Свадебные фотографии

[Schwanensee]

Свадебные фотографии Хью Чарльза Бакла (Hugh Charles Buckle) и Руфь Мэри Кларк (Ruth Mary Clarke). Raithby, 1912.

На фотографиях точно известны только три человека: сам жених, невеста (в фате) и отец жениха - седой мужчина с бородкой - адмирал Клод Эдвард Бакл (Claude Edward Buckle). Хью Чарльз (жених) на снимке в форме лейтенант-коммандера RN (это так?). Единственная медаль на груди - за Боксерское восстание, без планок.

 

Вопрос о личности второго военного на фото. С большой вероятностью это должен быть старший брат жениха Мэтью Персеваль Бакл (Matthew Perceval Buckle), герой Англо-Бурской войны, погибший в Первую Мировую. Если это он, то на груди у него должна быть пара QSA (с четырьмя планками) и KSA (со стадандартными двумя), что похоже на правду. Но на Англо-Бурской он был награжден DSO, а на фото ничего подобного нет. Если это Мэтью Персеваль Бакл, то на момент снимка он был майором 1 батальона Royal West Kent Regt. Совершенно не разбираюсь в британской форме и хочу спросить, совпадает?

[Schwanensee]

Фото Мэтью Персеваля Бакла из интернета.

[Алексей Дмитриевич]

Хью Чарльз (жених) на снимке в форме лейтенант-коммандера RN (это так?). Единственная медаль на груди - за Боксерское восстание, без планок.

 

 

На фото действительно военный моряк в звании Lieutenant Commander с China War 1900 Medal.

[Алексей Дмитриевич]

 

Вопрос о личности второго военного на фото. С большой вероятностью это должен быть старший брат жениха Мэтью Персеваль Бакл (Matthew Perceval Buckle), герой Англо-Бурской войны, погибший в Первую Мировую. Если это он, то на груди у него должна быть пара QSA (с четырьмя планками) и KSA (со стадандартными двумя), что похоже на правду. Но на Англо-Бурской он был награжден DSO, а на фото ничего подобного нет. Если это Мэтью Персеваль Бакл, то на момент снимка он был майором 1 батальона Royal West Kent Regt. Совершенно не разбираюсь в британской форме и хочу спросить, совпадает?

Во-первых - человек справа от жениха -капитан. У него на погонах видны три звезды,а не одна корона как у майора.

Во-вторых - петличные знаки не совпадают с петличными знаками The Queen's Own West Kent Regiment(см.фото - в начале 20-го века они были такими как позиции 1370-1373).

В-третьих - вышеуказанный человек(ИМХО) не похож на Мэтью Персеваля Бакла(фото из интернета).Сравним хотя бы мочки ушей или расположение пробора в волосах(кстати - вещь неизменная  ).

Какие то общие черты лица есть,но не он. При этом не исключу,что это кто то из близких родственников.

Если бы можно было дать петлицы более чётко-я бы попробовал определить полк.

[Алексей Дмитриевич]

Лично мне ,там видятся петличные знаки The Northamptoshire Regiment.

[Schwanensee]

Алексей Дмитриевич, огромное спасибо!

Да, непохожесть, пробор в волосах - сам на это обратил внимание. Но не нашел более в этой морской семье армейских офицеров. Может плохо искал.

Теперь буду уверен, что это не Мэтью Персеваль.

[Алексей Дмитриевич]

Ну тут много вариантов-может быть брат жены,может быть родственник по матери.

[Алексей Дмитриевич]

Адмирал Claude Edward Buckle(на фото 1897 года он ещё Rear-Admiral).

[Schwanensee]

Адмирал Claude Edward Buckle(на фото 1897 года он ещё Rear-Admiral).

На адмирала вот еще интересные фото.

Группа не у меня, только вырванная страничка из неизвестного аукционника.

Любопытно, что Royal Humane Society's medal адмирал носил отдельно от колодки, на груди справа.

