Brigadier-General Edward Murray Colston, 2nd Baron Roundway (31 December 1880 – 29 March 1944) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Early life

Edward Colston was born on 31 December 1880 at Roundway Park, near

Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...

in Wiltshire, the only son and heir of Charles Colston, later Member of Parliament for Thornbury, who was created Baron Roundway of Devizes in 1916. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, 1894–99.

Military career

Boer War

Colston was an officer in the 4th (

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

) battalion of the

Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment) The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was created on 21 April 1758 from the 2nd Battali ...

. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

on 21 February 1900, and served with the 2nd Battalion in South Africa 1901–02 during the

, where he was wounded. Following the end of the war, he returned home with other men of his battalion on the SS ''Galeka'' in October 1902. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1908.

World War I

During World War I Colston was in the

Retreat from Mons The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western F ...

, the Battle of the Marne and the fighting on the

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374. Geography The department borders No ...

before he was wounded and invalided back to the UK. He was later awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

for his service in this period. Colston was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1915, appointed a General staff Officer (Grade 2), and sent to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

to establish a school of technical instruction (the Imperial School of Instruction) for troops stationed there, serving as its Commandant 1915–17. (He was referred to as 'The Hon. Edward Colston' after his father's elevation to the peerage in 1916.) Colston was promoted to Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in 1917 and appointed to command 233rd Brigade in the rank of Temporary Brigadier-General. 233 Brigade was part of 75th Division, a new formation being created by the

Egyptian Expeditionary Force The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a military formation of the British Empire, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–1915), at the ...

from British battalions of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

arriving as reinforcements from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, together

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

battalions.Becke pp. 123–30. The new brigade took over the Rafa defences in Sinai in June 1917, and only joined 75th Division in August that year. It took part in the EEF's invasion of Palestine beginning with the

Third Battle of Gaza The Third Battle of Gaza was fought on the night of 1–2 November 1917 between British and Ottoman forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I and came after the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) victory at the Ba ...

on 27 October 1917, culminating in the Capture of Gaza (6–7 November) and Junction Station (13–14 November), and the

Battle of Nebi Samwil The Battle of Nebi Samwil (17–24 November 1917) was fought during the decisive British Empire victory at the Battle of Jerusalem between the forces of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Ottoman Empire's Yildirim Army Group during the Sinai ...

(20–24 November). When the divisional commander fell sick that December, Colston acted for him. In the Spring of 1918, 233 Bde was involved in the actions at Tell 'Asur (11–12 March) and

Berukin Bruqin () is a Palestinian town 13 kilometers west of Salfit in the Salfit Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the northern West Bank, adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Brukhin, which was built over lands confiscated from the Palestini ...

(9–11 April). During General Allenby's final offensive (the Battles of Megiddo), 233 Bde took part in the

Battle of Sharon The Battle of Sharon fought between 19 and 25 September 1918, began the set piece Battle of Megiddo (1918), Battle of Megiddo half a day before the Battle of Nablus (1918), Battle of Nablus, in which large formations engaged and responded to mov ...

(19 September). At the end of the fighting on 19 September 75 Division went into reserve until the Armistice with the Turks was signed on 31 October. Demobilisation began early in 1919, but the 75th Division was selected for the Army of Occupation of Palestine. The reduced division formed one composite brigade under Colston's command. In March 1919 it returned to garrison duty in Egypt. Colston relinquished command of 233 Brigade on 16 October 1919.

Between the wars

Colston became a substantive Lieutenant-Colonel in 1920 and commanded 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, 1920–24. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1924 and commanded 131st (Surrey) Brigade of the Territorial Army 1927–31. Colston became Lord Roundway in 1925 on the death of his father. He retired from the Army with the honorary rank of Brigadier-General in 1932, and was appointed Exon of the

Yeomen of the Guard The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a Sovereign's Bodyguard, bodyguard of the British monarch. The List of oldest military units and formations in continuous operation, oldest British military corps still in existence, it was ...

, receiving his stick of office from

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

.Court Circular, ''Times'' 21 July 1932.

Home Guard

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Lord Roundway served as Zone Commander of the Wiltshire

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

Awards

Colston had been appointed a Member of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in 1908 and received his DSO in 1916. For his services in World War I he was made 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, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

in 1918 and awarded the

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sulta ...

(3rd Class) and the

Order of the White Eagle (Serbia) The Order of the White Eagle () was a state order in the Kingdom of Serbia (1883–1918) and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1945). It continues as a dynastic order, with appointments currently made by Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia. ...

(4th Class).

Family

On 28 April 1904 Colston married Blanche Gladys Duddell, only daughter of George Duddell of

Queen's Park, Brighton Queen's Park is a public park and area of Brighton, England. In 1825, Thomas Attree, a property owner and developer in Brighton, acquired land north of Eastern Road—already known as Brighton Park—to build a residential park surrounded by det ...

. Their only daughter was killed in a fall from the window of their London home in 1924, aged 14. After an illness of several months, Lord Roundway died on 29 March 1944 when in the absence of male heirs the Barony became extinct. Lady Roundway continued to live at Roundway Park until 1949 when the estate was sold.

Notes

References

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* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: the 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Roundway, Edward Murray Colston, 2nd Baron 1880 births 1944 deaths People educated at Eton College Military personnel from Wiltshire Grenadier Guards officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army brigadiers British Army generals of World War I Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Royal Victorian Order Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom