1919 General Sir Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland, BEF, FRANCE to Lt Gore-Browne for Sale

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1919 General Sir Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland, BEF, FRANCE to Lt Gore-Browne For Sale

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1919 General Sir Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland, BEF, FRANCE to Lt Gore-Browne:
$125.22

1919 General Sir Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland, BEF, FRANCE to Lieutenant Colonel Sir Stewart Gore-Browne DSO , in which he thinks Gore-Browne proposal for a 5TH DIV dinner would be an excellent thing. also included is a print of Morland that was pasted in the album with the letter.

General Sir Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland, KCB, KCMG, DSO (9 August 1865 – 21 May 1925) was a senior British Army officer during the First World War.

Early life

Born in Montreal, Canada East, Morland was the son of Thomas Morland and Helen Servante. Educated at Charterhouse School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Morland was commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps in 1884.

Military career

Service in West Africa

Morland later served in Nigeria, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel and being appointed commanding officer of the West African Field Force in 1900. The following year he was in command of an expedition to Yola, leading to the defeat and deposition of the Emir of Adamawa in September 1901, and to British occupation of the Adamawa Emirate, important for the later occupation of the Sokoto Caliphate as it reduced slave traffic through the Adamawa area. Morland was wounded by a poisoned arrow during the fighting, but stuck to his command. In a despatch describing the expedition, the acting High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria gave him "very great credit for the successful issue of this important expedition." The following year he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in recognition of his services (dated 25 April 1902). In 1902 he was appointed commander of the forces in Northern Nigeria, and served as advisor to the French and British commissioners appointed for boundary delimitation in the area. From 1905 to 1909, he was Inspector-General of the West African Field Force.

First World War

In 1910, Morland was promoted to brigadier general and given command of 2nd Infantry Brigade, a position he held until the outbreak of the First World War.

Morland then became General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2nd London Division in August 1914, then GOC of 14th Division in September 1914 and then GOC of 5th Division in October 1914. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1915, and commanded X Corps through to April 1918. During this time, he was one of Plumer's corps commanders at the Battle of Messines.

At the end of the war, Morland took command of XIII Corps, a position he held until 1920, when he was promoted and made commander-in-chief of the British Army of the Rhine. Two years later, he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Aldershot Command and promoted to full general. He retired the following year, in 1923.

Morland died on 21 May 1925 and was buried in the English cemetery at Villeneuve, Montreux.

Family

In 1890, Morland married Mabel St. John, with whom he had two daughters.

In popular culture

Morland was portrayed by Eric Carte in the 2006 BBC docudrama The Somme - From Defeat to Victory.

Fresh to the Market Place, from Major-General Sir John Ponsonby's Autograph Letter Collection

For more from this collection see our shop category for SIR HENRY & JOHN PONSONBY COLLECTION

John Ponsonby (British Army officer)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Major-General Sir John Ponsonby KCB CMG DSO (25 March 1866 – 26 March 1952) was a British Army officer who commanded 5th Division during World War I

Born the son of Sir Henry Ponsonby (Queen Victoria's Private Secretary), his Mother Hon. Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby, Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria and a daughter of John Crocker Bulteel.

His brothers were Frederick Ponsonby, ( Assistant Private Secretary to Edward VII & GV), and Arthur Augustus William Harry Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede, (British politician, writer, and social activist).

His Two Sisters were Alberta Victoria Ponsonby (6 May 1862 – 15 October 1945) and Magdalen Ponsonby (24 June 1864 – 1 July 1934) Author

Sir John was educated at Eton College, He was gazetted to the Royal Irish Rifles 16 November 1887, and to the Coldstream Guards 15 August 1888, becoming Lieutenant 29 June 1891. He was ADC to the Governor and Commander-in-Chief, South Africa, 10 August 1891 to 30 January 1895; served in operations in Matabeleland (Medal); was promoted to Captain 7 September 1898, and in that year served in Uganda (Medal), and again in 1899, during the operations against Kabarega (clasp). Captain Ponsonby served in the South African War, 1899-1902, on special service with the Rhodesian Field Force, 19 February 1900 to 7 July 1901. He was Adjutant, 5th New Zealand Regiment, 8 June 1900 to 1 January 1901; afterwards in command 1 January to 18 January 1901. From February to May 1900, be was employed with Mounted Infantry, and he took part in operations in the Transvaal, west of Pretoria, from July to 29 November 1900; operations in the Transvaal, February to June 1901; operations in Cape Colony, February to 31 May 1902. He was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 10 September 1901]; received the Queen's Medal with four clasps, the King's Medal with two clasps, and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 27 September 1901]: "John Ponsonby, Captain, Coldstream Guards. In recognition of services during the operations in South Africa". The Insignia were presented by the King 27 October 1901. He was promoted to Major 23 January 1904, and commanded the Guards' Depot 1 March 1905 to 28 February 1907. He became Lieutenant Colonel 28 October 1913.

Lieutenant Colonel Ponsonby served in the European War, 1914—18; Landed in France 13th August 1914 in charge of 1st Coldstream Guards,Wounded 15th September & returned to unit 21st November. commanded the 2nd Guards Brigade, BEF, 26 August 1915 to 19 November 1916: was given the Brevet of Colonel 1 January 1916; commanded the Special Reserve Infantry Brigade 28 November 1916 to 7 March 1917; commanded the 21st Infantry Brigade, BEF, 8 March to 20 March 1917; became Colonel 20 March 1917; commanded the 2nd Guards Brigade, British Armies in France, 21 March to 21 August 1917; commanded the 40th Division, British Armies in France, 22 August 1917 to 3 July 1918; subsequently commanded the 5th Division, British Armies in France, 4 July 1918 to 1 April 1919; was promoted to Major General 1 January 1919. He was mentioned in Despatches; created a CMG in 1915, a CB in 1918, and was given the Brevet of Colonel.

He went on to become General Officer Commanding 5th Division remaining in that role until the end of the War. After the War he became General Officer Commanding the Madras District of India. He retired in 1928.

He lived at Haile Hall near Beckermet in Cumbria