[cmf]

Hi Sergei,

 

The second photograph you posted was taken very shortly after the wedding ceremony at the parish church of the Holy Trinity, Raithby-by-Spilsby, Lincolnshire, on 01/08/1912. It shows the bride and bridegroom, of course, with the bridesmaids, Miss Mary J. Rawnsley (standing, left), Miss O. Barrow (standing, right), and Miss Nancy Clark (sitting, right). The officer in question is the groom’s best man, Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., wearing the post-1902 ‘Full Dress’ uniform of a Captain of the Regular and Special Reserve battalions of ‘The Hampshire Regiment’ (the officer’s collar badge on the ‘Full Dress’ tunic being the ‘Hampshire Rose’, in gold, red and green embroidery), plus the gold ‘Staff’ aiguillette on the left shoulder, as worn by ‘officers of the Headquarter Staff, and officers of the General, Administrative, and Personal Staff, belonging to a Corps or Department’. As described below, Captain French was, at the time of this photograph, on secondment from his regiment to the King’s African Rifles (K.A.R.), having been appointed ‘Staff Officer’ to the Inspector-General of the K.A.R.

 

As you can see from the biography I have put together of Captain, later Brigadier, French, he had a distinguished career, and although seeing active service during the Second Anglo-Boer War, and commanding the 2nd Battalion of his regiment 1919-23, the main focus of his career was as an officer of the ‘General Staff’, and especially within the ‘Directorate of Military Intelligence’. Here he headed M.I. 1 during the Great War. He only retired from the Army, for the second time, at the age of 66, in 1942.

 

It is interesting to note that he was decorated with the Russian Order of St Stanislas, 2nd Class, in 1917.

 

The two photographs I include show Captain French in 1913, and then (as Temporary Major) in 1914, as a Commander (General Staff Officer) of a Company of Gentlemen Cadets at the ‘Royal Military College’, Sandhurst. In both photographs, French, serving at the Royal Military College in his capacity as an officer of the ‘General Staff’ wears the blue ‘Serge Frock ‘B’’, with open collar, introduced in 1913. The blue serge frock was an ‘Undress’ item for officers of the British Army, never worn on duty or when parading with troops, and was an optional item of wear. The exception to this rule, however, were Generals, Colonels and Staff Officers, for whom the blue serge frock was obligatory, and when in the United Kingdom could be worn as an alternative to the khaki ‘Service Dress’ when on duty or parading with troops. The photograph of French with other Company commanders at the Royal Military College shows the ‘Staff’ elements of his uniform, such as the scarlet gorget patches on the collar, and the Royal Crest in gold embroidery on his scarlet-banded Forage Cap; the other officers wear their regimental Forage Caps with their blue serge frocks (the Captain standing on the left wears the ‘Serge Frock ‘A’’, the earlier version with stand collar).

 

 

 

 

Brigadier Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c. (1875-1959)

 

13/07/1875: Charles Newenham French is born at Queenstown, County Cork, Ireland, son of Savage French (1840-1922), Land Agent, and his wife Frances Maria (née Gough) (1844-1935).

 

Nov & Dec, 1893: Charles Newenham French successfully sits the Competitive Examination held for infantry cadetships at the ‘Royal Military College’, Sandhurst, county of Berkshire. (The Army and Navy Gazette, 06/01/1894, p18)

 

28/09/1895: Gentleman Cadet Charles Newenham French, Royal Military College, is commissioned into the regular battalions of ‘The Hampshire Regiment’ (‘Hamps. R.’), in the rank of Second Lieutenant, and is posted to the 2nd Battalion. (The London Gazette, no. 26666 [27/09/1895], p5356)

 

Once commissioned, Second Lieutenant French joined the 2nd Battalion in Ireland, where it had been stationed since 1893.

 

09/01/1898: Second Lieutenant Charles Newenham French, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. (The London Gazette, no. 26956 [12/04/1898], p2351)

 

May, 1899: Lieutenant Charles Newenham French, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., passes for promotion to the rank of Captain.

 

In December, 1899, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., together with other infantry battalions stationed in Ireland, was assigned to the newly formed 7th Division, and ordered to embark for South Africa for active service in the Second Anglo-Boer War.

 

04/01/1900: Lieutenant Charles Newenham French, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., 14th Brigade, 7th Division, along with his Battalion and other units of the 7th Division, embark at Southampton on board the transport ship H.M.T. Assaye, bound for South Africa.

 

24/01/1900: Lieutenant Charles Newenham French, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., 14th Brigade, 7th Division, along with his Battalion and other units of the 7th Division, disembarks from H.M.T. Assaye at Cape Town, Cape Colony, South Africa.

