William Heneker
Encyclopedia
General
Sir William Charles Giffard Heneker KCB KCMG DSO
(August, 1867 - May 1939) was a Canadian
born and educated soldier who served with the British Army in West Africa, India, and then later on the western front during the First World War. A notable military strategist and tactician, he became one of the most experienced and highly decorated Canadians in the British Empire, and one of only a handful of Canadians to reach the rank of full General.
on 22 August 1867, the son of Richard William Heneker and of Elizabeth, daughter of Captain E Tuson RN. He received his early education at Bishop’s College in Lennoxville, Quebec
, and then later entered military life when he enrolled at the Royal Military College of Canada
in Kingston, Ontario
on 1 September 1884. Assigned student # 168, he graduated from RMC on 28 June 1888 with the rank of Sergeant and first class grades.
Between 1897 and 1906 Heneker served in the West African theatre, and participated in a variety of campaigns ranging from peacetime military engagement, to counterinsurgency, to major combat operations. He served in the 1899 Benin Territories Expedition as Intelligence and Survey Officer, and was mentioned in Despatches for his services. He became Brevet Major 31 July 1901. He served as Second-in-Command of the Southern Nigeria
Regiment, in Southern Nigeria, 1902, and also served with the Royal West African Frontier Force
. Heneker commanded the Ulia and Ishan Expeditions, the Ibeku-Olokoro operations, Afikpo operations, and also commanded No.4 Column in the 1901-02 Anglo-Aro War
. Heneker also waged a notable campaign against Chief Adukukaiku of Iggara, for which he again received a Mention in Despatches. Heneker was promoted to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel
21 August 1903, but received his substantive British Army rank of Major on 16 February 1907. He was later awarded the Brevet of full Colonel on 24 October 1907.
Heneker was eventually posted to Southern Africa where he was Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quarter-master-General, Orange River Colony District from 21 April 1906 to 20 April 1910. He then served briefly in India
and the northwest frontier. As Lieutenant Colonel, he commanded the 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment
at Peshawar, India 10 April 1912. He served as Temporary Brigade Commander, 1st Peshawar Infantry Brigade in 1912, and then later briefly as Temporary Brigade Commander, Rawalpindi Infantry Brigade from 1913 to 1914. He was finally appointed Commander, 1st Infantry Brigade, Quetta, in October 1914. During this time Heneker continued to serve as one of the King's Aide-de-Camp
s, an appointment he received in October 1907 and held until June 1917.William Heneker was a resourceful and skilled soldier as well as an exceptional tactician. For his military services in West Africa he was invested by King Edward VII on 18 December 1903 with the Distinguished Service Order.
edited a new edition of Bush Warfare in honour of the centenary of its original publication.
from 29 October to 8 December 1916.
Heneker's next appointment was to the command of the 8th Infantry Division, which he led from 9 December 1916 until the end of the war. He was promoted to Major General substantive, 3 June 1917, commendsurate with his new responsibilities.
Despite a tenacious defence during the 1918 German spring offensive, Major General Heneker's division was overrun at the town of Villers-Bretonneux
. Fortunately Sir Thomas William Glasgow
's 13th Brigade (Australia)
, and Harold Elliott
's 15th Infantry Brigade (Australia), managed to recapture the location on 25 April 1918, and this feat of arms was later described by Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash
, commander of the Australian Infantry Force, as the turning-point of the war.
Following the armistice on 11 November 1918, Heneker remained in service with the British Army during the occupation of the Rhineland
. His division held a portion of the Bridgehead east of Cologne, Germany from March to October 1919, after which he took command of a new formation, the Independent Division, Rhine Army, which he commanded from October 1919 to February 1920. Heneker commanded the Rhine Garrison at Cologne
in Germany
beginning in March 1920.
In 1922, Heneker served as commander of the Inter-Allied Commission of Management in Upper Silesia
, stabilizing the borders between Germany
and Poland
. He was then made General Officer Commanding
3rd Division at Salisbury Plain
until 1926. In 1928 he returned to India, where he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Southern Command
in India
. He finally retired from the British Army in 1932, at which time he held the rank of full general.
for his actions during the Aro Expedition and several Mentions in Desptaches for West Africa, Heneker was made Commandeur of the Legion of Honour in 1918, and a KCB
in 1919.
was a composer and lyricist of Charlie Girl
. He was nominated for three Tony Awards: in 1961, as one of the authors of the English book and lyrics for Best Musical nominee "Irma la Douce
," and in 1965, as Best Composer and Lyricist and for music and lyrics of Best Musical nominee "Half a Sixpence
."
