Herman Landon
Encyclopedia
Major-General Herman James Shelley Landon, CB
, CMG
, (23 August 1859 – 16 October 1948), was a British Army
officer. During the Boer War
he commanded a battalion, and was promoted in the interwar period to take command of a brigade in the British Expeditionary Force. He commanded the brigade during the early fighting on the Western Front
in the First World War, and succeeded to the command of 1st Infantry Division when his commanding officer was killed at the First Battle of Ypres
; he later commanded four more New Army
divisions during the war.
James Landon was an Indian cotton merchant; though predominantly involved in growing rather than processing, he had been responsible for setting up one of the first successful cotton mill
s in India, at Bharuch
in Gujarat, in 1854. Later in the decade he advised Ranchhodlal Chhotalal
on the development of a similar mill
in Ahmedabad
. He died in March 1879, leaving a substantial estate of eight to nine thousand pounds.
Herman Landon was educated at Harrow
from 1874 to 1876, leaving just before his seventeenth birthday. He later attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, passing out in 1879 and taking a commission in the 6th Regiment of Foot. He served in the Sudan in 1898
, where he saw action at the Battle of Atbara
and the Battle of Omdurman
, and was mentioned in despatches. He returned to Africa in 1900, in the Boer War, where he took temporary command of his battalion, the 2nd Royal Warwickshire Regiment, from March to November. For this service, he was again mentioned in despatches, as well as being given a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel.
He then was sent to India
, where he joined the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshires, and in 1902 was promoted to substantive lieutenant colonel, and given command of the battalion. He remained in command until 1906, receiving a brevet promotion to colonel in 1904. From February to October 1906 he was on half-pay, and in October was appointed Inspector of Gymnasia in India. In 1907, he was promoted substantive colonel. He returned to an active command in 1910, when he was made a Brigadier-General and given command of 3rd Brigade.
He married Christian Sharp in 1903, and they had one daughter.
and the Battle of the Aisne
, and was promoted to Major-General in October. During the First Battle of Ypres
, the divisional commander, Major General Samuel Lomax
, was killed in action, and Landon took acting command. By the end of the battle in November, he himself was invalided home, and was relieved as divisional commander by Major General David Henderson. He was formally replaced in command of his brigade by Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Butler on 13 November.
On his recovery in December, he was appointed Inspector of Infantry, and early in 1915 was appointed to command the 9th (Scottish) Division of the New Army
. He accompanied it to France, but was replaced in September due to ill health, before the division saw combat at the Battle of Loos
. In October he took command of the 33rd Division, this time remaining with the division when it went into combat at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. In September he was appointed to command the 35th Division
, remaining with it until July 1917, when his health forced him to retire from active service. From August 1917 to May 1918 he commanded the 64th Division in the Home Forces, finally retiring from the Army on 19 August 1919.
During the war, he was Mentioned in Despatches three more times. After the War, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG). He also received the Croix de Guerre
and was appointed a Commander of the Belgian Order of Leopold.
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....
, (23 August 1859 – 16 October 1948), 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. During the 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...
he commanded a battalion, and was promoted in the interwar period to take command of a brigade in the British Expeditionary Force. He commanded the brigade during the early fighting on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in the First World War, and succeeded to the command of 1st Infantry Division when his commanding officer was killed at the First Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
; he later commanded four more 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...
divisions during the war.
Early career
Herman Landon was born in August 1859, the son of James Landon and Mary Maria Landon; he had one elder sister, Leititia, and a substantially older stepsister, Geraldine Leigh. The family was comfortably well off, living in the respectable area of Paddington, London.James Landon was an Indian cotton merchant; though predominantly involved in growing rather than processing, he had been responsible for setting up one of the first successful cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s in India, at Bharuch
Bharuch
Bharuch , also known as Broach, is the oldest city in Gujarat, situated at the mouth of the holy river Narmada. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District and a municipality of more than 1,50,000 inhabitants. As Bharuch is a major seaport city, a number of trade activities have...
in Gujarat, in 1854. Later in the decade he advised Ranchhodlal Chhotalal
Ranchhodlal Chhotalal
Ranchhodlal Chhotalal was a pioneer of the textile industry in Ahmedabad. He was awarded the title of Rao Bahadur by the British Government....
on the development of a similar mill
Ahmedabad Spinning and Weaving Company Limited
The Ahmedabad Spinning and Weaving Company Ltd. was the first and garments company established in India on May 30, 1861....
in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
. He died in March 1879, leaving a substantial estate of eight to nine thousand pounds.
Herman Landon was educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
from 1874 to 1876, leaving just before his seventeenth birthday. He later attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, passing out in 1879 and taking a commission in the 6th Regiment of Foot. He served in the Sudan in 1898
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...
, where he saw action at the Battle of Atbara
Battle of Atbara
The Battle of Atbara took place during the Second Sudan War. Anglo-Egyptian forces defeated 15,000 Sudanese rebels, called Mahdists or Dervishes. The battle proved to be the turning point in the conquest of Sudan by a British and Egyptian coalition....
and the Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman
At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
, and was mentioned in despatches. He returned to Africa in 1900, in the Boer War, where he took temporary command of his battalion, the 2nd Royal Warwickshire Regiment, from March to November. For this service, he was again mentioned in despatches, as well as being given a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel.
He then was sent to India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, where he joined the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshires, and in 1902 was promoted to substantive lieutenant colonel, and given command of the battalion. He remained in command until 1906, receiving a brevet promotion to colonel in 1904. From February to October 1906 he was on half-pay, and in October was appointed Inspector of Gymnasia in India. In 1907, he was promoted substantive colonel. He returned to an active command in 1910, when he was made a Brigadier-General and given command of 3rd Brigade.
He married Christian Sharp in 1903, and they had one daughter.
First World War
The 3rd Brigade, part of 1st Infantry Division, mobilised with the British Expeditionary Force on the outbreak of the First World War and was sent to France. He commanded it during the Retreat from Mons, the Battle of the MarneFirst Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
and the 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...
, and was promoted to Major-General in October. During the First Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
, the divisional commander, Major General Samuel Lomax
Samuel Lomax
Lieutenant General Samuel Holt Lomax was a senior and highly respected British general who served in the opening months of World War I and was the first British Lieutenant Generals to be killed on active service during the entire war.-Military service:Born in August 1855 to Thomas and Mary Helen...
, was killed in action, and Landon took acting command. By the end of the battle in November, he himself was invalided home, and was relieved as divisional commander by Major General David Henderson. He was formally replaced in command of his brigade by Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Butler on 13 November.
On his recovery in December, he was appointed Inspector of Infantry, and early in 1915 was appointed to command the 9th (Scottish) Division of the 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...
. He accompanied it to France, but was replaced in September due to ill health, before the division saw combat at 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...
. In October he took command of the 33rd Division, this time remaining with the division when it went into combat at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. In September he was appointed to command the 35th Division
35th Division (United Kingdom)
The 35th Infantry Division was a unit of the British Army during World War I.Originally raised for the Fifth New Army as the 42nd Division, it was renumbered as the 35th when the Fifth New Army was redesignated as the Fourth New Army in April 1915. By June 1915, the division had begun to congregate...
, remaining with it until July 1917, when his health forced him to retire from active service. From August 1917 to May 1918 he commanded the 64th Division in the Home Forces, finally retiring from the Army on 19 August 1919.
During the war, he was Mentioned in Despatches three more times. After the War, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG). He also received the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and was appointed a Commander of the Belgian Order of Leopold.