Launcelot Kiggell
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Sir Launcelot Edward Kiggell KCB
KCMG
(2 October 1862 – 23 February 1954) was a British Army
officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
.
of the 2nd Battalion of his regiment in 1886 and then became an Instructor
at the Royal Military College Sandhurst
in 1895. He went on to be Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Headquarters South Eastern District in 1897 and was placed on General Sir Redvers Buller
's staff for the Second Boer War
in 1899.
He was made Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at the Staff College, Camberley
in 1904 and became a General Staff Officer at Army Headquarters at Horse Guards
in 1907. He was appointed Brigadier General in charge of Administration at Scottish Command
in 1909, Director of Staff Duties at the War Office
later in 1909 and Commandant
of the Staff College, Camberley
in 1913. He served in World War I
as Director of Military Training at the War Office from 1914, as Director of Home Defence at the War Office from later that year and briefly as Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the end of 1915 before becoming Chief of General Staff
for the British Armies in France under Sir Douglas Haig
from late 1915 to 1918. He was dismissed as a result of political pressure from Prime Minister David Lloyd George
following the failure of allied forces to achieve a decisive result at the Battle of Passchendaele.
After the War he became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
before retiring in 1920.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Sir Launcelot Edward Kiggell KCB
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...
KCMG
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....
(2 October 1862 – 23 February 1954) 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 became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the de facto head of state in Guernsey and as liaison between the governments of Guernsey and the...
.
Military career
Kiggell was commissioned into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1882. He was appointed AdjutantAdjutant
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 of his regiment in 1886 and then became an Instructor
Instructor
Instructor may refer to:In education:* Professor of a technical subject like dance or civil engineering at a university* A teacher of a specialised subject that involves skill**flight instructor**drill instructor**Physical Training Instructor...
at the Royal Military College Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in 1895. He went on to be Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Headquarters South Eastern District in 1897 and was placed on General Sir Redvers Buller
Redvers Buller
General Sir Redvers Henry Buller VC GCB GCMG was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
's staff for 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...
in 1899.
He was made Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in 1904 and became a General Staff Officer at Army Headquarters at Horse Guards
Horse Guards (building)
Horse Guards is a large grade I listed building in the Palladian style between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade in London, England. It was built between 1751 and 1753 by John Vardy to a design by William Kent. The building was constructed on the site of the Guard House of the old Whitehall Palace,...
in 1907. He was appointed Brigadier General in charge of Administration at Scottish Command
Scottish Command
-History:The Command was established in 1905 at Edinburgh Castle but moved to Craigiehall in the early 1950s.Since 1936 the General Officer Commanding Scottish Command has also always been appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle....
in 1909, Director of Staff Duties at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
later in 1909 and Commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in 1913. He served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as Director of Military Training at the War Office from 1914, as Director of Home Defence at the War Office from later that year and briefly as Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the end of 1915 before becoming Chief of General Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
for the British Armies in France under Sir Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
from late 1915 to 1918. He was dismissed as a result of political pressure from Prime Minister David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
following the failure of allied forces to achieve a decisive result at the Battle of Passchendaele.
After the War he became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the de facto head of state in Guernsey and as liaison between the governments of Guernsey and the...
before retiring in 1920.