 

The 2nd Battalion, part of 14th Brigade in 7th Division, took part in operations in the Orange Free State during the period February to May, 1900, including those at Paardeberg (1-26/02/1900), and the action at Karee Siding, where Lt French was wounded. The 2nd Battalion also served in the Transvaal from September, 1901, to April, 1902, mainly on garrison duty.

 

29/03/1900: Lieutenant Charles Newenham French, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., 14th Brigade, 7th Division, is severely wounded in the abdomen, during the action at Karee Siding, Orange Free State.

 

05/10/1901-15/01/1902: Lieutenant Charles Newenham French, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., 14th Brigade, 7th Division, acts as ‘Station Staff Officer’, Barberton, Transvaal.

 

During their service in the Transvaal, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., guarded the railway line between Pretoria to Delgoa Bay (Portuguese East Africa). Barberton was a settlement and station on the Pretoria to Delgoa Bay (Portuguese East Africa) railway line, in which five companies of the Battalion were garrisoned. 

 

For his service in South Africa, Lt French was awarded the ‘Queen’s South Africa Medal’ with three clasps (Paardeberg; Cape Colony; Transvaal), and the ‘King’s South Africa Medal’, with two clasps (South Africa 1901; South Africa 1902).

 

14/02/1903: Lieutenant Charles Newenham French, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., is promoted to the rank of Captain. (The London Gazette, no. 27551 [12/05/1903], p2987)

 

Between 1903 and 1905, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., was stationed on the island of Malta.

 

22/01/1904: Captain Charles Newenham French, 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., is seconded whilst a student at the Staff College, Camberley, county of Surrey. (The London Gazette, no. 27642 [05/02/1904], p781)

 

December, 1905: Captain Charles Newenham French, Hamps. R., passes Staff College (‘p.s.c.’).

 

23/03/1906: Supernumerary Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R., is restored to the establishment of the 2nd Battalion, in the rank of Captain. (The London Gazette, no. 27906 [20/04/1906], p2746)

 

05/05/1906: Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., is seconded for service on the Staff, and appointed ‘Staff Captain’, Transvaal and Orange River Colonies, South Africa. (The London Gazette, no. 27914 [18/05/1906], p 3467 & no. 27916 [25/05/1906], p3657; Hart’s Annual Army List, 1907, p105)

 

In September, 1906, a ‘General Staff’ branch was formally established for the British Army, which for the first time centralised and coordinated the direction of Staff duties concerned with operational policy, planning, training, direction and intelligence, from the War Office down to the lowest formation. By Army Order 63 of April 1907, new designations for officers of the newly established ‘General Staff’ branch were introduced, replacing the old Staff titles of appointment: the title of ‘Staff Captain’ was replaced by the new designation ‘General Staff Officer, 3rd Grade’. However, for those Staff officers at the War Office and in lower formations, who were not part of the ‘General Staff’ (such as those of the ‘Adjutant-General’s’ and ‘Quartermaster-General's’ branches), the earlier system of Staff titles was retained. 

 

08/03/1909: Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, serving as ‘General Staff Officer, 3rd Grade’, Transvaal and Orange River Colonies, South Africa, is appointed to the ‘Directorate of Military Operations’, ‘Department of Chief of the General Staff’, War Office, London. (The London Gazette, no. 28238 [02/04/1909], p2591; Hart’s Annual Army List, 1910, p3)

 

 05/05/1910: Supernumerary Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R., is restored to the regimental establishment on the expiration of his tenure of appointment at the War Office as ‘General Staff Officer, 3rd Grade’, and is posted to the 1st Battalion. (The London Gazette, no. 28373 [17/05/1910], pp3484-3485)

 

14/06/1910: Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., 1st Bn, Hamps. R., is appointed Adjutant of the Battalion. (The London Gazette, no. 28386 [21/06/1910], p4380; Hart’s Annual Army List, 1911, p421; Belfast Evening Telegraph, 15/06/1910, p4)

 

Between 1907 and 1910, 1st Bn, Hamps. R., was stationed in Ireland. In September, 1910, the Battalion was posted to England, joining the garrison at Aldershot Camp, county of Hampshire.

 

02/04/1911: at the 1911 Census, Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., 1st Bn, Hamps. R., is listed at Badajos Barracks, Wellington Lines, Aldershot Camp, county of Hampshire. 

