Robert Whigham

Sir Robert Whigham
Sir Robert Whigham
	General Sir Robert Whigham by Philip Alexius de László
Born	5 August 1865; Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
Died	23 June 1950 (aged 84); Fife, Scotland
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1883–1931
Rank	General
Commands	Eastern Command; 3rd Division; Light Division British Army of the Rhine; 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division; 59th (2nd North Midland) Division
Battles / wars	Mahdist War Battle of Atbara; ; Second Boer War Battle of Paardeberg; Battle of Poplar Grove; Battle of Driefontein; Battle of Witpoort; ; First World War;
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath; Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George; Distinguished Service Order; Mentioned in Despatches (4); Legion of Honour (France)

General Sir Robert Dundas Whigham, GCB, KCMG, DSO (5 August 1865 – 23 June 1950) was a Scottish British Army officer who served as Adjutant-General to the Forces.

Early life

Whigham was born on 5 August 1865, the son of David Dundas Whigham and Ellen Murray (née Campbell).^[1] His father was a lawyer and a cricket player.^[2] His sister was Sybil Whigham who was a successful tennis player;^[1] another brother was the golfer and journalist H. J. Whigham.^[3] Their sister Molly Whigham also played golf.^[4]

Military career

Educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Whigham was commissioned into the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a lieutenant on 9 May 1885, where the future field marshal, William Birdwood, was a fellow student.^[5]^[6] He was promoted to captain on 3 March 1892, when he became adjutant for the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and was seconded to the Egyptian Army in 1897, where he served in the Nile Expedition of 1898 with the 12th Sudanese Battalion.^[5]

During the Second Boer War he served from 1899 as aide-de-camp to Major-General Hector MacDonald, in command of the Highland brigade, and was promoted to major on 1 August 1900. He was later at Army Headquarters in South Africa, and for his service was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the South Africa Honours list published on 26 June 1902.^[7]^[5] Following the end of the war, he returned to the United Kingdom in August 1902,^[8] and then became brigade major for 2nd Army Corps on 1 November 1902.^[9]

Whigham served in the First World War with the British Expeditionary Force.^[5] He was appointed Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the War Office in 1915.^[5] Promoted to major general in January 1916,^[10] he became General Officer Commanding (GOC) 59th (2nd North Midland) Division in June 1918 and GOC 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division in August.^[5]^[11]^[12]

After the war Whigham became GOC of the Light Division in the British Army of the Rhine.^[5] He was appointed GOC 3rd Division in 1919,^[13] Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1923,^[14] and GOC-in-Chief for Eastern Command in 1927.^[15] He retired in 1931.^[16]

Family

In 1899 Whigham married Isabel Adeline Muntz.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b "Death of Capt. Nicholson, R. N. at Sidmouth" Western Times (12 February 1932).
^ "England/Players/David Whigham" ESPNcricinfo.
^ "Success of Younger Element in Women's Golf Championship" Outing (October 1900): 97.
^ "Golf: The Ladies' Championship" Leeds Mercury (May 17, 1900): 6. via Newspapers.com
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Anglo Boer War
^ "No. 25468". The London Gazette. 8 May 1885. p. 2105.
^ "No. 27448". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1902. p. 4192.
^ "The War – Return of Troops". The Times. No. 36842. London. 9 August 1902. p. 11.
^ "No. 27496". The London Gazette. 18 November 1902. p. 7339.
^ "No. 12894". The Edinburgh Gazette. 17 January 1916. p. 86.
^ Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8, pp. 17, 41
^ Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918, London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-43-6, p. 2.
^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
^ An account of the unveiling of the Royal Air Force Memorial 16 July 1923 Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
^ Flight Global 18 August 1927
^ Whitaker's Almanack 1931

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Launcelot Kiggell	Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1915–1918	Succeeded by Sir Charles Harington
Preceded by Cecil Romer	GOC 59th (2nd North Midland) Division June–1918	Succeeded by Nevill Smyth
Preceded by Walter Braithwaite	GOC 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division 1918–1919	Post disbanded
Preceded by Cyril Deverell	GOC 3rd Division 1919–1922	Succeeded by William Heneker
Preceded by Sir Philip Chetwode	Adjutant General 1923–1927	Succeeded by Sir Walter Braithwaite
Preceded by Sir Walter Braithwaite	GOC-in-C Eastern Command 1927–1931	Succeeded by Sir Webb Gillman

[Obit-1] "Death of Capt. Nicholson, R. N. at Sidmouth" Western Times (12 February 1932).

[2] "England/Players/David Whigham" ESPNcricinfo.

[3] "Success of Younger Element in Women's Golf Championship" Outing (October 1900): 97.

[Leeds-4] "Golf: The Ladies' Championship" Leeds Mercury (May 17, 1900): 6. via Newspapers.com

[boer-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Anglo Boer War

[6] "No. 25468". The London Gazette. 8 May 1885. p. 2105.

[7] "No. 27448". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1902. p. 4192.

[8] "The War – Return of Troops". The Times. No. 36842. London. 9 August 1902. p. 11.

[9] "No. 27496". The London Gazette. 18 November 1902. p. 7339.

[10] "No. 12894". The Edinburgh Gazette. 17 January 1916. p. 86.

[11] Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8, pp. 17, 41

[12] Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918, London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-43-6, p. 2.

[13] Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine

[14] An account of the unveiling of the Royal Air Force Memorial 16 July 1923 Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine

[15] Flight Global 18 August 1927

[16] Whitaker's Almanack 1931

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