Lieutenant-General Sir Skipton Hill Climo (24 December 1868 − 31 March 1937) was a British officer of the Indian Army. Climo was born in

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

, the son of Colonel William Hill Climo (1838−1919) of the Army Medical Service and his wife Margaret (1843/4−1922).Biography, '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was educated at Shrewsbury School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and in February 1888 was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 2nd Battalion, Border Regiment. In July 1889, while serving with the 1st Battalion in India, he was promoted lieutenant, and two months later transferred to the Indian Army and joined the

24th Punjabis The 24th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 11th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 24th Punjabis in 1861 and became 4th Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, i ...

, which became the 4th Battalion,

14th Punjab Regiment The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Reg ...

in 1922.Obituary, '' The Times'', 1 April 1937 In 1897−1898, Climo served with the battalion at the siege of Malakand and the relief of Chakdara and the subsequent operations during the Mohmand campaign on the North-West Frontier. For these operations, he was

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 ...

, awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in May 1898, which was awarded personally by Queen Victoria on 17 November 1898, and in February 1899 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 ...

and

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

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 ...

. In 1900, Climo accompanied his battalion to China to help put down 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 ...

, and fought at the relief of Peking and the battles of Peitsang and Yangtsun, being again mentioned in despatches in January 1901. He was

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

of his battalion during the British expedition to Tibet in 1903−1904 and in February 1905 was promoted to the substantive rank of major. In 1908, he served in the Mohmand expedition on the North-West Frontier and in the engagement at Kargha in May, and was mentioned in despatches for a third time in June 1908. On 22 June 1911, he was one of the Indian Army officers selected to represent the force at the

coronation of King George V The coronation of George V and his wife Mary as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and as Emperor and Empress of India, took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Thursday 22 June 1911. This was the second of fou ...

. In February 1912, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel and took command of the 24th Punjabis. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the battalion was posted to Egypt with

Indian Expeditionary Force F The British Indian Army, Indian Army during World War I was involved World War I. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war. ...

to help defend the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

, and in 1915 was sent to Mesopotamia, where it fought at the

Battle of Shaiba The Battle of Shaiba (12–14 April 1915) was a battle of World War I fought between British and Ottoman forces, the latter trying to retake the city of Basra from the British. Background By capturing Basra, the British had taken an important ...

on 12–14 April. At the end of May, Climo was given temporary command of the 17th Indian Brigade and led the main assault in the so-called "

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

", in which a fleet of small boats was used to advance up the Tigris and capture Amarah. He then commanded his battalion at the

battle of Nasiriyah The Battle of Nasiriyah was fought between the US 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, aided by the British military, and Iraqi forces from 23 March to 2 April 2003 during the US-led invasion of Iraq. On the night of 24–25 March, the bulk of ...

in June−July 1915, and commanded the

30th Indian Brigade The 30th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It initially saw active service in Egypt in 1915, before transferring to Mesopotamia. It took ...

at the

Battle of Kut al Amara 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 ...

in September 1915 and the Battle of Ctesiphon in November 1915, where he was severely wounded on 22 November while commanding the brigade in the successful assault on the "Vital Point" redoubt, being hit twice in the leg and then again as he was being evacuated on a stretcher. He was promoted to brevet colonel in October 1915, again mentioned in despatches in January 1916 appointed

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 ...

(CB) in June 1916, He was also awarded the Order of the Nile 3rd class by the

Sultan of Egypt Sultan of Egypt was the status held by the rulers of Egypt after the establishment of the Ayyubid dynasty of Saladin in 1174 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Though the extent of the Egyptian Sultanate ebbed and flowed, it generally i ...

in November 1916. After recovering from his wounds, Climo served as a temporary

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 ...

and brigade commander from January to April 1916, commanded the

Nowshera Brigade The Nowshera Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939, for service on the North West Frontier. It was normal practice for newly formed battalions to be posted to the North ...

in India, again as temporary brigadier-general, from May 1917 and was promoted major-general in June 1918. In 1919, he commanded the

3rd Indian Brigade The 1st (Peshawar) Division was a Regular Division of the British Indian Army formed as a result of the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903. During World War I, the Division remained in India for local defense, but was mobilized fo ...

during the Third Anglo-Afghan War. In May 1919, he was given command of the Waziristan Force, which successfully subdued the Tochi Wazirs. For this, he was once again mentioned in despatches in December 1920 and appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 1 August 1920. General

Sir Charles Monro General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet, (15 June 1860 – 7 December 1929) was a British Army General in the First World War. He held the post of Commander-in-Chief, India in 1916–1920. From 1923 to 1929 he was the Governor of Gibr ...

, the

Commander-in-Chief, India During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...

, wrote of him: He then held the temporary 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 ...

while retaining command of the Waziristan Force until May 1920 and was appointed general officer commanding (GOC)

Poona Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

District in June 1920. He was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general in June 1921, but was placed on the unemployed list in December 1922, returning to Britain and settling in

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

. He retired in 1923 and was granted an Indian Good Service Pension. He served as colonel of the 4/14th Punjab Regiment during his retirement. He married Ethel Bessie Mann (1893−1974), 25 years his junior, on 15 April 1925; they had no children.Biography, ''

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...

'' The couple also owned the Villa La Madeleine in Cannes, where they spent the winter and were members of the exclusive Cercle Nautique club. Climo was also president of the Cannes branch of the Royal British Legion in 1931. During his army days, Climo had been one of the best

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

players in the Indian Army. He was also a keen golfer and fisherman and a close friend of General Sir Andrew Skeen since his early days in India. He died at his home at 7 Godwyn Gardens, Folkestone, on 31 March 1937 after a short illness and was buried in the garrison churchyard of nearby Shorncliffe Garrison after a military funeral."Deaths", ''The Times'', 3 April 1937

Footnotes

External links

Photographic portrait of Climo in the National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Climo, Skipton 1868 births 1937 deaths British Indian Army generals Military personnel from County Longford People from County Longford People educated at Shrewsbury School Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Border Regiment officers Indian Army generals of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion British polo players British military personnel of the First Mohmand Campaign British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Afghan War British military personnel of the Waziristan Campaign British people in colonial India Burials in Kent