Spencer Edmund Hollond
Encyclopedia
Major General
Spencer Edmund Hollond CB
, CMG
, DSO
(19 March 1874 – 5 February 1950) was a British Army
staff officer during the First World War.
and attended Harrow School
(there becoming friends with Winston Churchill
) then Trinity College, Cambridge
. He joined the Rifle Brigade as a Second Lieutenant
in 1895, rising to Lieutenant in 1897. He served in the Second Boer War
, being mentioned in dispatches, receiving the Queen's South Africa Medal
with 4 clasps and being promoted to Captain in 1901. He then served as aide-de-camp
to the Duke of Connaught
from 1901 to 1904 before being promoted to Major in 1913.
During the First World War he rose to Brigadier General
, was mentioned seven times in despatches, won the Distinguished Service Order
in 1916 and was a GSO2 on Third Army's staff during the battle of the Somme and the battle of Gommecourt, criticising Thomas D'Oyly Snow
's planning of the attack and asking Allenby
for Snow's dismissal. He ended the War as BGGS Inspector-General of Training and with the nickname 'Tom' Hollond from his troops. After the war he was made a colonel (1920), a knight of the Legion of Honour, a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1919 and a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1920 and attended the opening of Plymouth
's War Memorial in 1923http://plymouthdata.info/Memorial-Plymouth%20War.htm. He was colonel commandant of 8th Infantry Brigade (1921-1925), commandant of the Senior Officers School (1925-27). He rose to Major-General in 1927 and retired the following year.
) at St George's, Hanover Square. Three of the bridesmaids were English, and three American, and the couple received as wedding gifts a loving cup
from the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Swedish enamels from Princess Gustav of Sweden
.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C00E4DC1538E433A25755C0A9669D946497D6CF They had one child, Charles Arthur Spencer Hollond (1906 - 1929). Lulu Pfizer Hollond had been painted in 1901 by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury
and exhibited that year at Knoedler's in New York.
Lulu died in 1911 and then Spencer re-married on 16 September 1920 to Esther Eliza Sanderson, daughter of Llewellyn Traherne Bassett Sanderson and Lady Rachel Mary Scott. They had one child, Robert Gustof Percy Hollond, in 1921.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Spencer Edmund Hollond CB
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....
, 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...
(19 March 1874 – 5 February 1950) 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...
staff officer during the First World War.
Life
He was the second son of John Robert HollondJohn Robert Hollond
John Robert Hollond was a British Liberal Party and Liberal Unionist politician and father of the army officer Spencer Edmund Hollond....
and attended Harrow School
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...
(there becoming friends with Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
) then Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He joined the Rifle Brigade as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in 1895, rising to Lieutenant in 1897. He served 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...
, being mentioned in dispatches, receiving the Queen's South Africa Medal
Queen's South Africa Medal
The Queen's South Africa Medal was awarded to military personnel who served in the Boer War in South Africa between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902. Units from the British Army, Royal Navy, colonial forces who took part , civilians employed in official capacity and war correspondents...
with 4 clasps and being promoted to Captain in 1901. He then served as 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 the Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
from 1901 to 1904 before being promoted to Major in 1913.
During the First World War he rose to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, was mentioned seven times in despatches, won 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 1916 and was a GSO2 on Third Army's staff during the battle of the Somme and the battle of Gommecourt, criticising Thomas D'Oyly Snow
Thomas D'Oyly Snow
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas D’Oyly Snow KCB, KCMG was a British General in the First World War who commanded during some of the major battles of the Western Front. He had two nicknames, ‘Slush’ and ‘Snowball’, both plays on 'Snow'.-Education and early military career:Snow was born on 5 May 1858...
's planning of the attack and asking Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
for Snow's dismissal. He ended the War as BGGS Inspector-General of Training and with the nickname 'Tom' Hollond from his troops. After the war he was made a colonel (1920), a knight of the Legion of Honour, a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1919 and a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1920 and attended the opening of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
's War Memorial in 1923http://plymouthdata.info/Memorial-Plymouth%20War.htm. He was colonel commandant of 8th Infantry Brigade (1921-1925), commandant of the Senior Officers School (1925-27). He rose to Major-General in 1927 and retired the following year.
Marriage and issue
He first married on 5 October 1905 to Lulu Pfizer (daughter of the American pharmacist Charles PfizerCharles Pfizer
Charles Pfizer was a German chemist who immigrated to the United States in the early 1840s and founded the Pfizer Inc. pharmaceutical company in 1849 as Charles Pfizer & Co. He remained at its head until 1900, when the company was incorporated and Charles Pfizer, Jr. became its first president....
) at St George's, Hanover Square. Three of the bridesmaids were English, and three American, and the couple received as wedding gifts a loving cup
Loving cup
A loving cup is a shared drinking container traditionally used at weddings and banquets. It usually has two handles and is often made of silver. Loving cups are commonly used as trophies. They can be found in several European cultures, including the Celtic quaich and the French coupe de marriage...
from the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Swedish enamels from Princess Gustav of Sweden
Victoria of Baden
Victoria of Baden was a Queen consort of Sweden by her marriage to King Gustaf V of Sweden. She was politically active in a conservative fashion during the development of democracy and known as a pro-German during the First World War.-Birth:Princess Viktoria was born on 7 August 1862 at the castle...
.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C00E4DC1538E433A25755C0A9669D946497D6CF They had one child, Charles Arthur Spencer Hollond (1906 - 1929). Lulu Pfizer Hollond had been painted in 1901 by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury
Adolfo Müller-Ury
Adolfo Muller-Ury was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life.-Heritage and early life in Switzerland:...
and exhibited that year at Knoedler's in New York.
Lulu died in 1911 and then Spencer re-married on 16 September 1920 to Esther Eliza Sanderson, daughter of Llewellyn Traherne Bassett Sanderson and Lady Rachel Mary Scott. They had one child, Robert Gustof Percy Hollond, in 1921.
External links
- Centre for First World War Studies
- Letter of thanks for a tank dossier from Hollond to Maj Gen John Frederick Charles Fuller
- Biography, drawn from Burke, L.G., 1939; Univ. War List; Army Lists; The V.C. and D.S.O.; Who's Who
- thePeerage.com
- Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal