William Nicholson, 1st Baron Nicholson

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Field Marshal Sir William Gustavus Nicholson, 1st Baron Nicholson GCB (2 March 1845-13 September 1918), was an officer of the British Army.

He was born at Roundhay Park, Leeds, the youngest son of William Nicholson Phillips of Leeds, who had in 1827 assumed the surname and arms of Nicholson. In 1863 he graduated from Leeds Grammar School and entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, where he was awarded the Pollock Medal the following year. On 21 Mar 1865 he gained a commission as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, training at Chatham, Kent. From 1868-1871 he was employed on coastal fortification work in Barbados, West Indies. Following this he was posted to India, with the Public Works Department at Hyderabad, the Punjab Irrigation Branch, and at Rawalpindi and Peshawar on barrack work and the construction of Army waterworks. In 1871 he married Victoria Dillon.

On 16 March 1878 Nicholson was promoted to the rank of Captain, and posted to Afghanistan, seeing service in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. He served in the first campaign as Field Engineer, Kandahar Field Force from the 10th of October 1879 to the 5th of March 1879, and as Commander Royal Engineers for the Thal-Chotiali Field Force from the 6th of March to the 30th of April 1879. During the second campaign of the war he served first as Field Engineer, 1st Division, Kabul Field Force from the 23rd of September 1879 until the 7th of August 1880, being present at the action near Surkai Kotal on the 14th of October 1879, the defence of the Shutargardan in October of 1879, and the defence of the Lataband in December of 1879. He then served as Field Engineer, Kabul-Kandahar Field Force, taking part in the advance to the relief of Kandahar, and being present at the battle of Kandahar. During the Afghanistan campaigns he was four times mentioned in despatches, was awarded a campaign medal with three clasps, and promoted to the brevet rank of Major.

In 1880 he was appointed Secretary of the Defence Committee at Simla, and promoted to Major the following year. His time as secretary was interrupted by service in Egypt in 1882, where he served with the Indian contingent in the Egyptian Campaign. His force made a successful flanking movement at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir and opened up the way to Cairo by cutting the enemy’s railway system near Zagazig, where Nicholson, then with the cavalry, captured four trains under steam which were later used to transport British Infantry. His efforts earned him another campaign medal with clasp, the Order of Osmanieh, and the Khedive’s star.

Between 1885 and 1886 he served as Assistant Adjutant General, Royal Engineers in Bengal. Service in the Third Burmese War, which stamped out the guerrilla activities that followed the overthrow of King Thibaw Min, earned Nicholson further honours and the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

On 1 July 1890 Nicholson was appointed Military Secretary to Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief in India. The following year he was knighted, being created a Companion of the Bath, and promoted to Colonel. He was employed with the Military Works Department, India as a Chief Engineer until 1895, when he was appointed Deputy Adjutant General for the Punjab, with rank of Brigadier General, under Lieutenant General Sir William Lockhart.

Nicholson saw service on the North West Frontier of India, at Tirah in 1897-98. He was mentioned in despatches, awarded a campaign medal with two clasps, and elevated to Knight Commander of the Bath. He was Adjutant General in India from 1898-99.

He was appointed Military Secretary to Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief in South Africa during the Second Boer War. While serving as a local Major General, Nicholson was mentioned in Lord Roberts’ despatch dated 31 March 1900. In this despatch Lord Roberts wrote:

"Colonel Sir W. Nicholson (local Major-Gen.), R.E., undertook, at my request, organisation of a transport department in the limited time available; he performed this duty with conspicuous ability."

He was present at Paardeberg and at the actions at Poplar Grove, Driefontein, Vet and Zand Rivers, and in operations near Johannesburg, Pretoria and Diamond Hill, and in the operations in the Transvaal, east of Pretoria, during the latter half of 1900. During part of the time he was employed on Intelligence work, in addition to other duties. On 4 November 1901 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and made Director General of Mobilization and Military Intelligence.

From 1904-1905 Nicholson was Chief Military Attaché to the Japanese Army in Manchuria, later appointed Quartermaster General of the Army and Member of the Army Council. He was promoted to General on 23 October 1907. In 1908 he was appointed as Chief of the General Staff and first Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and created Knight Grand Cross of the Bath.

In 1911 he received promotion to Field Marshal, before retiring in 1912. He was raised to the Peerage as Baron Nicholson of Roundhay, Yorkshire. From 1914-1918 he served on the Committee of Imperial Defence, investigating the conduct of operations in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia. Also Chairman of the Territorial Forces Association for London. In 1916 he was appointed Colonel Commandant, Royal Engineers.

Nicholson died at his home at 15 Pont Street, London, on 13 September 1918. He left no heirs.

[edit] Decorations and Campaign Medals

Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (G.C.B.), 1908.
Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.), 1898.
Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.), 1891.
Afghanistan 1878-1880 Medal with clasps [CHARASIA][KABUL][KANDAHAR].
Egypt 1882 Medal with clasp [TEL-EL-KEBIR].
India General Service Medal 1854 with clasp [BURMA 1883-6].
India General Service Medal 1895 with clasps [PUNJAB FRONTIER 1897-98][TIRAH 1897-98]
Queen’s South Africa Medal with 5 clasps
Turkish Order of Osmanieh, 4th Class
Khedive’s Star
Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun
Japanese War Medal

[edit] References

Connolly, TWJ, Roll of Officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers from 1660 to 1898, The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1898
Hart, HG, The New Annual Army List, 1885, John Murray, London, 1885
Hart, HG, The New Annual Army List, 1893, John Murray, London, 1893
Hart, HG, The New Annual Army List, 1909, John Murray, London, 1909
Shadbolt, SH, The Afghan Campaigns of 1878-1880, J.B. Hayward & Son, London
Army and Navy Gazette, South African War Honours & Awards, 1899-1902, Arms and Armour Press, London, 1979
Maurice, JF, Military History of the Campaign of 1882 in Egypt, J.B. Hayward & Son, London, 1973
Creswicke, L, South Africa and the Transvaal War, Volume VI, T.C. & E.C. Jack, Edinburgh, 1901
Vibart, HM, Addiscombe: Its Heroes and Men of Note, Archibald Constable and Co., Westminster, 1894
The Sapper (Regimental Journal of the Corps of Royal Engineers) Vol. II, No. 6, November 1964
Who Was Who, 1916-1928 A. & C. Black, London, 1947

Military Offices
Preceded by: Sir Neville Lyttleton	Chief of the General Staff 1908	Succeeded by: Position abolished
Preceded by: New position	Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1908–1912	Succeeded by: John French, 1st Earl of Ypres
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by: New Creation	Baron Nicholson 1912–1918	Succeeded by: Extinct