 

14/07/1911: Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., 1st Bn, Hamps. R., relinquishes his appointment as Adjutant of the Battalion. (The Quarterly Army List [for the Quarter ending 31st December, 1913], p656)

 

01/08/1911: Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., 1st Bn, Hamps. R., is seconded for service under the Colonial Office, and is appointed ‘Staff Officer’ (General Staff Officer, 2nd Grade) to the Inspector-General, King’s African Rifles, Zomba, Nyasaland Protectorate. (The London Gazette, no. 28527 [01/09/1911], p6455)

 

22/08/1913: Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R., ceases his appointment as ‘Staff Officer’ (General Staff Officer, 2nd Grade) to the Inspector-General, King’s African Rifles, and is appointed Commander (General Staff Officer) of a Company of Gentlemen Cadets at the ‘Royal Military College’, Sandhurst, county of Berkshire. (The London Gazette, no. 28752 [02/09/1913], p6325)

 

04/02/1914: Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R., is granted the temporary rank of Major whilst employed as a Commander (General Staff Officer) of a Company of Gentlemen Cadets at the ‘Royal Military College’. (The London Gazette, no. 28798 [03/02/1914], p887)

 

14/09/1914: Captain Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R., is granted the temporary rank of Major. (Second Supplement to The London Gazette of 09/03/1915 [no. 29096, published 11/03/1915] p2478)

 

During the Great War, an Officer in the British Army might simultaneously hold three ranks – Substantive, Acting/Temporary, and Brevet – spread over a wide range. Up to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, an Officer possessed his ‘Substantive’, i.e. permanent, rank by seniority within his regiment (although ‘Regular’, ‘Special Reserve’, and ‘Territorial Force’ Officers were on separate rolls): promotion to the next rank was determined by a combination of vacancy within the regiment, seniority, and examination. Beyond the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, an Officer was promoted to Colonel automatically after four years; thereafter, higher rank was achieved by seniority within the Army as whole, and by examination. However, because ‘Substantive’ Rank as held by Company and Field Officers was regimental, promotion moved at different speeds within regiments. Given the rapid expansion of the Army, and the often sudden need for an Officer to assume more senior command responsibilities, whether in his own regiment, or elsewhere within the Army, ‘Acting’ rank was often granted (which after 30 days became ‘Temporary’ rank): however, this rank ceased once the appointment for which it had been granted was relinquished. To prevent this fall back to often quite junior regimental rank for capable Officers who had hitherto held senior appointments, and to reward meritorious service, Officers could be granted the ‘Brevet’ rank of Colonel, Lieutenant-Colonel, or Major: they received the pay of the rank below (thus a ‘Brevet Major’ received the pay of a Captain). However, ‘Brevet’ ranks were ‘Army’ ranks, and not regimental, and thus for an officer wishing to advance within his regiment, he was assessed in the usual way as per his ‘Substantive’ rank.

 

06/10/1914: Captain (Temporary Major) Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R., is appointed temporary ‘General Staff Officer, 2nd Grade’, at the ‘Directorate of Military Intelligence’, ‘Department of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff’ (C.I.G.S.), War Office, London, and retains his temporary rank whilst so employed. (Supplement to The London Gazette of 09/10/1914 [no. 28933, published 10/10/1914] p8116)

 

29/11/1914: Captain (Temporary Major) Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is promoted to the rank of Major. (Second Supplement to The London Gazette of 09/03/1915 [no. 29096, published 11/03/1915] p2478; Supplement to The London Gazette of 28/05/1915 [no. 29176, published 29/05/1915] p5198)

 

01/03/1915: Major Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is appointed temporary ‘General Staff Officer, 1st Grade’ (from 2nd Grade), ‘Directorate of Military Intelligence’, ‘Department of the C.I.G.S.’, War Office, London, and is granted the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel whilst so employed. (Second Supplement to The London Gazette of 09/04/1915 [no. 29124, published 10/04/1915] p3554)

 

03/06/1916: Major (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is promoted to the Brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, ‘for valuable services rendered in connection with the War’. (Supplement to The London Gazette of 02/06/1916 [no. 29608, published 03/06/1916] p5599)

 

