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Walter Campbell (British Army officer)

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This article is about the former Quartermaster-General to the Forces. For individuals named Walter Campbell, see Walter Campbell.

Sir Walter Campbell
Campbell in 1918
Born(1864-07-30)30 July 1864
County Antrim, Ireland
Died11 August 1936(1936-08-11) (aged 72)
Merstham, Surrey, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1887–1927
RankLieutenant General
Battles / warsChitral Expedition
Tirah campaign
Second Boer War
First World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches
Order of the White Eagle, 2nd Class (Serbia)

Lieutenant General Sir Walter Campbell, KCB, KCMG, DSO (30 July 1864 – 11 August 1936) was a British Army officer who served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1923 to 1927.

Early life and education

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Campbell was born in County Antrim, Ireland, the son of John Campbell of Rathfern, White Abbey, Belfast. He was educated at Wellington College and Trinity College, Cambridge, but left university after three years for Sandhurst when he decided upon a military career.[1]

Military career

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Campbell was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Gordon Highlanders on 5 February 1887,[2][3] promoted to lieutenant on 5 December 1890, and saw early service with the Waziristan Field Force and the Chitral Relief Force (1895). He was promoted to captain on 11 January 1897, served in the Tirah Expeditionary Force (1897–98), and received a brevet promotion to major on 20 May 1898.[4][3]

From 1899 to 1900 he served in the Second Boer War, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in November 1900.[5] He then became Brigade Major for the Highland Brigade serving in South Africa. The war ended with the Peace of Vereeniging in late May 1902, and the following month Campbell returned home in the SS Tagus, arriving at Southampton in July.[6]

Following his return, he was on 19 October 1902 appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General (DAAG) to the 3rd Army Corps, stationed in Ireland.[7] He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in January 1907.[8]

After having served as a general staff officer, grade 2 (GSO2), Campbell was promoted to colonel[9] and placed on half-pay.[10]

Campbell served in the First World War, receiving a promotion to brigadier general and being assigned as a deputy adjutant and quartermaster general (DAAG), while serving with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), in October 1914, in succession to Robert Wanless O'Gowan.[11] He was later promoted to temporary major general in July 1915,[12] becoming Deputy Quartermaster-General to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force taking part in the evacuation at Gallipoli.[13] By June 1918 he was Quartermaster-General with the Imperial Camel Corps in Jordan.[14] According to The Times, Campbell's "genius for administration made him an outstanding figure of the War."[1] He was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, 2nd Class by the Government of Serbia in February 1917,[15] and appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1919 New Year Honours.[16]

In 1918, Campbell was sketched by artist James McBey, the official war artist to the Palestine Expeditionary Force.[17] He was appointed Quartermaster-General to the Forces in 1923; he retired four years later and died on 11 August 1936.[1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Obituary: Lt.-Gen. Sir Walter Campbell – A Great Quartermaster-General". The Times. 12 August 1936. p. 12.
  2. ^ "No. 25670". The London Gazette. 4 February 1887. p. 602.
  3. ^ a b c Sir Walter Campbell Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  4. ^ Hart's army list, 1903
  5. ^ "No. 27359". The London Gazette. 27 September 1901. p. 6303.
  6. ^ "The Army in South Africa – Troops returning Home". The Times. No. 36812. London. 5 July 1902. p. 8.
  7. ^ "No. 27494". The London Gazette. 11 November 1902. p. 7168.
  8. ^ "No. 27983". The London Gazette. 4 January 1907. p. 119.
  9. ^ "No. 28517". The London Gazette. 28 July 1911. p. 5634.
  10. ^ "No. 28482". The London Gazette. 4 April 1911. p. 2704.
  11. ^ "No. 28968". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 November 1914. p. 9109.
  12. ^ "No. 29267". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 August 1915. p. 8247.
  13. ^ Private papers of Lieutenant General Sir Walter Campbell KCB KCMG DSO Imperial War Museum Collection Search. Accessed 30 June 2012]
  14. ^ Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence, Book 8, Chapter 95 Vintage Classics, 2008, ISBN 978-0-09-951178-6
  15. ^ "No. 29945". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 February 1917. p. 1605.
  16. ^ "No. 31093". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1918. p. 51.
  17. ^ McBey, James General Sir Walter Campbell KCMG CB DSO, 1918 Imperial War Museum Collection Search. Accessed 30 June 2012
Military offices
Preceded by Quartermaster-General to the Forces
1923–1927 		Succeeded by
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