Robert Fanshawe (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major-General Sir Robert Fanshawe KCB
, DSO
(5 November 1863 – 24 August 1946) was a British Army
general during the First World War, who commanded the 48th (South Midland) Division
from 1915 to 1918. He was the youngest of three brothers (Edward
, Hew
, and Robert) who all rose to command divisions or corps during the war.
Fanshawe joined the Oxfordshire Light Infantry in 1883, and served with his regiment in India until the Boer War
, where he commanded a mobile column and was mentioned in despatches. At the outbreak of the First World War he was on the staff of the British Expeditionary Force, and later commanded a regular brigade on the Western Front, before being promoted to divisional command in 1915. He commanded the 48th (South Midland) Division
for three years, including service at the Somme, Ancre
, Paaschendale, and on the Italian Front
, before being removed from command after his corps commander objected to his defensive strategy. He was relegated to commanding a second-line home service division, and retired from the Army in 1918.
, Fanshawe joined the 2nd Battalion of the newly formed Oxfordshire Light Infantry, the former 52nd Foot, in 1883. He spent the next sixteen years with the regiment, primarily on service in India, including the Tirah Campaign
of 1897–1898. He was the younger son of three brothers with significant military careers; Edward (b. 1859) joined the artillery and Hew
(b. 1860) joined the cavalry, all three rising to command corps or divisions during the First World War.
He entered the Staff College, Camberley
at the beginning of 1899, but following the outbreak of the Boer War
, he was sent to South Africa that November, to serve on the Inspector-General's staff. He saw service at the Relief of Kimberley and the Battle of Paardeberg
, where he was wounded; later, in April 1900, he was made adjutant of the 6th Battalion Mounted Infantry
. In 1901, he took command of a mobile column, which he commanded to the end of the war. For his service in South Africa, he was mentioned in despatches twice and awarded the Distinguished Service Order
.
In 1903, after the end of hostilities, he was posted to the staff of the 4th Division as deputy assistant adjutant-general, and returned to his regiment in 1903. He commanded the 2nd Battalion from 1907 to 1911, when he was promoted colonel and posted as chief of staff (GSO.1) to 1st Division.
for service in France. On 20 September, he was appointed to command 6th Infantry Brigade
in 2nd Division, replacing Richard Hutton Davies
, who had been invalided home due to stress.
He led 6th Brigade through the First Battle of Ypres
and the Battle of Festubert
in early 1915, where it played a key part in the initial successful night attack. In mid-June, he was promoted to take over the 48th (South Midland) Division
, a Territorial Force unit, after its commander fell ill. He commanded the division at the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of the Ancre
, and the Third Battle of Ypres, then on the Italian Front
from late 1917 onwards, including the Austrian offensives of June 1918.
Fanshawe spent a good deal of time visiting front-line units, where he "liked to drift into the trench in an old raincoat so that men were not intimidated", and would sometimes venture out with a single escort to patrol no-man's land. More unusually, he had a habit of giving his soldiers chocolates when he met them returning from the lines or on inspections. Such behaviour scandalised his staff officers, who were privately disapproving of Fanshawe's informality with his troops, but it did not lead to the disapproval of his superiors; in September 1917, a confidential report by Ivor Maxse
, his corps commander, had judged him to be "a good average divisional commander and trainer".
Fanshawe was strongly in favour of an elastic defence doctrine, where a lightly garrisoned front line would delay an enemy attack, and then a strong counterattack would recapture lost ground, and had been training 48th Division in this mould since he took command in 1915; the Italian theatre was the first opportunity to put this approach fully into practice. 48th Division was attacked on 15 June 1918 by strong Austrian forces at the Battle of the Piave River
; in keeping with the plan, leading elements fell back and a counter-attack was organised, recapturing the lost ground and stalling the offensive entirely.
Whilst a success, this result was greeted with dismay by the corps commander, the Earl of Cavan
; he was a strong believer in a more traditional strongly held static line of defence, and felt that Fanshawe did not need to have given up any ground at all. As a result, Fanshawe was quickly relieved of his command and ordered home, leaving Italy four days after the end of the battle, on 20 June.
He was later appointed to command the 69th Division on home service. Through the war, he was mentioned in despatches eight times, as well as knighted. He retired from the Army in August 1919; he later served as the honorary colonel of the 1st/7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
. He died in 1946, aged eighty-three, after falling from his horse.
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...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(5 November 1863 – 24 August 1946) 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...
general during the First World War, who commanded the 48th (South Midland) Division
48th (South Midland) Division
The British 48th Division was a Territorial Force division. Originally called the 'South Midland Division', it was redesignated as the 48th Division in 1915.- 1914 - 1918 :...
from 1915 to 1918. He was the youngest of three brothers (Edward
Edward Fanshawe (British Army officer)
Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Arthur Fanshawe KCB was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded the 11th Division at Gallipoli and the V Corps on the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the 1918 Spring Offensive...
, Hew
Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe
Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe, KCB, KCMG, was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded V Corps on the Western Front and the 18th Indian Division in the Mesopotamian Campaign...
, and Robert) who all rose to command divisions or corps during the war.
Fanshawe joined the Oxfordshire Light Infantry in 1883, and served with his regiment in India until 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 ....
, where he commanded a mobile column and was mentioned in despatches. At the outbreak of the First World War he was on the staff of the British Expeditionary Force, and later commanded a regular brigade on the Western Front, before being promoted to divisional command in 1915. He commanded the 48th (South Midland) Division
48th (South Midland) Division
The British 48th Division was a Territorial Force division. Originally called the 'South Midland Division', it was redesignated as the 48th Division in 1915.- 1914 - 1918 :...
for three years, including service at the Somme, Ancre
Battle of the Ancre
The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
, Paaschendale, and on the Italian Front
Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
, before being removed from command after his corps commander objected to his defensive strategy. He was relegated to commanding a second-line home service division, and retired from the Army in 1918.
