Kenneth Wigram
General Sir Kenneth Wigram, GCB, CSI, CBE, DSO (5 December 1875 – 11 July 1949) was a British Indian Army officer. From 1931 to 1934 he was Chief of the General Staff of the Indian Army. From 1934 to 1936 he was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command in India.
Sir Kenneth Wigram | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 December 1875 |
| Died | 11 July 1949 (aged 73) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1896–1936 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Northern Command, India (1934–36) Chief of the General Staff, India (1931–34) Waziristan District (c. 1926–30) Delhi Brigade Area (1922–24) 2nd Battalion, 2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) (circa 1921) |
| Battles/wars | North-West Frontier First World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of the Star of India Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Knight of the Legion of Honour (France) Commander of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Croix de guerre (Belgium) Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Siam |
Military career
Wigram was the son of Herbert Wigram, Indian Civil Service, and younger brother of Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram. He was educated at Winchester College and was commissioned from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst as a Second Lieutenant, with a view to his appointment to the Indian Staff Corps on 22 January, 1896, and was eventually posted to the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles).[1]
He saw active service on North West Frontier of India from 1897 to 1898 and again from 1901 to 1902 before serving in Tibet from 1903 to 1904.[2]
At the outbreak of the First World War, Wigram was a major serving as a staff officer at the Indian Army headquarters. He remained in staff posts during the war, until February 1917 when he was promoted to temporary brigadier general and appointed Head of Operations (B) Section at the General Headquarters of the British Army in France. The following year, at the start of October, he was granted an RAF commission as a temporary brigadier general and he served on the Air Staff until April 1919 when he returned to the Army.[3]
He was appointed Director of Staff Duties at Army Headquarters in India in 1919, Commander of the Delhi Brigade Area in 1922 and Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General at Northern Command in India in 1924.[2] He went on to be Commander of the Waziristan District in 1926, Chief of the General Staff in India in 1931 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, India in 1934 before retiring in 1936.[4]
He was appointed Colonel of the Colonel of the 2nd K.E. VII's Gurkha Rifles in 1930. He relinquished his appointment as Colonel of the 2nd K.E. VII's Gurkha Rifles, 5th Dec. 1945.[5]
References
- Winchester College 1867-1920. A Register.
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – General Sir Kenneth Wigram
- "No. 34166". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1935. p. 3594.
- THE LONDON GAZETTE, 11 JANUARY, 1946
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Cyril Deverell |
Chief of the General Staff, India 1931–1934 |
Succeeded by Sir William Bartholomew |
| Preceded by Sir Robert Cassels |
GOC-in-C, Northern Command, India 1934–1936 |
Succeeded by Sir John Coleridge |