2105.
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- ^ "No. 27382". The London Gazette. 3 December 1901. p. 8563.
- ^ "No. 27359". The London Gazette. 27 September 1901. p. 6325.
- ^ "No. 27383". The London Gazette. 6 December 1901. p. 8643.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Heathcote, p. 44
- ^ "No. 27460". The London Gazette. 1 August 1902. p. 4969.
- ^ "The Army in South Africa – Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36804. London. 26 June 1902. p. 10.
- ^ "Lord Kitchener′s return". The Times. No. 36819. London. 14 July 1902. p. 6.
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- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence – Lord Kitchener´s staff". The Times. No. 36857. London. 27 August 1902. p. 4.
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- ^ Tucker; Roberts, p.388
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- ^ "No. 29115". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 March 1915. p. 3099.
- ^ Bean, 1981, pp. 456–457
- ^ Bean, 1981, pp. 460–461
- ^ "No. 29341". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 October 1915. p. 10615.
- ^ Beckett & Corvi 2006, p. 38.
- ^ Grey 2001, p. 46.
- ^ "No. 30376". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 November 1917. p. 11661.
- ^ Beckett & Corvi 2006, p. 34.
- ^ "No. 30365". The London Gazette. 2 November 1917. p. 11361.
- ^ Beckett & Corvi 2006, p. 51.
- ^ Beckett & Corvi 2006, p. 52.
- ^ "No. 31708". The London Gazette. 30 December 1919. p. 15988.
- ^ a b c Heathcote, p. 45
- ^ "No. 33031". The London Gazette. 20 March 1925. p. 1954.
- ^ "Australian Military Forces". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. 14 January 1926. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ "No. 33069". The London Gazette. 24 July 1925. p. 4957.
- ^ "The colleges and halls – Peterhouse". British History Online. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ "No. 34140". The London Gazette. 8 March 1935. p. 1631.
- ^ "Captains of Deal Castle". East Kent freeuk. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ "Our rural magazine". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879–1954). 18 October 1934. p. 14. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ "Gallipoli Pilgrimage". The West Australian. 27 May 1936. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Personalities" (PDF). The Listening Post. 15 June 1936. p. 12. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "No. 31889". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 May 1920. p. 5218.
- ^ "No. 33141". The London Gazette. 12 March 1926. p. 1834.
- ^ Army List, May 1939.
- ^ "No. 34279". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 April 1936. p. 2770.
- ^ "No. 34453". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 November 1937. p. 7081.
- ^ "No. 34477". The London Gazette. 28 January 1938. p. 578.
- ^ "No. 34469". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1938. p. 1.
- ^ Miranda, Charles (11 April 2015). "Brit revered by Diggers". The Courier-Mail. p. 54.
- ^ "No. 13881". The Edinburgh Gazette. 5 January 1923. p. 18.
- ^ "No. 30111". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1917. p. 5454.
- ^ "No. 28505". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 June 1911. p. 4590.
- ^ "No. 14615". The Edinburgh Gazette. 7 January 1930. p. 16.
- ^ "No. 29024". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1915. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 28324". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1910. p. 1.
- ^ "No. 31092". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1919. p. 3.
- ^ "No. 29202". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 June 1915. p. 6113.
- ^ "No. 34396". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 May 1937. p. 3084.
- ^ "No. 28095". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1908. p. 2.
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- ^ "No. 14351". The Edinburgh Gazette. 28 June 1927. p. 741.
- ^ "No. 31222". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 March 1919. p. 3281.
- ^ "No. 13052". The Edinburgh Gazette. 16 February 1917. p. 367.
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- ^ "No. 31514". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 August 1919. p. 10614.
- ^ "No. 13673". The Edinburgh Gazette. 25 January 1921. p. 138.
- ^ Schmidt, Nicholas (14 February 2011). "For Valentine's Day – The airman who married the general's daughter". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "The Dowager Lady Birdwood". The Telegraph. 29 June 2000. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "Place Names of South Australia – B | Blumberg". www.slsa.sa.gov.au. State Library of South Australia. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020.
- ^ "Birdwoodton and Cabarita". www.victorianplaces.com.au. Monash University and the University of Queensland. 2015. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020.
- ^ Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 20.
- ^ "Geraldton City RSL Sub Branch". Geraldton City RSL Sub-Branch. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "WA State Heritage Register - supporting document".
- ^ "Iconic RSL building Birdwood House is latest addition to WA heritage register". ABC. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "State Heritage Office - Birdwood House, Geraldton". Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ a b Wetherall, Lachlan. "Birdwood Park | A bit of this, a bit of that". Retrieved 28 October 2020.
Sources
- ASIN B00144LQWM.
- Beckett, Ian F. W.; Corvi, Steven J. (2006). Haig's Generals. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84415-169-1.
- Farrimond, Richmond (2023). Birdie: Field Marshal Lord Birdwood of Anzac and Totnes, 1865-1951. Warwick, UK: Helion. ISBN 978-1--804512-36-4.
- Grey, Jeffrey (2001). The Australian Army. The Australian Centenary History of Defence. Vol. I. Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195541146.
- Heathcote, Tony (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736–1997. Barnsley (UK): Pen & Sword. ISBN 0-85052-696-5.
- ISBN 1-84119-063-2.
- Tucker, Spencer; Roberts, Priscilla Mary (2005). The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO Ltd. ISBN 978-1851094202.
External links
- A. J. Hill, 'Birdwood, William Riddell (Baron Birdwood) (1865–1951)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 293–296.
- Birdwood's introduction to The New Zealanders at Gallipoli
- Birdwood's AIF service record, available in the Australian National Archives as a digital image
- Birdwood presenting medals during the First World War (British-Pathé)
- Bust of Birdwood by Barbara Tribe (Australian National Portrait Gallery)
- In the thick of it, article on Birdwood and items relating to him at the Australian National Portrait Gallery
- Collection of photographs and artworks of Birdwood (UK National Portrait Gallery)
- Collection of photographs of Lady Birdwood, also includes photographs of their younger daughter Judith (UK National Portrait Gallery)