01/06/1917: Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is decorated with the Russian Order of St Stanislas, 2nd Class, in recognition of ‘distinguished services to the Allied cause’. (Third Supplement to The London Gazette of 01/06/1917 [no. 30108, published 01/06/1917] p5434)

 

04/06/1917: Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Newenham French, p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, by order of His Majesty The King, is appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, of the ‘Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George’, ‘in recognition of valuable services in connection with the War’. (Sixth Supplement to The London Gazette of 01/06/1917 [no. 30111, published 04/06/1917] p5460)

 

27/07/1917: Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, has his name brought to the notice of the ‘Secretary of State for War’, for distinguished services rendered in connection with the War. (Second Supplement to The London Gazette of 27/07/1917 [no. 30207, published 27/07/1917] p7748)

 

By 1917, the ‘Directorate of Military Intelligence’ had been organised into nine, numbered, sub-sections. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel French was appointed head of ‘Military Intelligence, Section 1’ (M.I. 1), tasked with foreign intelligence, counter intelligence, deception, communication security, interception/cryptanalysis, and the dissemination of intelligence reports.

 

24/09/1917: Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is appointed an Officier de l'Ordre de la Couronne by His Majesty the King of the Belgians, for ‘distinguished services rendered during the course of the campaign’. (Sixth Supplement to The London Gazette of 21/09/1917 [no. 30302, published 24/09/1917] p9864)

 

01/01/1918: Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is promoted to the Brevet rank of Colonel, ‘for valuable services rendered in connection with the War’. (Supplement to The London Gazette of 28/12/1917 [no. 30450, published 01/01/1918] p14; Supplement to The London Gazette of 04/01/1918 [no. 30458, published 05/01/1918] p353)

 

10/10/1918: Major and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is decorated with the Croix d’Officier de l’Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur by the President of the French Republic, for ‘distinguished services rendered during the course of the campaign’. (Third Supplement to The London Gazette of 08/10/1918 [no. 30945, published 10/10/1918] p11944)

 

12/12/1918: Major and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is appointed ‘General Staff Officer, 1st Grade’ for service with the ‘British Military Mission to Somaliland’, and is granted the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel whilst so employed. (Supplement to The London Gazette of 02/12/1919 [no. 31670, published 02/12/1919] p15006)

 

26/03/1919: Major and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is appointed ‘General Staff Officer, 1st Grade’ for service with General Head-Quarters (G.H.-Q.), Egyptian Expeditionary Force. (Fourth Supplement to The London Gazette of 07/10/1919 [no. 31591, published 09/10/1919] p12517; The Quarterly Army List [for the Quarter ending 30th June, 1922], p139a)

 

01/04/1919: Major (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is appointed an Ufficiale dell'Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro by His Majesty The King of Italy, for ‘distinguished services rendered during the course of the campaign’. (Eighth Supplement to The London Gazette of 28/03/1919 [no. 31263, published 01/04/1919] p4199)

 

26/04/1919: Major (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R. attached General Staff, is seconded to the ‘Adjutant-General’s and Quartermaster-General's Staff’, in the grade of ‘Assistant-Adjutant & Quarter-Master-General’ (A.A. & Q.M.G.), for service with the ‘Occupied Enemy Territory Administration’ of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. He retains the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel whilst so employed. (Third Supplement to The London Gazette of 05/12/1919 [no. 31677, published 08/12/1919] p15173; The Quarterly Army List [for the Quarter ending 30th June, 1922], p139a)

 

01/10/1919: Major (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., Hamps. R., is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of 2nd Bn, Hamps. R. (Supplement to The London Gazette of 30/09/1919 [no. 31575, published 30/09/1919] p12089)

 

The 2nd Battalion, Hamps. R., had been stationed in India at the start of the Great War. Returning home, the Battalion saw service with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli in 1915, before being transferred to the British Expeditionary Force in 1916, spending the rest of the war on the Western Front. From the end of May to September, 1919, the 2nd Battalion saw service in north Russia with 1st (Grogan’s) Brigade, ‘North Russia Relief Force’ (N.R.R.F.). In November, 1919, the 2nd Battalion was sent to Ireland, to undertake anti-guerilla operations. In December, 1922, the Battalion returned to England.

 

It appears from newspaper reports of the trial, in 1922, of an anti-Treaty ‘Irish Republican Army’ (I.R.A.) gun-runner, that Lieutenant-Colonel French - who despite his command of 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., had retained his temporary appointment as a General Staff Officer – was attached to Headquarters, Irish Command, in Dublin, on intelligence duties whilst the Battalion was in Ireland.

 

24/12/1922: Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., relinquishes the temporary appointment of ‘General Staff Officer, 1st Grade’. (The London Gazette, no. 32788 [19/01/1923], p451)

 

28/12/1922: Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., p.s.c., 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., by order of His Majesty The King, is appointed a Commander of the Military Division of the ‘Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’. (Supplement to The London Gazette of 29/12/1922 [no. 32782, published 01/01/1923] p7)

 

01/10/1923: Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., 2nd Bn, Hamps. R., on completion of his period of service in command of the Battalion, is placed on the half-pay list. (The London Gazette, no. 32867 [02/10/1923], p6581)

 

01/12/1923: Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., half-pay list, late of ‘The Hampshire Regiment’, is promoted to the rank of Colonel, with seniority of 01/01/1918. (The London Gazette, no. 32886 [07/12/1923], p8538)

 

31/03/1924: Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., retires from the Regular Army on retired pay. (The London Gazette, no. 32923 [01/04/1924], p2717)

 

Between 1924 and 1929, French was a director of the ‘Empire Cotton Growing Corporation’.

 

13/07/1930: Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., General List, ‘Regular Army Reserve of Officers’, having attained the age limit of liability to recall, ceases to belong to the ‘Regular Army Reserve of Officers’. (The London Gazette, no. 33625 [15/07/1930], p4430)

 

25/08/1939: Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., is appointed Controller of Postal and Telegraph Censorship, ‘Directorate of Military Intelligence’, ‘Department of the C.I.G.S.’, War Office, London. (The Monthly Army List [January, 1940], p11)

 

01/09/1939: Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., is granted the acting rank of Brigadier. (The Monthly Army List [January, 1940], p11)

 

29/09/1939: on ‘National Registration Day’ of 1939, Colonel (Acting Brigadier) Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., is living in Farnham, county of Surrey. His occupation is given as ‘Controller, Postal & Telegraph Censorship, War Office, London’.

 

01/03/1940: Colonel (Acting Brigadier) Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., is granted the temporary rank of Brigadier. (The Monthly Army List [May, 1940], p12)

 

12/02/1942: Colonel Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., reverts to retired pay, and is granted the honorary rank of Brigadier. (Supplement to The London Gazette of 13/02/1942 [no. 35456, published 13/02/1942] p749)

 

14/02/1959: Brigadier Charles Newenham French, C.M.G., C.B.E., p.s.c., dies at Wrecclesham Grange Nursing Home, Farnham, county of Surrey.

 

 

Two of Brigadier French’s brothers also served in the Armed Forces:

 

Captain Sampson Gough French, The Royal Irish Regiment attached ‘A’ Squadron, Rhodesia Regiment (1870-1900). Killed-in-action on 12/02/1900, near Gaberones, Bechuanaland Protectorate, about 80 miles north of Mafeking, Cape Colony.

 

Admiral Wilfred Frankland French, K.C.B., C.M.G., R.N. (1880-1958)

Изменено 31 марта, 2022 пользователем cmf

[Schwanensee]

Chris, thank you very much! Very impressed with your findings.

 

It is interesting that Hugh Charles Buckle was also decorated with the Russian Order in 1917 - St. Anna, 3d Class, with swords, for distinguished service rendered in the Battle of Jutland as a gunnery officer aboard HMS Collingwood.

It is even more interesting that a turret officer aboard HMS Collingwood in the Battle of Jutland was H.R.H. Prince Albert, the future King George VI, who was decorated for the Battle of Jutland with the Russian Order of St. Vladimir, 4th Class, with swords.

[cmf]

Hi Sergei!

 

Thanks! It was a satisfying piece of detective work, especially when it became obvious French was no run-of-the-mill regimental officer!

 

To keep up the naval theme, it was interesting to learn that French's brother, Wilfred Frankland French, was also at Jutland, as Executive Officer of the King George V-class dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Centurion, part of the Second Battle Squadron; and in 1939, as Admiral Sir Wilfred Frankland French, 'Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands', he was the officer blamed for the weak defences at Scapa Flow, allowing U-47 to penetrate and sink H.M.S. Royal Oak.

 

Chris