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 ...

Sir Edward Willis Duncan Ward, 1st Baronet (17 December 1853 – 11 September 1928) 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 military administrator, serving as Permanent Secretary of 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 ...

. He was a notable reformer of army administration, improving efficiency of mobilization, medical services and supplies. EdwardWardBrompton01

Military career

Ward was born in Oban, Argyllshire, Scotland in 1853, the only son of Lieutenant John Ward, RN, by his wife Mary Hope Bowie. He was commissioned Sub-Lieutenant in the 2nd Royal Lanarkshire Militia in December 1873, and transferred to the

2nd West India Regiment The West India Regiments (WIR) were infantry units of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. In 1888 the two West India Regiments then in existence were reduced t ...

in February 1874. In April 1874 he transferred into the

Control Department The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

as a Sub-Assistant Commissary, transferring to the new

Commissariat and Transport Department A commissariat is a department or organization commanded by a commissary or by a corps of commissaries. In many countries, commissary is a police rank. In those countries, a commissariat is a police station commanded by a commissary. In some ar ...

in 1875, although he did not resign his militia commission until December 1874. He was promoted Assistant Commissary in 1876. In January 1880 the department changed its name to the Commissariat and Transport Staff and Ward became a Deputy Assistant Commissary-General in the new organisation. In April 1885 Commissariat and Transport Staff officers were given honorary military rank and Ward also became a Captain. He was with Sir Garnet Wolseley's sojourn up the Nile to recapture Khartoum. In December 1885 he was promoted to Assistant Commissary-General and Major. In December 1888 the department underwent yet another change, becoming the Army Service Corps, with its officers now holding full military rank. He was promoted

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 June 1890. He went on the Ashanti Expedition in West Africa in 1895–6. Ward returned to England and was promoted to Brevet

in March 1898.

Boer War

Ward sailed with the first ships to Cape Town Harbour in September 1899. After the

Siege of Ladysmith The siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 2 November 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal. Background As war with the Boer republics appeared likely in June 1899, the War Offic ...

, Sir George White called him 'the greatest supply officer since Moses'. In 1900 while on campaign he was appointed Director of Supplies to the South African Field Force by Lord Roberts. Ward had begun life in the administration of military supplies. His organizational abilities were quickly discovered by after the chaotic state of affairs in 1899, the changes were most welcome. Lord Salisbury directed him to take up the position of Permanent Under-secretary at the War Office under Secretary St John Brodrick.

Civil career

After retiring from the Army, Ward joined the staff of the War Office, becoming Permanent-under-Secretary. When war broke out in 1914, he was asked by Lord Kitchener what preparations needed to be made for the troops expected to arrive from various countries in the British Empire who would be camped on Salisbury Plain before being dispatched to the front line in Europe. Among Ward's suggestions was meeting the troops' needs for reading materials to be provided there. When the decision was taken, after the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

entered the war, to divert the

ANZAC The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comm ...

troops 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 ...

, the original proposal was expanded and became what was known as the Camp's Library, which provided books and magazines to troops in base camps and Prisoner of War Camps in all the theatres of war. This was one of several voluntary organisations providing similar services, for example to troops in hospitals and convalescent centres. The scale and range of volunteering during the war and the range of services provided was unprecedented and became so chaotic that the government had to legislate to control it and appointed Ward as Director General of Voluntary Organisations in 1915. In 1915, he was elevated to the baronetage as the 1st Baronet of Wilbraham Place. In 1919 he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. After the war, in retirement, Ward became Commander-in-Chief of the Special Constables, holding that office until 1925, and was a President of the

Union Jack Club The Union Jack Club is an Armed Forces Club in central London, England, for enlisted members and veterans of the British Armed Services and their families. Located near London Waterloo railway station, the club has over 260 rooms for accommodatio ...

, and Chairman of the

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

Family

In 1880 he married Florence Caroline Simons (1858–1934). He died unexpectedly while visiting Paris. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Captain Edward Simons Ward (1882–1930). Together with Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 3rd Marquess of Dufferin and Ava and Viscountess Ednam, he died when their aeroplane returning to London from

Le Touquet Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (; pcd, Ech Toutchet-Paris-Plache; vls, 't Oekske, older nl, Het Hoekske), commonly referred to as Le Touquet (), is a commune near Étaples, in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It has a population of ...

exploded in midair over Meopham, Kent. Captain Ward was succeeded in the baronetcy by his younger brother, Melvill Willis Ward (1885–1973), as the 3rd Baronet. The title became extinct on his brother's death.

Decorations

* Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) 1886 *

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 on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

(KCB) 29 November 1900, ''in recognition of services in connection with the Campaign in South Africa 1899-1900'' * Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) 1907 *

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(GBE) 1919

References

External links

Sir Edward's Inspection 1914
Retrieved on 22 July 2016.
Knighthood 1914
Retrieved on 22 July 2016.
Obituary Sir Edward Ward
Retrieved 22 July 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, 1st Baronet of Wilbraham Place, Sir Edward 1853 births 1928 deaths Royal Army Service Corps officers Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Burials at Brompton Cemetery Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for War Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Deaths from food poisoning British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army Commissariat officers People from Oban