General Sir William Charles Giffard Heneker, (22 August 1867 – 24 May 1939) was a Canadian soldier who served with the British Army in West Africa, India, and then later on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

during the First World War. A notable military strategist and tactician, he became one of the most experienced and highly decorated Canadians in the British Empire, and one of only a handful of Canadians to reach the rank of full general.

Education

William Heneker was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec on 22 August 1867, the son of Richard William Heneker (1823–1912) and Elizabeth, daughter of Captain Edward Tuson R.N. He received his early education at Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Quebec, and then later entered military life when he enrolled at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario on 1 September 1884. Assigned student #168, he graduated from RMC on 28 June 1888 with the rank of sergeant and first class grades.

Military service

During the first several decades of RMC's existence it was common practice for the War Office in London to offer commissions in the British Army to the best Canadian graduates. Heneker accepted an Imperial commission with the 1st Battalion, Connaught Rangers 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 ...

on 5 September 1888.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> At the time the unit was serving in India and Heneker joined the regiment there. He was promoted to lieutenant 12 February 1890, and later received his promotion to

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 ...

on 10 March 1897. Soon after he was seconded to the Niger Coast Protectorate, and began the period of his career that would define his legacy. Between 1897 and 1906, Heneker served in the West African theatre, and participated in a variety of campaigns ranging from peacetime military engagement, to counterinsurgency, to major combat operations. He served in the 1899 Benin Territories Expedition as Intelligence and Survey Officer, and 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 ...

for his services. Heneker commanded the Ulia and Ishan Expeditions (March–May 1901, mentioned in despatches), the Ibeku-Olokoro operations, Afikpo operations, and also commanded No.4 Column in the Anglo-Aro War (November 1901 to March 1902; mentioned in despatches). He became

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 ...

on 31 July 1901, for services during operations in Esan and Ulia country, and was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for services during the Anglo-Aro war. The following year he served as second-in-command of the

Southern Nigeria Regiment The Southern Nigeria Regiment was a British colonial regiment which operated in Nigeria in the early part of the 20th century. The Regiment was formed out of the Niger Coast Protectorate Force and part of the Royal Niger Constabulary. The Lago ...

, in

Southern Nigeria Southern Nigeria may refer to: *The southern part of Nigeria, which tends to be more Christian and animist than the Muslim north; also where most of the country's oil is located *Southern Nigeria Protectorate Southern Nigeria was a British Empi ...

, and also served with the Royal West African Frontier Force. Heneker also waged a notable campaign against Chief Adukukaiku of Iggara, for which he again received a Mention in Despatches. Heneker was promoted to brevet

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 colone ...

21 August 1903, but received his substantive British Army rank of

on 16 February 1907. He was later awarded the Brevet of full colonel on 24 October 1907. Heneker was eventually posted to Southern Africa where he was Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quarter-master-General, Orange River Colony District from 21 April 1906 to 20 April 1910. He then served briefly in India and the North-West Frontier. As lieutenant colonel, he commanded the 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment at Peshawar, India 10 April 1912. He served as temporary brigade commander, 1st Peshawar Infantry Brigade in 1912, and then later briefly as temporary brigade commander, Rawalpindi Infantry Brigade from 1913 to 1914. He was finally appointed commander, 1st Infantry Brigade, Quetta, in October 1914. During this time Heneker continued to serve as one of the King's Aide-de-Camps, an appointment he received in October 1907 and held until June 1917. William Heneker was a resourceful and skilled soldier as well as an exceptional tactician. For his military services in West Africa he was invested by King Edward VII on 18 December 1903 with the Distinguished Service Order.

Military thought

In 1907 Heneker published a book examining tactical innovation in small wars titled ''Bush Warfare''. The first serious analysis of the characteristics of small wars since the 1896 publication of British Army Lieutenant Colonel Calwell's ''Small Wars'', Heneker's own study became required reading and a resource for all commanders until new doctrinal publications appeared in the 1930s.William Heneker
Anglo-Boer War In 2007, Canadian military historian Andrew Godefroy edited a new edition of ''Bush Warfare'' in honour of the centenary of its original publication.