Early career
After attending Marlborough CollegeMarlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, Fanshawe joined the 2nd Battalion of the newly formed Oxfordshire Light Infantry, the former 52nd Foot, in 1883. He spent the next sixteen years with the regiment, primarily on service in India, including the Tirah Campaign
Tirah Campaign
The Tirah Campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah Expedition, was an Indian frontier war in 1897–98. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country.-Rebellion:...
of 1897–1898. He was the younger son of three brothers with significant military careers; Edward (b. 1859) joined the artillery and Hew
Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe
Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe, KCB, KCMG, was a British Army general of the First World War, who commanded V Corps on the Western Front and the 18th Indian Division in the Mesopotamian Campaign...
(b. 1860) joined the cavalry, all three rising to command corps or divisions during the First World War.
He entered 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:...
at the beginning of 1899, but following the outbreak of 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 ....
, he was sent to South Africa that November, to serve on the Inspector-General's staff. He saw service at the Relief of Kimberley and the Battle of Paardeberg
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
, where he was wounded; later, in April 1900, he was made adjutant of the 6th Battalion Mounted Infantry
Mounted infantry
Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...
. In 1901, he took command of a mobile column, which he commanded to the end of the war. For his service in South Africa, he was mentioned in despatches twice and awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
.
In 1903, after the end of hostilities, he was posted to the staff of the 4th Division as deputy assistant adjutant-general, and returned to his regiment in 1903. He commanded the 2nd Battalion from 1907 to 1911, when he was promoted colonel and posted as chief of staff (GSO.1) to 1st Division.
First World War
At the outbreak of the First World War, Fanshawe's division was mobilised as part of the British Expeditionary ForceBritish Expeditionary Force
The British Expeditionary Force or BEF was the force sent to the Western Front during World War I. Planning for a British Expeditionary Force began with the Haldane reforms of the British Army carried out by the Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Second Boer War .The term...
for service in France. On 20 September, he was appointed to command 6th Infantry Brigade
6th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
- World War I :The brigade was part of 2nd Division. It was composed as follows;*1st Battalion, The King's *2nd Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment*13th Battalion , The Essex Regiment...
in 2nd Division, replacing Richard Hutton Davies
Richard Hutton Davies
Major General Richard Hutton Davies CB was an officer of the New Zealand Army during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the first New Zealander to command an independent force overseas and one of the most senior New Zealand officers during the First World War.Born in London, he...
, who had been invalided home due to stress.
He led 6th Brigade through 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...
and the Battle of Festubert
Battle of Festubert
The Battle of Festubert was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. It began on May 15, 1915 and continued until May 25.-Context:...
in early 1915, where it played a key part in the initial successful night attack. In mid-June, he was promoted to take over the 48th (South Midland) Division
48th (South Midland) Division
The British 48th Division was a Territorial Force division. Originally called the 'South Midland Division', it was redesignated as the 48th Division in 1915.- 1914 - 1918 :...
, a Territorial Force unit, after its commander fell ill. He commanded the division at the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of the Ancre
Battle of the Ancre
The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
, and the Third Battle of Ypres, then on the Italian Front
Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
from late 1917 onwards, including the Austrian offensives of June 1918.
Fanshawe spent a good deal of time visiting front-line units, where he "liked to drift into the trench in an old raincoat so that men were not intimidated", and would sometimes venture out with a single escort to patrol no-man's land. More unusually, he had a habit of giving his soldiers chocolates when he met them returning from the lines or on inspections. Such behaviour scandalised his staff officers, who were privately disapproving of Fanshawe's informality with his troops, but it did not lead to the disapproval of his superiors; in September 1917, a confidential report by 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...
, his corps commander, had judged him to be "a good average divisional commander and trainer".
Fanshawe was strongly in favour of an elastic defence doctrine, where a lightly garrisoned front line would delay an enemy attack, and then a strong counterattack would recapture lost ground, and had been training 48th Division in this mould since he took command in 1915; the Italian theatre was the first opportunity to put this approach fully into practice. 48th Division was attacked on 15 June 1918 by strong Austrian forces at the Battle of the Piave River
Battle of the Piave River
The Battle of the Piave River , known in Italy as Battaglia del Solstizio , Battaglia di Mezzo Giugno , or Seconda Battaglia del Piave , was a decisive victory for the Italian Army during World War...
; in keeping with the plan, leading elements fell back and a counter-attack was organised, recapturing the lost ground and stalling the offensive entirely.
Whilst a success, this result was greeted with dismay by the corps commander, the Earl of Cavan
Frederick Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan
Field Marshal Frederick Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan, KP, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British Army officer and Chief of the Imperial General Staff.-Army career:...
; he was a strong believer in a more traditional strongly held static line of defence, and felt that Fanshawe did not need to have given up any ground at all. As a result, Fanshawe was quickly relieved of his command and ordered home, leaving Italy four days after the end of the battle, on 20 June.
He was later appointed to command the 69th Division on home service. Through the war, he was mentioned in despatches eight times, as well as knighted. He retired from the Army in August 1919; he later served as the honorary colonel of the 1st/7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
Worcestershire Regiment
The Worcestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 29th Regiment of Foot and the 36th Regiment of Foot....
. He died in 1946, aged eighty-three, after falling from his horse.