Birdwood, Sir William Riddell, 1st Baron (1865-1951).

British field marshal. Principal wars: Black Mountain expedition (1891); Tirah expedition (on the Northwest frontier) (1897); Second (Great) Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902); World War I (1914-1918). Principal battles: Gallipoli (Gelibolu) (1915-1916); Allied offensive (1918).

Born in Kirkee, India (September 13, 1865), the son of Edith Marion Sidonie and Herbert Mills Birdwood, a civil servant; educated at Clifton College, he was commissioned in the 4th (Territorial) battalion of Royal Scots Fusiliers (1883); graduated from Sandhurst and commissioned in 12th Lancers (1885); transferred to the 11th Bengal Lancers (1887), and served in the fourth Black Mountain (Pakistan) (1891) and Tirah (1897) expeditions; as major, fought in the Second Anglo-Boer War, notably on the staff of 2d Mounted Brigade; while in South Africa he first met Lord Kitchener and served as his adjutant-general (1900-1902); remained with Kitchener in India as assistant military secretary (1902-1905), and military secretary (1905-1909) following his promotion to colonel (1905); chief staff officer to Gen. Sir James Willocks in the Mohmand (Hindu Kush) Field Force (1908); promoted brigadier (1909) and then major general (1911); given command of Australian and New Zealand forces then en route to Egypt (December 1914); led these troops as the ANZAC (Australian-New Zealand Army Corps) in the landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula (April 25, 1915); directed, without notable success, repeated and costly assaults on the Turkish positions, and failed to foresee the devastating effects of illness among his forces; given executive command of the evacuation of the Anglo-French land forces, and performed this duty efficiently and well (December 1915-January 9, 1916); moved to France in command of the ANZAC Corps (March 1916), and replaced Gen. Sir Hubert Gough as commander of Fifth Army (May 1918); general officer commanding the Northern Army in India (1920-1925), and commander in chief, India (1925-1930); master of Peterhouse, Cambridge University (1931-1938), and captain of Deal Castle (1935); created Baron Birdwood of Anzac and Totnes (1938); wrote several books in his retirement, and died outside London on May 17, 1951.

A brave and capable soldier; his character was marred by overeagerness for recognition; although his leadership of ANZAC forces in Gallipoli was often uninspired, he handled the evacuation superbly. <BL>

Sources:
Birdwood, Sir William R., Khaki and Gown. London, 1941.
Birdwood, Sir William R., In My Time. London, 1946.
James, Robert Rhodes, Gallipoli. London, 1965.
Morehead, Alan, Gallipoli. New York, 1958.

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