Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir James Melville Babington (31 July 1854 – 15 June 1936) 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 and a renowned leader of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

, making a name for himself for his actions 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 Sout ...

. He was Commander of the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

and one of the most respected British generals in 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 ...

, in command of the 23rd Division. After the war he was Commander of the British Forces in Italy. General Babington's image was chosen by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

and used by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

to depict the fictional "Sgt. Pepper" for the album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' in 1967.

Biography

Babington was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

at Hanley House,

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

, on 31 July 1854 to William Babington (1826–1913) and Augusta Mary Melville (1832–1913), daughter of James Moncrieff Melville, writer to the signet. His ancestors were of the Anglo-Irish branch of the Babington family. He was a cousin to Sir Anthony Babington. In 1873, Babington was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 16th Lancers, known as the ''Scarlets''. From 1877 to 1880 he was Adjutant of the regiment, the future CIGS William Robertson serving in the ranks under him. In 1884 he accompanied

Sir Charles Warren General Sir Charles Warren, (7 February 1840 – 21 January 1927) was an officer in the British Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of the Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of the Temple Mount. Much of his mi ...

on the

Bechuanaland Expedition The Bechuanaland Expedition or Warren Expedition, of late 1884/1885, was a British military expedition to the Tswana country, to assert British sovereignty in the face of encroachments from Germany and the Transvaal, and to suppress the Boer sta ...

, where he was "honourably mentioned". From January 1889 to July 1890, Captain Babington was Aide-de-camp to Sir Evelyn Wood when the latter was commanding at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

. This post was both a liberal military education and a marked compliment to the Lancer's ability: Sir Evelyn was known to surround himself with only the most capable of officers. Returning as a major to regimental duty, Babington succeeded to the command of the 16th Lancers in 1892. From 1896 to 1899 he was Assistant Adjutant-General in India. Returning to England he was Staff Commander of the Cavalry Brigade at

. During the

, Babington commanded the 1st Cavalry Brigade. He took part in the

Battle of Magersfontein The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, South Africa, on the borders of the Cape Co ...

on 10–11 December 1899, in which the defending Boer force defeated the advancing British forces amongst heavy casualties for the latter. Babington was mentioned in the despatch from Lord Methuen describing the battle. He was regarded as an expert in the management and deployment of every sort of mounted troop,A History of British Cavalry: Volume 4: 1899-1913 by Lord Anglesey and he later gained many a decisive victory in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, earning himself a name to be feared among the Boers. He left South Africa in September 1901, returning to England in early October. From 1902 to 1907, he was in New Zealand as Commander of the

, with the local rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

while so employed. He was also appointed honorary Colonel of the 5th Mounted Rifles (Otago Hussars). Returning to England, he was given the command of the

Lowland Mounted Brigade The Lowland Mounted Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army, organised in 1908. After service in the Gallipoli Campaign, it was absorbed into the 1st Dismounted Brigade in February 1916. Formation Under the terms ...

from 1908 to 1913 and the Colonelcy of the 16th The Queen's Lancers in 1909, transferring after amalgamation in 1922 to be Colonel of the 16th/5th Lancers (1922 to death). On the outbreak of the

he was given the command of the 23rd Division, part of Kitchener's Army. He was then describedKitchener s Army: The Raising of the New Armies 1914 1916 by Peter Simkins as "an elderly but fearless man who was universally popular". Under him, the 23rd became known as "a remarkably hard-fighting and efficient division". He was one of only a few commanding officers who saw to it that his men were properly kitted out, obtaining approval to spend £17,000 on clothing, and sending two officers to the north of England before the Division went overseas to buy 20,000 sets of underclothes and boots. Following the war he was Commander of the British Forces in Italy. He retired with the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. He held the French Croix de guerre with Palm, and the Italian

Croce di Guerra The War Cross for Military Valor ( it, Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare) is an Italian order for military valor. Established in 1922, the cross may be awarded only in time of war. Appearance The medal is a Greek cross made of copper. Inscri ...

. He was a Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

and an Officer of the

Military Order of Savoy The Military Order of Savoy was a military honorary order of the Kingdom of Sardinia first, and of the Kingdom of Italy later. Following the abolition of the Italian monarchy, the order became the Military Order of Italy. History The origin o ...

. Babington lived at Pinnacle Hill, near Kelso, Roxburghshire, which his family came to through the Maitlands of

Penpont Penpont is a village about west of Thornhill in Dumfriesshire, in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland. It is near the confluence of the Shinnel Water and Scaur Water rivers in the foothills of the Southern Uplands. It has a populati ...

. He married Eleanor Lawson (1868–1943), daughter of Thomas James Lawson of Veteran Hall,

Prospect, New South Wales Prospect is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Prospect is located 32 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western S ...

. Their son, Geoffrey Babington (1902–1956), married Lady Anne Katherine Granville Scrope Egerton (1908–1964), daughter of

John Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere Lieutenant-Colonel John Francis Granville Scrope Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere, MVO, K.StJ (14 November 1872 – 24 August 1944) was a British peer and soldier from the Egerton family, known as Viscount Brackley before 1914. Early life and bac ...

, and sister of the 6th Duke of Sutherland.

References

Books

External links

Portrait of General Babington
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Babington, James Melville 1854 births 1936 deaths British Army lieutenant generals 16th The Queen's Lancers officers British Army cavalry generals of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British military personnel of the Bechuanaland Expedition Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Deputy Lieutenants of Roxburghshire Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Chiefs of Defence Force (New Zealand) Officers of the Military Order of Savoy Military personnel from Edinburgh Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the War Merit Cross (Italy)

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...