Gerald Kitson
Encyclopedia
Major-General Sir Gerald Charles Kitson KCVO
CB
CMG
(1856 – 1950) was a British Army
officer who became Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst.
and Royal Military College Sandhurst
, Gerald Kitson was commissioned into the 1st Regiment of Foot in 1875 and transferred to the King's Royal Rifle Corps
in 1876. After serving as aide-de-camp
to the Viceroy of India
from 1879 and then as aide-de-camp to the General Officer Commanding
Western District from 1884, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General in Meerut in 1890, Assistant Adjutant-General in Ambala
in 1892 and Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada
in Kingston
in 1896. In Canada he introduced major reforms clearing out the staff and reducing the College programme from four years to three years.
He went on to be military attaché
in Washington D. C. in 1900 and Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst in 1902. He was given command of the Jubbulpore Brigade in India
in 1907 and of the Jullundur Brigade in 1908 before becoming Quartermaster-General in India in 1909. He commanded the 2nd Division
in India
from 1912 through World War I
until 1916 and retired in 1918.
He lived at Wendlebury House near Bicester
in Oxfordshire
. In 1939 he gave his support to a campaign to stop the abolition of the kilt
in the British Army.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1856 – 1950) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who became Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst.
Military career
Born the youngest son of the late Rev. James Buller Kitson and educated at Winchester CollegeWinchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Royal Military College Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, Gerald Kitson was commissioned into the 1st Regiment of Foot in 1875 and transferred to the King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
in 1876. After serving as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Viceroy of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
from 1879 and then as aide-de-camp to the General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
Western District from 1884, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General in Meerut in 1890, Assistant Adjutant-General in Ambala
Ambala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...
in 1892 and Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
in 1896. In Canada he introduced major reforms clearing out the staff and reducing the College programme from four years to three years.
He went on to be military attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in Washington D. C. in 1900 and Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst in 1902. He was given command of the Jubbulpore Brigade in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1907 and of the Jullundur Brigade in 1908 before becoming Quartermaster-General in India in 1909. He commanded the 2nd Division
2nd Indian Cavalry Division
The 2nd Indian Cavalry Division was a regular division of the British Indian Army during World War I.-History:The division sailed for France from Bombay on October 16, 1914, under the command of Major General G A Cookson. During the war the division would serve in the trenches as infantry...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
from 1912 through World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
until 1916 and retired in 1918.
He lived at Wendlebury House near Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. In 1939 he gave his support to a campaign to stop the abolition of the kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
in the British Army.