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 ...

Richard Hutton Davies, (14 August 1861 – 9 May 1918) was an officer of the

New Zealand Military Forces , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the first New Zealander to command an independent force overseas and one of the most senior New Zealand officers 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 ...

. Born in London, he emigrated to New Zealand after leaving school, where he worked as a

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

. He joined a volunteer militia unit in 1893, and went to South Africa as an officer with the first

New Zealand contingent New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

sent to the

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 Sou ...

in 1899. He later commanded the third, fourth and eighth contingents, becoming the first New Zealand officer to command an independent unit on active service overseas. Following his return to New Zealand, he became inspector-general of the New Zealand Military Forces, and in 1909 was attached to a British Army brigade to gain staff experience. This led to him being offered command of 6th Brigade, a regular infantry brigade of British troops, in 1910; he was the first colonial officer to hold such a position. In the summer of 1914 the brigade was mobilised with the British Expeditionary Force, and he commanded it at the

Battle of Mons A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

and the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated aft ...

before being invalided back to England due to exhaustion. He was given command of the newly formed

20th (Light) Division The 20th (Light) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Kitchener's Army, raised in the First World War. The division was formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. The division landed in France July 1915 and s ...

, which he took to France in 1915, but was relieved of command early in 1916. After a period in command of a reserve centre in Staffordshire, he was sent to hospital suffering from both mental and physical ill health, and committed suicide in May 1918.

Early life and family

Davies was born in London, the son of a journalist, and was educated at

Hurstpierpoint College (''Blessed are the pure in heart'') , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent School , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Dominic Mo ...

. After leaving school, he emigrated to New Zealand, where he spent two years working for a relative before settling at

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

, setting up a farm and practising as a surveyor. He married Ida Mary Cornwall in February 1886; they had two sons and a daughter.Clayton One son, Henry Cornwall Davies, served with the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

during the

, and, like his father, transferred to the British Army in 1915, becoming a captain in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

. Ida died in pregnancy with their fourth child in December 1906; he remarried, to Ida's sister Eileen Kathleen Cornwall, in May 1908. In October 1887 Davies became the surveyor to the

Manganui Manganui Ski Area, located in Taranaki, in New Zealand's North Island is a club skifield. Like all club fields, it has accommodation onsite, in the form of the 33-bed Manganui Lodge. It has 3 rope ski tows and a T-bar A surface lift is a typ ...

Road Board. On 10 April 1893, he joined the Hawera Mounted Rifle Volunteers, and was commissioned as a lieutenant in May 1895; he was quickly promoted to captain six weeks later, becoming the commander of the unit. He was also active in local government, and in February 1897 was elected a member of the

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

Harbour Board, representing Taranaki North.

South Africa

On 3 October 1899 Davies transferred into the Permanent Force of the

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, where he was made responsible for the training of volunteer mounted units. The

, however, was declared a week later; Davies was quickly seconded to command a company of the volunteer First New Zealand Contingent being sent to the Cape. The contingent sailed on 21 October, arrived in late November, and was on active service within a week. Davies was promoted to Major in May 1900, and in the same month was given temporary command of the Third New Zealand Contingent. He was transferred to the

Rhodesian Field Force Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to th ...

, where he commanded the Fourth New Zealand Contingent in August 1900. He established a high professional reputation commanding the unit, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel and made a

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(CB), as well as winning the respect of his men – one described him as "not only liked but loved". A soldier wrote home calling Davies, who stood five feet six inches tall, "a grand little chap", whilst another noted with pleasure that Davies objected to "Imperial ideas of discipline" being forced upon his men. After being

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 ...

in May 1901 he returned home to command the Auckland Military District, but was ordered back to South Africa in command of the eighth New Zealand Contingent, in February 1902, with the

brevet rank In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

of colonel. The contingent operated as a single unit, unlike its predecessors, and Davies became the first officer from New Zealand to command an independent force on active service overseas.