First World War

Temporary Brigadier General William Heneker was assigned to active duty in Europe at the outbreak of the First World War. He commanded the 54th Infantry Brigade, British Expeditionary Force from 13 March to 14 December 1915. During this period, he was severely wounded, but managed to recover well enough from his injuries to return to front line service. Heneker received his substantial promotion to colonel on 10 April 1916, though he retained his temporary appointment as brigadier. Anxious to return to command, he was appointed to lead the 190th Infantry Brigade, Royal Naval Division, in France from 29 October to 8 December 1916. Heneker's next appointment was to the command of the 8th Infantry Division, which he led from 9 December 1916 until the end of the war. He was promoted to substantive major general on 3 June 1917, commensurate with his new responsibilities. Despite a tenacious defence during the 1918 German spring offensive, Major General Heneker's division was overrun at the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. Fortunately Sir

Thomas William Glasgow Major General Sir Thomas William Glasgow (6 June 1876 – 4 July 1955) was a senior Australian Army officer and politician. Glasgow rose to prominence during the First World War as a brigade and later divisional commander on the Western Front ...

13th Brigade (Australia) The 13th Brigade is an Army Reserve formation of the Australian Army. Originally formed in 1912 as a Militia formation in Victoria, the brigade was re-raised as a First Australian Imperial Force unit during World War I and fought on the Western ...

, and Harold Elliott's

15th Brigade (Australia) The 15th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army. Originally raised in 1912 as a Militia formation, the brigade was later re-raised in 1916 as part of the First Australian Imperial Force during World War I. The brigade took part in ...

, managed to recapture the location on 25 April 1918, and this feat of arms was later described by Lieutenant General Sir John Monash, commander of the Australian Corps, as the turning-point of the war. For his war service, Heneker was made a Commandeur of the Legion of Honour in 1918, and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1919.

Post-war

Following the armistice on 11 November 1918, Heneker remained in service with the British Army during the

occupation of the Rhineland The Occupation of the Rhineland from 1 December 1918 until 30 June 1930 was a consequence of the collapse of the Imperial German Army in 1918, after which Germany's provisional government was obliged to agree to the terms of the 1918 armist ...

. His division held a portion of the bridgehead east of Cologne, Germany from March to October 1919, after which he took command of a new formation, the Independent Division, Rhine Army, which he commanded from October 1919 to February 1920. Heneker commanded the Rhine Garrison at Cologne beginning in March 1920. In 1921, Heneker served as commander of the Inter-Allied Commission of Management in Upper Silesia, stabilizing the borders between Germany and Poland. He was then made General Officer Commanding 3rd Division at

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

until 1926. In 1928 he returned to India, where he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Southern Command in India. He vacated his appointment as GOC-in-C on 22 March 1932, and was placed on half-pay from the following day before retiring from the Army on 16 April 1932.

Family

He married Clara Marion, daughter of E Jones, of Velindre, Wales, in 1901. The couple had two sons: David William, born 31 March 1906, and Patrick Allason Holden, born 1 September 1908. David Heneker was a composer and lyricist of

Charlie Girl ''Charlie Girl'' is a musical comedy which premiered in the West End of London at the Adelphi Theatre on December 15, 1965 and became one of the most successful theatre shows of the day running for 2,202 performances. It closed on 27 March 1971. ...

. He was nominated for three Tony Awards: in 1961, as one of the authors of the English book and lyrics for Best Musical nominee "

Irma la Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Alexa ...

," and in 1965, as Best Composer and Lyricist and for music and lyrics of Best Musical nominee " Half a Sixpence."Obituary: David Heneker
The Independent, 8 March 2001 Patrick Allason Holden was a

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 ...

in the 3rd Cavalry of the Indian Army; he died 29 August 1942 as a Prisoner of War on Singapore.

Footnotes

References

* Andrew Godefroy (editor). ''Bush Warfare: The Early Writings of General Sir William C.G. Heneker KCB KCMG DSO.'' (Kingston, Ontario: Army Publishing Office for the Canadian Army Directorate of Land Concepts and Designs, 2008).