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 Joseph John Asser, (31 August 1867 – 4 February 1949) 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.

Early career

Asser was born on 31 August 1867, the son of S. B. V. Asser of Windlesham, Surrey. He entered the

Dorsetshire Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 19 ...

in 1887 and was appointed aide-de-camp to the General Officer Commanding, Egypt in 1892. He served in the Nile expedition of 1897 and was awarded the medal and clasp; in 1898 he was promoted to captain. For his service in the Nile expedition of 1898 he was granted the brevet rank of major and awarded the medal with two clasps, and for the Nile expedition of 1899 a further clasp. He was promoted to the substantive rank of major in 1907 and to lieutenant colonel the same year. From 1907 to 1914 he was adjutant-general of the Egyptian Army; during this period he commanded the Southern Kordofan expedition in 1910, for which he was awarded the medal and clasp. He was also an Egyptian

pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...

and a member for some years of the Sudan Government Council.

First World War

The Official Visits To the Western Front, 1914-1918 Q19914

Asser retired from the Army in July 1914 but returned to service on the outbreak of war that year. He served as a base commandant, as General Officer Commanding (GOC) Lines of Communication area, and as GOC of the British Troops in France and Flanders in 1919. For his First World War service 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 ...

, restored to the active list as a major general in 1916 and further promoted to lieutenant general, awarded the

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 1915, the

Knight Commander 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, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

in 191), the Russian Order of St Anne with crossed swords and the Belgian Order of the Crown.'' Who Was Who'', volume IV, 3rd edition (A. & C. Black 1964) p. 38.

Post-war

Asser was

Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda The Governor of Bermuda (fully the ''Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Somers Isles (alias the Islands of Bermuda)'') is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. For the purposes of this a ...

from 1922 to 1927 and was promoted to full general in 1926. He was an

aide-de-camp general Aide-de-camp general is a senior honorary appointment for generals in the British Army. The recipient is appointed as an aide-de-camp general to the head of state, currently King Charles III. They are entitled to the post-nominals "ADC (Gen.)". The ...

to the King from 1929 to 1930, the year in which he was placed on retired pay. He received the

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

in 1917, the

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 of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in 1924, the second class of the

Order of Osmanieh The Order of Osmanieh or Order of Osmaniye ( ota, نشانِ عثمانیہ) was a civil and military decoration of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nişan-i If ...

, the second class of the

Order of the Mejidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in f ...

, the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

, the

Order of Aviz The Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz ( pt, Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis, ), previously to 1910 ''Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz'' ( pt, Real Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis), previously to 1789 ''Knights'' (of ...

, the French

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 ...

, the Belgian

and was a Grand Officier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

. Asser lived at The Old Vicarage, Hambledon, Hampshire. He was a member of the

Army and Navy Club The Army and Navy Club in London is a private members club founded in 1837, also known informally as The Rag.Phi Beta Kappa Society The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ar ...

at the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...

, Virginia. In ''Who's Who'' he listed his recreations as shooting, fishing and golf. He was married in 1901 to Leila, daughter of James Wotherspoon of New York; they had one daughter. He died on 4 February 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asser, John 1867 births 1949 deaths British Army generals Governors of Bermuda Egyptian pashas British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army generals of World War I Dorset Regiment officers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Order of St. Anna Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 2nd class Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)