Military reform

Returning to New Zealand in late 1902, Davies resumed command of the Auckland military district. He held command until 1906, when he was appointed inspector-general of the

New Zealand Military Forces , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

and became a member of the Council of Defence, the body responsible for controlling the dominion's military forces. The position of inspector-general, newly created that year, was originally expected to go to an "Imperial" – that is, British – officer, but the government had announced it planned to rotate New Zealand officers in the role, on up to five-year terms, so as to allow them to gain experience. Davies threw himself into the role, travelling around the country and inspecting local units to gain an overall idea of their efficiency. Even under favourable circumstances, however, he found that only 54% of the volunteers attended parades in 1906; at the annual camps, the proportion was as low as 45%. He pressed for greater use of active day-time tactical training rather than evening indoors drill, which he felt was key for a part-time volunteer force, and for a greater emphasis on the training and standards of officers. By the end of his second year in office, he had organised local selection boards for appointing officers, and a central promotion board for senior field officers, as well as mandatory regular fitness and efficiency tests. As a member of the Council of Defence, he strongly supported the movement for

universal military training Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

– not conventional

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

, but rather a form of basic military training on a part-time basis for all adult men – arguing that it would mean "the flower of the nation would be the soldiers, not the weeds".

British service

After three years as Inspector-General, and in order to gain staff experience, Davies was attached as an observer to a number of units in the United Kingdom in 1909–10. During this time, he also attended the Imperial Defence Conference and represented the New Zealand forces at the funeral of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

. At the end of the one-year attachment, he had so impressed the British Army that they offered him an appointment as commander of 6th Brigade in October 1910, with the temporary rank of brigadier general. As such, he became the first overseas officer to command a regular brigade,p. 8, ''Evening Post''
31 August 1914 only eleven years after taking up a permanent military commission. Davies' tenure in command of 6th Brigade was due to expire in October 1914, when he was to hand over command to

John Keir Sir John Lindesay Keir (6 July 1856 – 3 May 1937) was a late 19th-early 20th Century British soldier and General. He fought in the Second Boer War, and commanded the 6th Division and the VI Corps of the British Army on the Western Front dur ...

, and it was rumoured in New Zealand that he might be appointed as General Officer Commanding the Home Forces in 1915, succeeding

Alexander Godley General Sir Alexander John Godley, (4 February 1867 – 6 March 1957) was a senior British Army officer. He is best known for his role as commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and II Anzac Corps during the First World War. Born in ...

. However, with the outbreak of the

in August 1914, his command was mobilised as part of 2nd Division in the British Expeditionary Force and sent to France. The brigade saw heavy combat at the

, where Davies was mentioned in despatches, but he was quickly worn down by his habit of always marching at the head of his brigade, which put him under heavy physical and mental strain,Bourne and from the lasting effects of an attack of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

earlier in the year. One report described him as "much changed, full of nerves ... very jumpy". He was relieved of command after the

in September and ordered home, being replaced by Colonel Robert Fanshawe, formerly GSO 1 of 1st Division, on 20 September. He was appointed a divisional commander, with the rank of temporary major general, on 19 October 1914, and took command of the newly raised

at some point in September–October. This made him the first New Zealand officer to command a division in the war. On 18 February 1915, he was formally transferred to the British Army, and promoted to major general. The 20th Division moved to France in July 1915, and he commanded it during a minor operation in September, but handed over command on 8 March 1916 due to ill-health. He was appointed to command a reserve centre at

Cannock Chase Cannock Chase (), often referred to locally as The Chase, is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is managed by Forestry En ...

, Staffordshire, where the arrival of elements of the

New Zealand Rifle Brigade The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own), affectionately known as The Dinks, was formed on 1 May 1915 as the third brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the First World War it foug ...

in September 1917 meant that he once again had the opportunity to command his own countrymen. He was relieved of command by General Robert Wanless O'Gowan in March 1918, and on 9 May 1918, after a prolonged period of physical and mental ill health, he committed suicide at the Special Neurological Hospital for Officers, Kensington.Bourne; see also Biographical Note by Maj. E. E. Andrews in personnel file. Address drawn fro
The Military Hospitals of Great Britain
and ''London Gazette'' death notice.

Notes

References