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 ...

Frederick William Lumsden, (14 December 1872 – 4 June 1918) was a British officer in

Royal Marine Artillery The history of the Royal Marines began on 28 October 1664 with the formation of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot soon becoming known as the Admiral's Regiment. During the War of the Spanish Succession the most historic achi ...

and during 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 ...

. During his service he was decorated four times for valorous service and saw action in several major campaigns before he was killed just months before the war's end in June 1918. Amongst his decorations was the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry to British or

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

troops. He was also the first of seven British officers to be awarded the DSO four times in the First World War.

Early life

Frederick William Lumsden was born into a military family in

Faizabad Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: ɛːzaːbaːd is a city situated near the southern banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The area of this Faizabad region is administered by Ayodhya Municipal Corpor ...

, India, on 14 December 1872. His father, James Foot Lumsden, worked in the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

. At a young age he returned to Britain and attended

Bristol Grammar School Bristol Grammar School (BGS) is a 4–18 mixed, independent day school in Bristol, England. It was founded in 1532 by Royal Charter for the teaching of 'good manners and literature', endowed by wealthy Bristol merchants Robert and Nicholas Thorn ...

. Lumsden married Mary, the daughter of Lieutenant General Thomas N. Harward of the Royal Artillery, in December 1894. They had one daughter, Violet.

Military career

Lumsden joined the

as a junior officer in 1890. He served in the Marine Service until 1907, spending time in the Mediterranean and four years on

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory o ...

. He entered the Staff College, qualifying in 1908. He then became the second staff officer at Singapore, and was promoted to the rank of major in 1913. He returned home for war service in the months leading up to the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. He served in France with the Royal Marine howitzer brigade in France until 1915 and was then seconded to serve in staff appointments with the British Army. In late 1915 he was attached to the Intelligence Department of First Army Headquarters. He was promoted to the rank of temporary brigadier general to command the 14th Infantry Brigade in April 1917.

Awards and decorations

On 1 January 1917, Major Lumsden was awarded his first

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, typ ...

"for distinguished service in the field". The first and second Bars to his DSO were gazetted together in May 1917, and he was the first person to receive a third Bar in April 1918. On 8 June 1917, the awarding of the

to Major Lumsden was approved. This was for actions that took place between 3 and 4 April 1917 in Francilly, France. The citation in ''

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'' is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are ...

'' reads as follows: He was appointed as a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

on 3 June 1918, just a few days before his death. He was also

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

on four occasions, and awarded the Belgian

Croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

Death and remembrance

Lumsden was killed in action in his 46th year at Blairville, near the city of

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

, France, on 4 June 1918: he was shot through the head and died instantly. His body was buried in the Berles New Military Cemetery,

Berles-au-Bois Berles-au-Bois () is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region in northern France. Geography A farming village located 11 miles (17 km) southwest of ...

, France. In 1920 the Mess of the Royal Marines commissioned

H. Donald Smith Helen Donald-Smith (before 30 September 1852 – 23 July 1933) was a British artist who worked in oil and watercolour, and was active Wiktionary:circa, circa 1890–1925. Her work featured landscapes, particularly of Venice, and portraits, inc ...

to paint two portraits of Lumsden. The work is now housed in the

Royal Marines Museum The Royal Marines Museum is a museum on the history of the Royal Marines from their beginnings in 1664 through to the present day. A registered charity, it is also a designated service museum under the terms of the National Heritage Act 198 ...

in the Royal Marine Artillery Barracks,

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

."Highlights of Hampshire's Collections"
Lianne Jarrett Associates. Retrieved 23 March 2008. His Victoria Cross is also displayed at the museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lumsden, Frederick William 1872 births 1918 deaths People educated at Bristol Grammar School Royal Marines generals Royal Marines generals of World War I British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel killed in World War I Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Military personnel of British India