Frederick Wing
Encyclopedia
Major-General Frederick Drummond Vincent Wing CB
(29 November 1860 - 2 October 1915) was a senior officer of the British Army
during the First World War and was one of three British divisional commanders killed in action in the space of week in the aftermath of the Battle of Loos
. Wing had served in the army for over thirty years at the time of his death, having been commissioned into the Royal Artillery
in 1880. He had served with distinction in the Second Boer War
and been an aide de camp to Lord Roberts
in 1903.
after graduating from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Wing rose in prominence in the regiment, and saw action in the Second Boer War
between 1899 and 1902 for which he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath and was seconded to the staff of Lord Roberts
, whom he served as aide-de-camp in 1903. In 1905, Wing married Mary FitzClarence, a granddaughter of the Earl of Munster
and Earl of Clonmell.
In 1913, Wing was given command of the artillery corps of the 3rd Infantry Division and accompanied them to France in 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War. Wing served at all the major battles of 1914 and was wounded on 22 September 1915 by a shrapnel bullet in the calf, but returned to duty the next day. Wing also had a close escape early in 1915, when a German shell burst directly over his car during a tour of his artillery positions. Wing was unhurt in the blast, but his chauffer was wounded in the arm.
Later in 1915, Wing took overall command of the newly raised New Army
12th Infantry Division. In the September 1915 Battle of Loos
, generals George Thesiger
and Thompson Capper
were killed, and less than a week later, on 2 October 1915, a shell exploded in the road outside the 12th Division's forward report centre at Mazingarbe
and killed Wing and his aide-de-camp Lieutenant Tower outright at 3:45pm. Both were buried in the nearby Noeux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery which is now maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(29 November 1860 - 2 October 1915) was a senior officer of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the First World War and was one of three British divisional commanders killed in action in the space of week in the aftermath of the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
. Wing had served in the army for over thirty years at the time of his death, having been commissioned into the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in 1880. He had served with distinction in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and been an aide de camp to Lord Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
in 1903.
Military service
Frederick Wing was born in 1860, the son of Major Vincent Wing and Gertrude Elizabeth Wing (née Vane). In 1880 aged twenty, Wing joined the Royal ArtilleryRoyal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
after graduating from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Wing rose in prominence in the regiment, and saw action in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
between 1899 and 1902 for which he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath and was seconded to the staff of Lord Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
, whom he served as aide-de-camp in 1903. In 1905, Wing married Mary FitzClarence, a granddaughter of the Earl of Munster
George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster
George Augustus Frederick FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster PC , was the eldest natural son of William IV of the United Kingdom and his long-time mistress Dorothy Jordan....
and Earl of Clonmell.
In 1913, Wing was given command of the artillery corps of the 3rd Infantry Division and accompanied them to France in 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War. Wing served at all the major battles of 1914 and was wounded on 22 September 1915 by a shrapnel bullet in the calf, but returned to duty the next day. Wing also had a close escape early in 1915, when a German shell burst directly over his car during a tour of his artillery positions. Wing was unhurt in the blast, but his chauffer was wounded in the arm.
Later in 1915, Wing took overall command of the newly raised New Army
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
12th Infantry Division. In the September 1915 Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
, generals George Thesiger
George Thesiger
Major-General George Handcock Thesiger, CB, CMG was a senior officer in the British Army during World War I who was killed in action during the battle of Loos by German shellfire...
and Thompson Capper
Thompson Capper
Major General Sir Thompson Capper KCMG CB DSO was a highly decorated and senior British Army officer who served with distinction in the Second Boer War and was a divisional commander during the First World War...
were killed, and less than a week later, on 2 October 1915, a shell exploded in the road outside the 12th Division's forward report centre at Mazingarbe
Mazingarbe
Mazingarbe is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-History:The village was known as Masengarba in 1046, Masengarbe in 1232 and Mazengarbe in 1558....
and killed Wing and his aide-de-camp Lieutenant Tower outright at 3:45pm. Both were buried in the nearby Noeux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery which is now maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
.