Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien

Horace Smith-Dorrien was the 11th child of 15. He was educated at Harrow, and he later attended Sandhurst passing out with a commision to the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot.

He fought at the Battle of Isandlwana during the Zulu war, and later in Egypt, where following the Battle of Gennis he was awarded the DSO. Smith-Dorrien then left active command to go to the Staff College and following this he returned to his Regiment, now in India, he commanded troops during the Tirah campaign of 1897-98. In 1898 he transfered back to Egypt and fought at the Battle of Omdurman and commanded the British troops during the Fashoda incident. During this time he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and forged a life long friendship with Lord Horatio Kitchener.

Smith-Dorrien's next taste of action was in 1899 when he was transfered to South Africa during the Boer War. His qualities as a commander (practically alone amongst the early British Boer War commanders) saw promotion to Brigadier-General in February 1900, and then Major-General shortly after.

Following the Boer War he was made Adjutant General. He returned to India and was placed in command of the British 4th Division, a post he held until 1907, when he returned to England to take command of the Aldershot training base. During this time he instituted a number of reforms designed to improve the lot of the ordinary soldier, for which he earned many plaudits.

In 1911 he was made Aide-de-Camp to King George V, less than a year later he took over Southern Command and was promoted to full General.

With the outbreak of the Great War he was given command of the British Home Forces, however he was rapidly removed from this position and placed in charge of the British Expeditionary Force II Corps, by Lord Kitchener, the new Secretary of State for War. This was very much against the wishes of Field Marshal Sir John French with whom he shared a long running antipathy.

Within days he and the BEF were retreating following a heavy assault by the German forces at Mons, with the Germans under Von Kluck attempting a flanking manouver French ordered a general retreat. Smith-Dorrien, now at Le Cateau, saw that such a move would open a huge gap between his Corps and the other BEF forces, almost certainly leading to total envelopment. He decided to ignore the order and instead concentrated the retreating British forces, including Allenby's cavalry and Snow's 4th Division, and mounted a vigerous counter attack which despite heavy casalties, stopped the German advance. With the BEF saved he then began an orderly retreat away from the German lines.

This enraged French who accused Smith-Dorrien of jeopardising the whole British line, an accusation which did not amuse Smith-Dorrien's fellow corps commander, General Douglas Haig, who already believed French to be incompetent.

By May 1915 the situation had deteriorated even further with Smith-Dorrien simply ignoring orders from French which he considered foolish or stupid, and following the first use of poison gas by German troops and the heavy casualties sustained he recommended withdrawal from the front line to regroup and prepare for a major offensive to recapture the lost ground. French accused him of being a danger to the morale of the troops (basically a coward) and Smith-Dorrien resigned. Not long after this unsavoury incident French himself was removed by Kitchener and placed in command of the Home Forces where he could do no more harm. Douglas Haig replaced him as commander of the BEF.

Smith-Dorrien was to be assigned a command in the East African theatre but illness prevented him from accepting, his next position was as Governor of Gibraltar (1918-1922).

He then retired to England.

Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien died August 12 1930 following injuries sustained in a car accident, he was 72 years old.

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