General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir Sydney Frederick Muspratt (11 September 1878 – 28 November 1972) was a senior

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

officer who went on to be

Military Secretary to the India Office The Military Secretary to the India Office was responsible for the recruitment of British and other European nationals to the officer ranks of the Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian A ...

. He was born 11 September 1878 the son of Henry Muspratt, Indian Civil Service.

Military career

Muspratt was commissioned into the

Indian Staff Corps The Indian Staff Corps was a branch of the British Indian Army, Indian Army during the British Raj. Separate Staff Corps were formed in 1861 for the Bengal Army, Bengal, Madras Army, Madras and Bombay Army, Bombay Armies, which were later combined ...

in 1898. He served extensively on the North West Frontier of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He was appointed to the

12th Cavalry The 5th Horse is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of the 11th ...

1 April 1900.Supplement to the Indian Army List January 1939 He was first appointed to the staff as Staff Captain, Intelligence and General Staff Officer 3rd Class from 18 June 1906 to 17 June 1910, during which time he served on the Mohmand and Zakka Khel expeditions of 1908. He is reappointed to the staff serving

World War I 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 ...

from 5 September 1914 and spent the war in France & Belgium as a staff officer, ending up a General Staff Officer 1st Class from 18 January 1918 to 31 October 1920. He did a brief stint as Deputy Director (Intelligence) in India from 1 November 1920 to 15 December 1920 before returning to regimental soldiering with the

until be appointed to the staff at the War Office from 3 February 1922 to 6 October 1925. Returning to India he was appointed a Brigade commander,

4th Indian Infantry Brigade The 4th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939, as the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade and renumbered 4th in June 1940, The brigade was assigned to HQ Rawalpin ...

from 17 November 1925 to 31 October 1927. Then he was made Director of Military Operations in India 1 November 1927 to 25 October 1929. Subsequently he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Director of Staff Duties at Army Headquarters, India 13 December 1929 to 6 September 1931. He was

from 1931 to 1933. Then as General Officer Commanding

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

District from 26 November 1933 to 1 November 1936, he commanded the latter part of the

Second Mohmand Campaign The Second Mohmand campaign of 1935 was a British military campaign against the Mohmand tribes in the Northwest Frontier area of British India, now Pakistan. Tanks were used, the first operational use of tanks in India. The First Mohmand campaign i ...

.Indian military appointments
The Glasgow Herald, 8 May 1937 He was Military Secretary to the India Office again from 1937 to 1941.

Personal life

In 1925, he married Rosamonde Barry, youngest daughter of Sir Edward Barry, 2nd Baronet, and they went on to have two sons, John Scott and David Barry.Kelly's handbook 1944 He died at 43 Broad Street, Alresford, Hampshire, aged 94.

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Muspratt, Sydney 1878 births 1972 deaths Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian Army generals of World War II British Indian Army generals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of the Star of India Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Indian Staff Corps officers People from Battersea Military personnel from Surrey British people in colonial India