Gerald Boyd (British Army officer)
Major-General Sir Gerald Boyd | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 19 November 1877 London, United Kingdom |
| Died | 12 April 1930 (aged 52) London, United Kingdom |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1895–1930 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | Devonshire Regiment East Yorkshire Regiment |
| Commands | 170th (2/1st North Lancashire) Brigade 46th (North Midland) Division Dublin District |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War World War I |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Conduct Medal |
Major-General Sir Gerald Farrell Boyd KCB CMG DSO DCM (19 November 1877 – 12 April 1930) was a senior British Army officer who went on to be Military Secretary.
Military career
[edit]Educated at St Paul's School,[1] Boyd enlisted into the Devonshire Regiment in 1895. He fought in the Second Boer War 1899-1901, and took part in the Relief of Ladysmith, including the actions at Colenso; and in the operations in Orange River Colony, including the action at Wittebergen. During the war, he was commissioned into the 2nd battalion East Yorkshire Regiment in May 1900,[2] and promoted to lieutenant in that regiment on 26 April 1902.[3] He was mentioned in despatches three times (including 25 April 1902[4]), received the Queen's South Africa Medal, and was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his war service.[5] The battalion stayed in South Africa throughout the war, and he returned home on the SS Orotava in December 1902, when they were stationed at Aldershot.[6] He went on to be Brigade Major for 11th Infantry Brigade in 1912.[2]
He served in World War I with 11th Infantry Brigade as part of the British Expeditionary Force.[2] He became a General Staff Officer with 1st Division and with 6th Division before becoming a Brigadier-General on the General Staff of 5th Army Corps in France in 1916.[2] He was made Commander 170th Infantry Brigade in France in July 1918 and General Officer Commanding 46th (North Midland) Division in September 1918.[2] He led the 46th Division when it successfully stormed the Hindenburg Line at Bellenglise during the Battle of St Quentin Canal.[1]
After the War he was made a Brigadier General on the General Staff at General Headquarters of British Army on the Rhine and then General Officer Commanding Dublin District in Ireland in 1920.[2] He was appointed Commandant of the Staff College, Quetta, in 1923 and Military Secretary in 1927.[2] He died of cerebral spinal fever in 1930.[1]
Family
[edit]In 1913 he married Grace Sophia Burdett and they went on to have two sons.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Boyd, Sir Gerald Farrell". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Boyd, Sir Gerald Farrell". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "No. 27474". The London Gazette. 16 September 1902. p. 5962.
- ^ "No. 27428". The London Gazette. 25 April 1902. p. 2766.
- ^ "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6901.
- ^ "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36957. London. 22 December 1902. p. 10.
Further reading
[edit]- Priestley, R. E. (1919). Breaking the Hindenburg Line. London: T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd.
- 1877 births
- 1930 deaths
- People educated at St Paul's School, London
- British Army major generals
- Devonshire Regiment soldiers
- East Yorkshire Regiment officers
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal
- Commandants of the Staff College, Quetta
- Military personnel from London
- British Army generals of World War I
- British Army personnel of the Second Boer War