Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Charles Bulkeley Bulkeley-Johnson (19 November 1867 – 11 April 1917) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and Egyptian Army officer who served in the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...

and the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was killed in action on 11 April 1917, while commanding the 8th Cavalry Brigade, on the second day of the Battle of Arras.Lions Led by Donkeys: Surnames beginning 'B'
" ()

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

. Retrieved on 27 September 2013. He is the only foreigner to receive the Russian Imperial Order of St. George Cross, — the highest military order, in both IVth and IIIrd class, for his bravery in WW I.

Biography

The son of Francis Bulkeley Johnson, he was born in 1867. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and graduated from the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

. Bulkeley-Johnson was commissioned into the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) as a

second-lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 5 February 1887, promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 16 March 1889 and to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 13 June 1894. He served in the Egyptian Army from January 1899 to January 1903, during which he participated in the Nile Expedition. He also participated in operations that resulted in the defeat of the

Khalifa Khalifa or Khalifah (Arabic: خليفة) is a name or title which means "successor", "ruler" or "leader". It most commonly refers to the leader of a Caliphate, but is also used as a title among various Islamic religious groups and others. Khalifa ...

, when he was in command of a squadron of cavalry during the

Battle of Umm Diwaykarat The Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on 25 November 1899 marked the final defeat of the Mahdist State in Sudan, when United Kingdom, Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, Lord Kitchener defeated ...

on 25 November 1899 (mentioned in despatches 25 November 1899). Promotion to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

came on 17 September 1902. On 19 August 1911, at 43 years of age, Bulkeley-Johnson was appointed as the commanding officer of the Royal Scots Greys. On 23 November 1914 he was promoted to the GOC of the 8th Cavalry Brigade of the 3rd Cavalry Division and he commanded this brigade until his death. For his exploits he has been awarded the two Crosses of the Russian Order of St. George — which makes him the only Allied Officer during WWI ever to achieve such a level of recognition. On 11 April 1917, during the Battle of Arras, British infantry were pinned down in front of the village of Monchy under very heavy machine-gun fire from the north ridge of Scarpe. The General was mortally wounded and died at age 49 in

Monchy-le-Preux Monchy-le-Preux () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Monchy-le-Preux is situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D33 and the D339 roads. Junction 15 of the A1 autorout ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. His burial site is the Gouy-en-Artois Communal Cemetery Extension. An account of General Bulkeley-Johnson's death is related in detail in And All For What? by D.W.J Cuddeford.

References

* Davies, Frank and Graham Maddocks. ''Bloody Red Tabs: General Officer Casualties of the Great War 1914–1918''. Leo Cooper, 1995. .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulkeley-Johnson, Charles Bulkely 1867 births 1917 deaths People educated at Harrow School Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army brigadiers British military personnel killed in World War I British Army cavalry generals of World War I Royal Scots Greys officers British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British expatriates in China British expatriates in Egypt Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree 19th-century British Army personnel