Sir Ivor Philipps, (9 September 1861 – 15 August 1940) was a British officer in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

and a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician. He held a seat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1906 to 1922.

Early life

Philipps was the son of Rev. Sir J. E. Philipps, Bt. and his wife Mary Margaret, daughter of Rev. Samuel Best and sister of George Best, 5th

Baron Wynford Baron Wynford, of Wynford Eagle in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1829 for the politician and lawyer Sir William Best. He served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1824 to 1829. H ...

. His older brother John Philipps (1860–1938) was a Liberal Party politician who became Baron St Davids in 1908 and

Viscount St Davids Viscount St Davids, of Lydstep Haven in the County of Pembroke, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1918 for John Philipps, 1st Baron St Davids. The Philipps family descends from Sir John Philipps (died 27 March ...

in 1918; his younger brothers include

Lord Kylsant Owen Cosby Philipps, 1st Baron Kylsant (25 March 1863 – 5 June 1937) was a British businessman and politician, jailed in 1931 for producing a document with intent to deceive. Background Philipps was the third of five sons of the Reverend Sir J ...

and Lord Milford. Philipps was educated at

Felsted School (Keep your Faith) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Chris Townsend , r_head_l ...

Military career

Phillips served in the

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 ...

from 1881 to 1883, in the

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...

, then he joined the

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- ...

in 1883 as a

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 ...

. He was promoted

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 12 Mat 1894 and 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 ...

on 10 July 1901. He fought in the

Third Anglo-Burmese War The Third Anglo-Burmese War ( my, တတိယ အင်္ဂလိပ် – မြန်မာစစ်, Tatiya Anggalip–Mran cac), also known as the Third Burma War, took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance conti ...

from 1885 to 1889, in the Miranzai Expedition in 1891, the Isazai Expedition in 1892, with the

Tirah Field Force The Tirah campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah expedition, was an Indian frontier campaign from September 1897 to April 1898. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country in what was formally known as Federally ...

from 1897 to 1898. He was appointed to a staff position at Indian army headquarters on 28 November 1899, as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General for Mobilization. With the outbreak of the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

in China the following summer he was temporary attached to the China Field Force from June 1900, and served in China until 1901 as Quartermaster-General. He was 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, typ ...

(DSO) in November 1900, in recognition of services during the

. While still serving as a seconded officer on special service in China, he formally resigned from his staff position at the India army headquarters in May 1902, He retired from the army in 1903, and joined the

Pembroke Yeomanry The Pembroke Yeomanry was a regiment of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw action in the Second Boer War, the World War I, First World War and the World War II, Second World War. Its lineage is maintained by 224 (Pembroke Yeomanry) Transport ...

as second-in-command, becoming commander from 1908 to 1912. On the outbreak of 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 initially served in the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

, and in November 1914 he was promoted to

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 ...

in command of the 115th Brigade. In January 1916 he took command of the

38th (Welsh) Infantry Division The 38th (Welsh) Division (initially the 43rd Division, later the 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division and then the 38th Infantry (Reserve) Division) of the British Army was active during both the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wa ...

, bringing the division to France, and after a break while he held ministerial office in London he led the division during the first assault on Mametz Wood, at the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

in 1916.

Politics

At the 1906 general election, Philipps was elected as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. At each of the previous two general elections, the city's two parliamentary seats had been won by a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

and a

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

; in 1906 the Liberals won both seats. Philipps was re-elected in Southampton at both the January 1910 and December 1910 general elections, along with his fellow Liberal

William Dudley Ward William Dudley Ward PC (14 October 1877 – 11 November 1946) was an English sportsman and Liberal politician. Early life Dudley Ward was born in London, the son of William Humble Dudley Ward and the great-grandson of William Humble Wa ...

. He served in 1915 as

Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis of ...

, and was made a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in 1917. During the 1918 general election, both Philipps and Ward were re-elected as

Coalition Liberal The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victo ...

s, i.e. as holders of the "

coalition coupon The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...

", a sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 election endorsing them as official representatives of the

Coalition Government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

. However, Philipps and Ward were both defeated at the 1922 general election by Conservative Party candidates, and neither stood again.

Pembroke Castle

In 1928 Philipps purchased

Pembroke Castle Pembroke Castle ( cy, Castell Penfro) is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restoratio ...

and commenced an extensive programme of restoration and rebuilding. Since his death, the castle has been managed jointly by the Philipps family and Pembroke town council.

Personal life

In 1891 he married Marian Isobel, a daughter of James Buchan Mirrlees, of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Philipps, Ivor 1861 births 1940 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British Indian Army officers People educated at Felsted School British Army cavalry generals of World War I Younger sons of baronets National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians Military personnel from Wiltshire British Army generals