George Macaulay Kirkpatrick
| George Macaulay Kirkpatrick | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 August 1866 Kingston, Ontario |
| Died | 1950 (aged 83 or 84) |
| Allegiance |
 |
| Service/ |
 |
| Years of service | 1885–1930 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held |
British Forces in China Western Command, India |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India CB |
General Sir George Macaulay Kirkpatrick, KCMG, KCSI, CB was a Canadian born and educated soldier who served with the British Army in South Africa, Canada, India, Australia, and China. He became one of only a handful of Canadians to reach the rank of full General.
Education
Kirkpatrick was born on 23 August 1866 to the politician Sir George Airey Kirkpatrick (1841–1899) and Frances June Macaulay of Kingston, Ontario. He enrolled at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario from 1882 to 1885, student # 138. As a surveyor in 1892, he authored topographic maps of the 'Town and environs of the Fez Region of Morocco.[1]
Military service
Kirkpatrick was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Engineers as a lieutenant on 30 June 1885.[2] He was appointed Aide-de-camp to the General Officer Commanding, Thames District in 1892, and promoted to captain on 12 December 1894.[3] He was deployed as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (Intelligence) during the Second Boer War,[2] and received the brevet rank of major on 29 November 1900. Following the end of the war in June 1902, he left Cape Town on the SS Canada and returned to Southampton in late July.[4] He served in Halifax, Nova Scotia as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General for Intelligence from 1902, and received the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel on 22 August 1902. Two years later he became Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at Headquarters of the Army in 1904.[2] He went on to be Assistant Quartermaster General at Headquarters, India in 1906 and Inspector General of the Military Forces of Australia in 1910.[2] He served in World War I as Director of Military Operations in India from 1914 to 1916 when he became Chief of the General Staff in India.[2]
He subsequently served as Commander of British Forces in China from 1921 to 1922 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, India from 1923 to 1927.[2] He retired in retired 1930.[2]
Awards and recognition
He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI).
Family
Source: Library and Archives Canada
Kirkpatrick and his wife Mary Lydia (d. 1945) had two daughters, Georgine Helen (born 1898) and Kathleen Mary (born 1899) in Malta.
References
- ↑ George Macaulay Kirkpatrick, Sir; Town and environs of Fez Region of Morocco Ordnance Survey. Southampton, [England] : photozincographed at Ordnance Survey Office, 1892.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ↑ Hart's Army list, 1903
- ↑ "The Army in South Africa – Troops returning home". The Times (36821). London. 16 July 1902. p. 11.
Sources
- 4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976.
- H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada" 1997 Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1969.
- H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC – A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982
- H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876–1918. Volume II: 1919–1984. Royal Military College. [Kingston]. The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984
External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Percy Lake |
Chief of the General Staff 1916–1920 |
Succeeded by Sir Claud Jacob |
| Preceded by Francis Ventris |
Commander of British Forces in China 1921–1922 |
Succeeded by Sir John Fowler |
| Preceded by Sir Walter Braithwaite |
GOC-in-C, Western Command, India 1923–1927 |
Succeeded by Sir Charles Harington |