Brigadier-General Edward Murray Colston, 2nd Baron Roundway (31 December 1880 – 29 March 1944) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

and

World War I 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 ...

Early life

Edward Colston was born on 31 December 1880 at

Roundway Park Roundway Park (or New Park) was a 750-hectare (1,584-acre) estate in the former parish of Roundway in the centre of the English county of Wiltshire. The estate was about northeast of the town of Devizes and included a house, stables, gardens, ...

, near

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between ...

in Wiltshire, the only son and heir of Charles Colston, later Member of Parliament for Thornbury, who was created

Baron Roundway Baron Roundway, of Devizes in the County of Wilts, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 30 June 1916 for Charles Colston, Conservative Member of Parliament for Thornbury from 1892 to 1906. He was succeeded by hi ...

of Devizes in 1916. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, 1894–99.

Military career

Boer War

Colston was an officer in the 4th (

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

) battalion of the

Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment) The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was created on 21 April 1758 from the 2nd Battal ...

. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

on 21 February 1900, and served with the 2nd Battalion in South Africa 1901–02 during the

, where he was wounded. Following the end of the war, he returned home with other men of his battalion on the SS ''Galeka'' in October 1902. He was promoted to captain in 1908.

World War I

During World War I Colston was in the

Retreat from Mons The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western F ...

, the Battle of the Marne and the fighting on the Aisne before he was wounded and invalided back to the UK. He was later awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

for his service in this period. Colston was promoted to Major in 1915, appointed a General staff Officer (Grade 2), and sent to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

to establish a school of technical instruction (the Imperial School of Instruction) for troops stationed there, serving as its Commandant 1915–17. (He was referred to as 'The Hon. Edward Colston' after his father's elevation to the peerage in 1916.) Colston was promoted to

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

in 1917 and appointed to command 233rd Brigade in the rank of Temporary Brigadier-General. 233 Brigade was part of 75th Division, a new formation being created by the

Egyptian Expeditionary Force The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–15), at the beginning ...

from British battalions of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

arriving as reinforcements from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, together

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

battalions.Becke pp. 123–30. The new brigade took over the Rafa defences in

Sinai Sinai commonly refers to: * Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God Sinai may also refer to: * Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...

in June 1917, and only joined 75th Division in August that year. It took part in the EEF's invasion of Palestine beginning with the

Third Battle of Gaza The Third Battle of Gaza was fought on the night of 1–2 November 1917 between British and Ottoman forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I and came after the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) victory at the ...

on 27 October 1917, culminating in the Capture of Gaza (6–7 November) and Junction Station (13–14 November), and the

Battle of Nebi Samwil The Battle of Nebi Samwil, (17–24 November 1917), was fought during the decisive British Empire victory at the Battle of Jerusalem between the forces of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Ottoman Empire's Yildirim Army Group during the S ...

(20–24 November). When the divisional commander fell sick that December, Colston acted for him. In the Spring of 1918, 233 Bde was involved in the actions at Tell 'Asur (11–12 March) and Berukin (9–11 April). During General Allenby's final offensive (the Battles of Megiddo), 233 Bde took part in the

Battle of Sharon The Battle of Sharon fought between 19 and 25 September 1918, began the set piece Battle of Megiddo (1918), Battle of Megiddo half a day before the Battle of Nablus (1918), Battle of Nablus, in which large formations engaged and responded to mov ...

(19 September). At the end of the fighting on 19 September 75 Division went into reserve until the Armistice with the Turks was signed on 31 October. Demobilisation began early in 1919, but the 75th Division was selected for the Army of Occupation of Palestine. The reduced division formed one composite brigade under Colston's command. In March 1919 it returned to garrison duty in Egypt. Colston relinquished command of 233 Brigade on 16 October 1919.

Between the wars

Colston became a substantive Lieutenant-Colonel in 1920 and commanded 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, 1920–24. He was promoted to

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1924 and commanded 131st (Surrey) Brigade of the Territorial Army 1927–31. Colston became Lord Roundway in 1925 on the death of his father. He retired from the Army with the honorary rank of Brigadier-General in 1932, and was appointed Exon of the

Yeomen of the Guard The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a bodyguard of the British monarch. The oldest British military corps still in existence, it was created by King Henry VII in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth Field. History The king ...

, receiving his stick of office from

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

.Court Circular, ''Times'' 21 July 1932.

Home Guard

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Lord Roundway served as Zone Commander of the Wiltshire

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

Awards

Colston had been appointed a Member of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

in 1908 and received his DSO in 1916. For his services in World War I he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1918 and awarded the

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sultana ...

(3rd Class) and the

Order of the White Eagle (Serbia) The Royal Order of the White Eagle was a Royal Order in the Kingdom of Serbia (1883–1918) and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1945). It continues as a dynastic order, with appointments currently made by Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugosla ...

(4th Class).

Family

On 28 April 1904 Colston married Blanche Gladys Duddell, only daughter of George Duddell of

Queen's Park, Brighton Queen's Park is a public park in Brighton, England. In 1825, Thomas Attree, a property owner and developer in Brighton, acquired land north of Eastern Road—already known as Brighton Park—to build a residential park surrounded by detached vill ...

. Their only daughter was killed in a fall from the window of their London home in 1924, aged 14. After an illness of several months, Lord Roundway died on 29 March 1944 when in the absence of male heirs the Barony became extinct. Lady Roundway continued to live at Roundway Park until 1949 when the estate was sold.

Notes

References

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* 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, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Roundway, Edward Murray Colston, 2nd Baron 1880 births 1944 deaths People educated at Eton College Grenadier Guards officers Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom British Army brigadiers British Army generals of World War I Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Royal Victorian Order Military personnel from Wiltshire British military personnel of the Second Boer War