Gerald Cuthbert
Encyclopedia
Major-General Gerald James Cuthbert CB
, CMG
(12 September 1861 – 1 February 1931) was a British Army
officer who commanded a battalion in the Boer War
and a division in the First World War. Cuthbert joined the Scots Guards
in 1882 and served in Egypt and the Sudan during the late 19th century. During the Boer War he served with his regiment, rising to command a battalion and after the war he was given command of a brigade in the Territorial Force
and then in the British Expeditionary Force of 1914. He served on the Western Front
from 1914 to 1917, rising to command 39th Division
, then returned to home service before retiring in 1919.
in Northumberland, Gerald was privately educated, and attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, before joining the Scots Guards
in 1882. He served with the 2nd Battalion during the Sudan Expedition
of 1885, where he saw service at the Battle of Suakin
, and in 1889–90 was the aide-de-camp
to Major-General Frederick Forestier-Walker
at Aldershot. Returning to his regiment, he was appointed adjutant
of the 2nd Battalion from 1895 to 1899.
He served extensively during the Boer War
, seeing action at Belmont
, Enslin, Modder River
, Magersfontein
, Poplar Grove
, Dreifontein, Vet River, Zand River, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Diamond Hill
, Riet Vlei, and Belfast. Between January and July 1901, he commanded the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. He was mentioned in despatches during the war, and given a brevet promotion to lieutenant-colonel.
Following the War, he again commanded the 1st Battalion from 1904 to 1906, although he was relieved of his command and placed on half-pay in 1906 after an inquiry into ragging
in the battalion. Later that year, he was posted to Egypt as an assistant adjutant-general. In 1909, he returned home to command the 4th London Brigade in 2nd London Division, a Territorial Force
unit, as well as the regimental district of the Scots Guards. In 1914 he was appointed to command 13th Infantry Brigade, a regular brigade in 5th Division.
and the First Battle of the Aisne
, but was invalided home at the end of September, succeeded by William Hickie
. On 26 November, he was appointed to take command of a Territorial unit in 1915; this was the 140th Infantry Brigade, which he had commanded in its peacetime incarnation as the 4th London Brigade, of the 47th (2nd London) Division. He remained with them through 1915 and 1916, culminating in the German attack on Vimy Ridge in May 1916, where Cuthbert led the division in lieu of the divisional commander, who was on leave. He was not a popular brigadier; the London volunteers particularly objected to his strict views on cleanliness, a story circulated that he had ordered front-line trenches to be swept out with brooms. He was nicknamed "Spit and Polish" by the infantry as a result of his obsession with appearances, alongside his earlier – and somewhat more cryptic – nickname of "Bluebell
".
He left the 140th Brigade in early July 1916, promoted to command 39th Division
. He commanded it during the later phases of the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Pilkem. His record with the division was not well-received by his superiors; Claud Jacob
of II Corps described him as "obstinate and mulish" during the Battle of the Somme, whilst Ivor Maxse
of XVIII Corps
noted he had "little or no conception of training methods", and "few ideas" regarding tactical operations; his only merit was perceived to be his rigorous approach to discipline. He was removed from command in August 1917, and transferred to command 72nd Division on home service. He later commanded the military base at Shorncliffe, before retiring from the Army in 1919.
Cuthbert never married, and in retirement he lived in Sandhoe Garden Cottage on the family estate at Beaufront Castle
. He died in February 1931, aged 69.
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...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(12 September 1861 – 1 February 1931) was a 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...
officer who commanded a battalion in the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
and a division in the First World War. Cuthbert joined the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
in 1882 and served in Egypt and the Sudan during the late 19th century. During the Boer War he served with his regiment, rising to command a battalion and after the war he was given command of a brigade in the Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
and then in the British Expeditionary Force of 1914. He served on the Western Front
Western Front
Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the east and the Allies to the west...
from 1914 to 1917, rising to command 39th Division
39th Division (United Kingdom)
The 39th Infantry Division was a unit of the British Army during World War I.Raised as part of the Fifth New Army in August 1915 near Winchester, the division was also stationed at Aldershot and Whitley, before being transferred to the Western Front in March 1916.The division suffered heavy losses...
, then returned to home service before retiring in 1919.
Early career
The fifth son of William Cuthbert of Beaufront CastleBeaufront Castle
Beaufront Castle is a privately owned 19th century country house near Hexham, Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.A pele tower was recorded at Beaufront in 1415...
in Northumberland, Gerald was privately educated, and attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, before joining the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
in 1882. He served with the 2nd Battalion during the Sudan Expedition
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
of 1885, where he saw service at the Battle of Suakin
Battle of Suakin
The Battle of Suakin occurred on 20 December 1888 when Francis Grenfell defeated the Mahdi forces near Suakin a chief port of Sudan. After one and a half hours of fighting, the casualties were 12 on the side of the British and Egyptians, and 1,000 on the side of the Arabs...
, and in 1889–90 was the aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Major-General Frederick Forestier-Walker
Frederick Forestier-Walker
General Sir Frederick William Edward Forestier Forestier-Walker GCMG KCB was Governor of Gibraltar.-Military career:...
at Aldershot. Returning to his regiment, he was appointed adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of the 2nd Battalion from 1895 to 1899.
He served extensively during the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
, seeing action at Belmont
Battle of Belmont (1899)
The Battle of Belmont is the name of an engagement of the Second Boer War near the town of Belmont, 23 November 1899, where the British under Lord Methuen assaulted a Boer position on a kopje....
, Enslin, Modder River
Battle of Modder River
The Battle of Modder River was an engagement in the Boer War, fought at Modder River, on 28 November 1899...
, Magersfontein
Battle of Magersfontein
The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein near Kimberley on the borders of the Cape Colony and the independent republic of the Orange Free State...
, Poplar Grove
Battle of Poplar Grove
The Battle of Poplar Grove on 7 March 1900 followed on from the Relief of Kimberley during the Second Boer War as the British army moved to take the Boer capital of Bloemfontein. The Boers were demoralised following the surrender of Piet Cronje at the Battle of Paardeberg...
, Dreifontein, Vet River, Zand River, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Diamond Hill
Battle of Diamond Hill
The Battle of Diamond Hill took place on 11 and 12 June 1900 during the Second Boer War. Fourteen thousand British soldiers squared up against four thousand Boers and forced them from their positions on the hill....
, Riet Vlei, and Belfast. Between January and July 1901, he commanded the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. He was mentioned in despatches during the war, and given a brevet promotion to lieutenant-colonel.
Following the War, he again commanded the 1st Battalion from 1904 to 1906, although he was relieved of his command and placed on half-pay in 1906 after an inquiry into ragging
Ragging
Ragging is a practice in educational institutions in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka that involves existing students baiting or bullying new students. It is similar to the American phenomenon of hazing. It often takes a malignant form wherein the newcomers may be subjected to psychological or...
in the battalion. Later that year, he was posted to Egypt as an assistant adjutant-general. In 1909, he returned home to command the 4th London Brigade in 2nd London Division, a Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
unit, as well as the regimental district of the Scots Guards. In 1914 he was appointed to command 13th Infantry Brigade, a regular brigade in 5th Division.
First World War
Cuthbert remained in command of 13th Brigade when it was mobilised for service in the British Expeditionary Force after the First World War began in August 1914. He took the brigade to France and commanded it through the Retreat from Mons, the Battle of the MarneBattle of the Marne
There were two Battles of the Marne, taking place near the Marne River in Marne, France during World War I:* First Battle of the Marne * Second Battle of the Marne...
and the First Battle of the Aisne
First Battle of the Aisne
The First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
, but was invalided home at the end of September, succeeded by William Hickie
William Bernard Hickie
Sir William Bernard Hickie was an Irish born Major General of the British Army and an Irish nationalist politician....
. On 26 November, he was appointed to take command of a Territorial unit in 1915; this was the 140th Infantry Brigade, which he had commanded in its peacetime incarnation as the 4th London Brigade, of the 47th (2nd London) Division. He remained with them through 1915 and 1916, culminating in the German attack on Vimy Ridge in May 1916, where Cuthbert led the division in lieu of the divisional commander, who was on leave. He was not a popular brigadier; the London volunteers particularly objected to his strict views on cleanliness, a story circulated that he had ordered front-line trenches to be swept out with brooms. He was nicknamed "Spit and Polish" by the infantry as a result of his obsession with appearances, alongside his earlier – and somewhat more cryptic – nickname of "Bluebell
Bluebell
-Plants:* genus Hyacinthoides** Common Bluebell ** Spanish Bluebell * genus Mertensia** Virginia Bluebell * Scottish Bluebell...
".
He left the 140th Brigade in early July 1916, promoted to command 39th Division
39th Division (United Kingdom)
The 39th Infantry Division was a unit of the British Army during World War I.Raised as part of the Fifth New Army in August 1915 near Winchester, the division was also stationed at Aldershot and Whitley, before being transferred to the Western Front in March 1916.The division suffered heavy losses...
. He commanded it during the later phases of the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Pilkem. His record with the division was not well-received by his superiors; Claud Jacob
Claud Jacob
Field-Marshal Sir Claud William Jacob GCB GCSI KCMG was a British Army officer who served in the First World War.-Military career:...
of II Corps described him as "obstinate and mulish" during the Battle of the Somme, whilst Ivor Maxse
Ivor Maxse
General Sir Ivor Maxse, KCB, CVO, DSO, was a World War I general, best known for his innovative and effective training methods.-Early life:Maxse was educated at Mr...
of XVIII Corps
XVIII Corps (United Kingdom)
The British XVIII Corps was a British infantry corps during World War I.- History :British XVIII Corps was formed in France in January 1917 under Lieutenant General Sir Ivor Maxse...
noted he had "little or no conception of training methods", and "few ideas" regarding tactical operations; his only merit was perceived to be his rigorous approach to discipline. He was removed from command in August 1917, and transferred to command 72nd Division on home service. He later commanded the military base at Shorncliffe, before retiring from the Army in 1919.
Cuthbert never married, and in retirement he lived in Sandhoe Garden Cottage on the family estate at Beaufront Castle
Beaufront Castle
Beaufront Castle is a privately owned 19th century country house near Hexham, Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.A pele tower was recorded at Beaufront in 1415...
. He died in February 1931, aged 69.