Colonel Stuart William Hughes Rawlins, (11 May 1880 – 16 December 1927) was a British Army officer who led interwar experiments in chemical warfare at Porton Down.

Early life and family

Rawlins was born on 11 May 1880, the son of William Donaldson Rawlins QC and Elizabeth Margaret King. He was educated at Eton College and the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...

. He was the cousin of Major General

Stuart Blundell Rawlins Major General Stuart Blundell Rawlins, (18 August 1897 – 2 April 1955) was a senior British Army officer during the Second World War. Early life Rawlins was the son of James Ernest Rawlins of Siston Court in South Gloucestershire. Military ca ...

, and the father of Vice Admiral Sir John Rawlins.

Military career

Rawlins was commissioned into the Royal Marine Artillery on 1 January 1898 and transferred to the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

on 3 May 1900. He served in the Second Boer War, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 3 April 1901. Following the end of the war in South Africa, he was in October 1902 posted with the 14th Battery at Cawnpore in British India. He was later attached to the 5th (Uganda) Battalion of the King's African Rifles where he saw action against the Yobos tribe. Rawlins was promoted to captain on 1 April 1910 and passed the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

. He was promoted to major on 10 October 1914, two months after the British entry into World War I, and brevet lieutenant colonel on 1 January 1916, serving as the brigade major of the artillery of the 7th Division between 1914 and 1915. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1915. He was awarded the

Croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

in 1916. He became a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in 1918. 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 ...

ten times over the course of the First World War. He was promoted to colonel in 1919 and was the Commandant of the Chemical Warfare Experimental Station at Porton Down from the same year until 1925. He was made a

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 ...

in June 1924 in recognition for his work at Porton Down. At the time of his death he was the Commander of the 2nd Division in Aldershot.Col. S.W.H. Rawlins obituary, ''Nature'' (No.3044, Volume 121, March 1928), 330.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlins, Stuart 1880 births 1927 deaths People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Royal Artillery officers Royal Marines officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Distinguished Service Order 19th-century Royal Marines personnel Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley