William Garnett Braithwaite

William Garnett Braithwaite
William Garnett Braithwaite
	Portrait of William Braithwaite, a lieutenant colonel at the time, circa 1911 to 1915
Born	21 October 1870; Kendal, Westmorland, England
Died	15 October 1937 (aged 66); Camberley, Surrey, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom; New Zealand
Service / branch	British Army (1891–11, 1918–25); New Zealand Military Forces (1911–17)
Years of service	1891–1925
Rank	Brigadier General
Commands	3rd New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade; 2nd Infantry Brigade; New Zealand Division (acting); 16th Infantry Brigade
Battles / wars	Second Boer War; First World War Gallipoli campaign; Western Front; ;
Awards	Mentioned in despatches (9 times); Order of the White Eagle, 3rd Class (Serbia)

First World War

.

Born in England in 1870, he joined the British Army in 1891. He served with the

New Zealand Military Forces. Following the outbreak of the First World War, he served as a staff officer in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He commanded the New Zealand Division's 2nd Infantry Brigade for nearly two years on the Western Front and on occasion was acting commander of the division. In December 1917, he was medically evacuated to England. After a period of rest, he returned to military duty with the British Army, and ended the war in command of the 16th Infantry Brigade

. He retired from the army in 1925 and died in 1937 at the age of 66.

Early life

Braithwaite was born in Kendal, Westmorland, England on 21 October 1870. After completing his schooling at Marlborough College, he attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst before joining the British Army in 1891.^[1]

Military career

Braithwaite was commissioned in the

Volunteer) Battalion of his regiment.^[5] He was later assigned to the Royal Military College for a period of time as an instructor.^[2]

In 1911, now a major, Braithwaite was

Major General Alexander Godley. Braithwaite was appointed General Staff Officer for the Auckland Military District and later promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel, Godley's Chief of General Staff.^[1] At the time, Godley was restructuring the New Zealand Military Forces and creating a Territorial Force to replace the inadequate Volunteer Force.^[6] Braithwaite assisted in the establishment of the Territorial Force and was responsible for staff organisation and training.^[1] His initial three-year appointment was to expire in July 1914 but earlier that year was extended a further 12 months following a request from the New Zealand government.^[7]

First World War

Braithwaite volunteered for the

First World War in August 1914. He left for the Middle East as the staff officer responsible for the operational planning of the NZEF. His wife, Gwendolen, whom he married in 1901 and the daughter of Edward Osborne Hewett, and the couple's three children also left New Zealand but to live in England.^[1]^[8]

Gallipoli Campaign

Following a period of training with the NZEF in Egypt, Braithwaite served as a staff officer in Godley's headquarters. Godley was not only commander of the NZEF but also the

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his work during the Gallipoli Campaign.^[10]

In December 1915 Braithwaite was promoted temporary brigadier general (his temporary rank of lieutenant colonel was made substantive at the same time) and took command of the newly formed

New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade.^[1] The brigade consisted of only two battalions at this stage but would be brought up to strength with the arrival of its 3rd and 4th Battalions in March 1916. During this time Braithwaite oversaw the training of his new command. However, within a few months, he was appointed commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, one of the three brigades of the newly formed New Zealand Division.^[11]

Western Front

The New Zealand Division moved to the

Battle of Flers-Courcelette in which it incurred over 700 casualties during the capture of its key objective, the Switch Line.^[1] A few days later he planned and directed a successful nighttime attempt by the strongest battalion of his brigade to seize the neighbouring high ground at what was known as Goose Alley.^[12] After the battle, Russell assessed Braithwaite as the best performed of his brigade commanders.^[13] He was subsequently awarded the Serbian Order of the White Eagle, 3rd Class.^[1]^[14]

In June 1917, Braithwaite was promoted to colonel, although he remained a temporary brigadier general. His brigade had a central role in the Battle of Messines and was able to achieve its objectives with minimal casualties. However, heavy losses were incurred by his brigade later in the year during the First Battle of Passchendaele on 12 October. After his initial attack faltered and came to a halt, Braithwaite protested orders from Russell later that day to resume the attack, 2nd Infantry Brigade having suffered heavy casualties for the gain of little ground. When it became apparent to Russell that flanking units had not achieved their objectives, the orders were cancelled.^[15]

Braithwaite had a further period in command of the division while Russell was on sick leave in late October^[1] and in early December led his brigade in attacks on Polderhoek Chateau. The brigade suffered heavy losses and the attack was regarded as a failure.^[16] At this stage of the war, Braithwaite was one of the longest serving brigade commanders of the NZEF. Worn down by stresses of command, his health was so poor it forced his evacuation to England.^[1]

Following a period of convalescence, Braithwaite, rather than rejoining the New Zealand Division, resumed service in the British Army with his parent unit, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.^[1] A popular commander amongst the New Zealanders, rumours circulated in the division that his return to the British Army was due to his refusal to continue with the 12 October 1917 attack at Passchendaele.^[17]

Braithwaite returned to the front in February 1918 as a brigadier general, general staff (BGGS) in a British corps

Companion of the Order of the Bath in June.^[1] In October, he was placed in command of the 16th Infantry Brigade when its previous commander, Brigadier General Henry Walker, was wounded in an artillery barrage,^[19] and led it through to the armistice of 11 November 1918.^[20] During the course of the First World War he had been mentioned in despatches six times.^[2]

Later life

Braithwaite remained in the British Army after the war and commanded a brigade in the

Wellington suburb of Karori is named for him.^[7]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Tonkin-Covell, 1996, pp. 64–65
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Haigh & Polaschek, 1993, p. 48
^ "No. 26164". The London Gazette. 22 May 1891. p. 2727.
^ "No. 11343". The Edinburgh Gazette. 1 October 1901. p. 1082.
^ "No. 27425". The London Gazette. 15 April 1902. p. 2510.
^ McGibbon, 2000, p. 527
^ ^a ^b ^c "'Bill' Braithwaite: Prominent Soldier". Evening Post. Vol. CXXVI, no. 97. 21 October 1937. p. 11. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
^ Hesilrige, 1920, p. 1254
^ Waite, 1919, p. 329
^ Waite, 1919, p. 309
^ Austin, 1924, pp. 55–57
^ Macdonald, 2005, p. 156
^ Macdonald, 2005, p. 255
^ "No. 29945". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 February 1917. p. 1606.
^ Harper, 2007, pp. 90–91
^ Gray, 2010, pp. 162–165
^ Harper, 2007, p. 119
^ "No. 30588". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 March 1918. p. 3555.
^ Marden, 1920, p. 70
^ Marden, 1920, p. 112
^ Byrne, 1921, pp. v–vi
^ "No. 31810". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 March 1920. p. 2848.
^ "No. 31860". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 April 1920. p. 4332.
^ "No. 33105". The London Gazette. 20 November 1925. p. 7607.
^ "In Memoriam: Gen Braithwaite". Evening Post. Vol. CXXVI, no. 98. 22 October 1937. p. 11. Retrieved 2 January 2014.