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir William Charles Giffard Heneker KCB KCMG 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...
(August, 1867 - May 1939) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
born and educated soldier who served with the British Army in West Africa, India, and then later on the western front during the First World War. A notable military strategist and tactician, he became one of the most experienced and highly decorated Canadians in the British Empire, and one of only a handful of Canadians to reach the rank of full General.
Education
William Heneker was born in Sherbrooke, QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
on 22 August 1867, the son of Richard William Heneker and of Elizabeth, daughter of Captain E Tuson RN. He received his early education at Bishop’s College in Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville is an arrondissement, or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Lennoxville is located at the confluence of the St. Francis and Massawippi Rivers approximately five kilometers south of downtown Sherbrooke....
, and then later entered military life when he enrolled at the Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
on 1 September 1884. Assigned student # 168, he graduated from RMC on 28 June 1888 with the rank of Sergeant and first class grades.
Military service
During the first several decades of RMC's existence it was common practice for the War Office in London to offer commissions in the British Army to the best Canadian graduates. Heneker accepted an Imperial commission with the 1st Battalion, Connaught Rangers as a Second Lieutenant on 5 September 1888. At the time the unit was serving in India and Heneker joined the regiment there. He was promoted to Lieutenant 12 February 1890, and later received his promotion to Captain on 10 March 1897. Soon after he was seconded to the Niger Coast Protectorate, and began the period of his career that would define his legacy.Between 1897 and 1906 Heneker served in the West African theatre, and participated in a variety of campaigns ranging from peacetime military engagement, to counterinsurgency, to major combat operations. He served in the 1899 Benin Territories Expedition as Intelligence and Survey Officer, and was mentioned in Despatches for his services. He became Brevet Major 31 July 1901. He served as Second-in-Command of the Southern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
Regiment, in Southern Nigeria, 1902, and also served with the Royal West African Frontier Force
Royal West African Frontier Force
The West African Frontier Force was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. The decision to raise this force was taken in 1897 because of concern at French colonial...
. Heneker commanded the Ulia and Ishan Expeditions, the Ibeku-Olokoro operations, Afikpo operations, and also commanded No.4 Column in the 1901-02 Anglo-Aro War
Anglo-Aro War
The Anglo-Aro War was a conflict between the Aro Confederacy in present day Eastern Nigeria, and the British Empire. The war began after increasing tension between Aro leaders and British colonialists after years of failed negotiations....
. Heneker also waged a notable campaign against Chief Adukukaiku of Iggara, for which he again received a Mention in Despatches. Heneker was promoted to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
21 August 1903, but received his substantive British Army rank of Major on 16 February 1907. He was later awarded the Brevet of full Colonel on 24 October 1907.
Heneker was eventually posted to Southern Africa where he was Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quarter-master-General, Orange River Colony District from 21 April 1906 to 20 April 1910. He then served briefly in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the northwest frontier. As Lieutenant Colonel, he commanded the 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment
North Staffordshire Regiment
The North Staffordshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. It can date its lineage back to 1756 with the formation of a second battalion by the 11th Regiment of Foot, which shortly after became the 64th Regiment of Foot...
at Peshawar, India 10 April 1912. He served as Temporary Brigade Commander, 1st Peshawar Infantry Brigade in 1912, and then later briefly as Temporary Brigade Commander, Rawalpindi Infantry Brigade from 1913 to 1914. He was finally appointed Commander, 1st Infantry Brigade, Quetta, in October 1914. During this time Heneker continued to serve as one of the King's 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...
s, an appointment he received in October 1907 and held until June 1917.William Heneker was a resourceful and skilled soldier as well as an exceptional tactician. For his military services in West Africa he was invested by King Edward VII on 18 December 1903 with the Distinguished Service Order.
Military Thought
In 1907 Heneker published a book examining tactical innovation in small wars titled ‘Bush Warfare’. The first serious analysis of the characteristics of small wars since the 1896 publication of British Army Lieutenant Colonel Calwell's Small Wars, Heneker's own study became required reading and a resource for all commanders until new doctrinal publications appeared in the 1930s. In 2007, Canadian military historian Andrew GodefroyAndrew Godefroy
Andrew Godefroy CD, M.A., Ph.D. is a Canadian soldier, scholar, and author noted for his work in strategic studies, technology innovation, biography, and military history.- Scholarship :...
edited a new edition of Bush Warfare in honour of the centenary of its original publication.
World War I
Temporary Brigadier General William Heneker was assigned to active duty in Europe at the outbreak of the First World War. He commanded the 54th Infantry Brigade, British Expeditionary Force from 13 March to 14 December 1915. During this period, he was severely wounded, but managed to recover well enough from his injuries to return to front line service. Heneker received his substantial promotion to full Colonel on 10 April 1916, though he retained his temporary appointment as Brigadier. Anxious to return to command, he was appointed to lead the 190th Infantry Brigade, Royal Naval Division, FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 29 October to 8 December 1916.
Heneker's next appointment was to the command of the 8th Infantry Division, which he led from 9 December 1916 until the end of the war. He was promoted to Major General substantive, 3 June 1917, commendsurate with his new responsibilities.
Despite a tenacious defence during the 1918 German spring offensive, Major General Heneker's division was overrun at the town of Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.-History - World War I:...
. Fortunately Sir Thomas William Glasgow
Thomas William Glasgow
Sir William Glasgow, KCB, CMG, DSO , was an Australian Army Major General in World War I and member of the Australian Senate, representing Queensland as a Nationalist Party member from 1919 - 1931.-Early life and career:...
's 13th Brigade (Australia)
13th Brigade (Australia)
The 13th Brigade is an Army Reserve formation of the Australian Army headquartered at Perth, Western Australia and its various units have depots in Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Albany and Katanning as well as Joondalup and Rockingham in the metro area. The 13th Brigade was first created in early 1916 and...
, and Harold Elliott
Harold Elliott
Harold "Bud" Elliott was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas , Washburn University , Emporia State University , the University of Texas at Arlington , Northwest Missouri State University , and...
's 15th Infantry Brigade (Australia), managed to recapture the location on 25 April 1918, and this feat of arms was later described by Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash
John Monash
General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
, commander of the Australian Infantry Force, as the turning-point of the war.
Following the armistice on 11 November 1918, Heneker remained in service with the British Army during the occupation of the Rhineland
Occupation of the Rhineland
The Occupation of the Rhineland took place following the armistice and brought the fighting of World War I to a close on 11 November 1918. The occupying armies consisted of American, Belgian, British and French forces...
. His division held a portion of the Bridgehead east of Cologne, Germany from March to October 1919, after which he took command of a new formation, the Independent Division, Rhine Army, which he commanded from October 1919 to February 1920. Heneker commanded the Rhine Garrison at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
beginning in March 1920.
In 1922, Heneker served as commander of the Inter-Allied Commission of Management in Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
, stabilizing the borders between Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He was then made General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
3rd Division at Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
until 1926. In 1928 he returned to India, where he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Southern Command
Southern Command (India)
Southern Command is a formation of the Indian Army, active since 1895. It has seen action during the integration of several Princely States into modern India, during the 1961 Indian Annexation of Goa, and during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani Wars....
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He finally retired from the British Army in 1932, at which time he held the rank of full general.
Awards and recognition
In addition to his DSODistinguished 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...
for his actions during the Aro Expedition and several Mentions in Desptaches for West Africa, Heneker was made Commandeur of the Legion of Honour in 1918, and a 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...
in 1919.
Family
He married Clara Marion, daughter of E Jones, of Velindre, Wales, in 1901. The couple had two sons: David William, born 31 March 1906, and Patrick Allason Holden, born 1 September 1908. David HenekerDavid Heneker
David Heneker was a writer and composer of British popular music and musicals, best known for creating the music and lyrics for Half a Sixpence.-Life and career:...
was a composer and lyricist of Charlie Girl
Charlie Girl
Charlie Girl is a musical comedy which premiered in the West End of London at the Adelphi Theatre on December 15, 1965 and played for 2,202 performances, closing on March 27, 1971...
. He was nominated for three Tony Awards: in 1961, as one of the authors of the English book and lyrics for Best Musical nominee "Irma la Douce
Irma la Douce
Irma la Douce/Irma la Dolce is a 1963 romantic comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, directed by Billy Wilder.It is based on the 1956 French musical Irma La Douce by Marguerite Monnot and Alexandre Breffort.-Plot:...
," and in 1965, as Best Composer and Lyricist and for music and lyrics of Best Musical nominee "Half a Sixpence
Half a Sixpence
Half a Sixpence is a musical comedy written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele.It is based on H.G. Wells's novel Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul...
."