Henry Fuller Maitland Wilson
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Fuller Maitland Wilson, KCB
, KCMG
, (1859–1941) was a British soldier who served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
, the Second Boer War
and World War I
. He commanded a division on the Western Front
and an army corps
at Salonika
in World War I
.
, Suffolk. The World War II
commander Field Marshal ‘Jumbo’ Wilson
was his nephew. Wilson was educated at Eton College
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant
into the Rifle Brigade in January 1878.
of his regiment
at Nowshera in India, Wilson served with it during the Second Anglo-Afghan War
1878–79, including the capture of Ali Masjid
and the expedition in the Kunar Valley
. In 1881, by now a lieutenant
(promoted 1879), he served in an expedition against the Mahsud Waziris
. That year he became adjutant
of his battalion, and was promoted to captain
in 1884.
On 29 April 1884 Wilson married Charlotte Elise Gough (died 17 August 1942), the daughter of Maj-Gen Sir Hugh Gough
, VC
, of the Bengal Army
. The World War I commanders Gen Sir Hubert Gough, and Brig-Gen Sir John Gough, VC, were her cousins. In 1887, shortly after he took command of the Lahore Division
, Sir Hugh appointed his son-in-law as his aide-de-camp
.
in the East End of London. He was promoted to major in 1895. Wilson transferred to 1st Bn Rifle Brigade in time to serve in the Second Boer War
. He was in the campaign to relieve Ladysmith
, including the battles of Colenso
, Vaal Krantz and Pieter’s Hill. He was promoted brevet lieutenant-colonel and received two mentions in despatches for his services. Wilson then became second-in-command of 4th Bn Rifle Brigade in Dublin, but was back in South Africa with the battalion for the final operations in the Orange Free State
in early 1902, for which he received a further mention in despatches.
Wilson became a regimental lieutenant-colonel in November 1902 and took command of 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade, in which his nephew Henry Maitland Wilson
was a junior officer. Between 1902 and 1907 the battalion was stationed in Egypt, Aden, and India. Wilson was promoted brevet colonel in 1904 and full colonel in 1907. After completing his five-year period of command, he was appointed assistant adjutant general
of the South Army in India, in the grade of GSO1. He was awarded the companionship of the Order of the Bath
(CB) in 1910. Wilson went on half-pay
in 1911 but the following year came back onto full pay as a temporary brigadier-general with the appointment as General Officer Commanding
(GOC) 12th Infantry Brigade, based at Dover
.
of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), ready to go overseas in the event of hostilities. When World War I
broke out in August 1914, 4th Division proceeded to France as soon as its coastal defence duties could be handed over. The division arrived at the front on 26 August, hungry, wet and weary after a night march, and was rushed into action at the Battle of Le Cateau
. Wilson’s 12th Bde was taken by surprise and suffered heavy casualties, but rallied and held the extreme left of the British line until the BEF was able to retreat. On 9 September the commander of 4th Division was disabled by an accident and Wilson took over as acting GOC, leading it at the crossing of the Aisne
on 13–14 September.
The BEF next moved to the Ypres
sector, 4th Division detraining at St Omer and taking part in the Battle of Armentieres
. Influenced by his sluggish corps commander, Pulteney
, Wilson did not push on, and even withdrew a battalion that was making good progress, but he did eventually secure the crossings of the River Lys and the town of Armentieres. Wilson’s promotion to major-general was notified on 26 October, and he was confirmed in command of 4th Division. During the 1st Battle of Messines on 1 November, 4th Division’s rifle fire held off an attack by the German Guard Cavalry Division ordered personally by the Kaiser, and did not need to retire to positions that had been prepared in the rear. The division continued to hold its line in front of Ploegsteert
(‘Plug Street’) Wood for the duration of the 1st Battle of Ypres
.
When the German gas attack initiated the 2nd Battle of Ypres on 22 April 1915, 4th Division was in GHQ (General Head Quarters) Reserve, and over the following days parts of it were sent up piecemeal to reinforce the Canadian Division, plug gaps in the line, and take part in the counter-attacks around Kitchener’s Wood
. It was not until 4 May that Wilson was able to reassemble his division to relieve the Canadians – parts of it had been assigned to six different divisions. Wilson was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
(KCB) in June that year, and in September was promoted to temporary lieutenant-general as GOC of the newly-organised XII Corps.
and 28th Division
s under command to reinforce Allied forces on the Macedonian front
. Wilson and his corps headquarters (HQ) arrived at the port of Salonika on 12 November, but the commander of the British Salonika Force (BSF) took Wilson’s staff to establish his own HQ, and Wilson was left unemployed for a month. On 14 December 1915 the War Office
sanctioned the establishment of two corps within the BSF and Wilson reformed XII Corps.
After a period holding the defensive position known as ‘the Birdcage’ around Salonika, XII Corps moved up-country in July 1916, taking over former French positions, but only part of Wilson’s command was involved in the fighting during the summer and autumn. Wilson was ordered to prepare an attack on the Bulgarian positions west of Lake Doiran in April 1917. The area to be attacked was ‘a defender’s dream, being a tangled mass of hills cut by numerous ravines’. Wilson planned a three-stage operation to capture the three lines of defences, preceded by a short intense bombardment. The BSF’s commander, Sir George Milne decided that his manpower was too limited, and reduced Wilson’s plan to a smaller assault on the first defence line only, preceded by a three-day bombardment to neutralise enemy batteries and destroy trenches and barbed wire. This of course lost the element of surprise in Wilson’s plan, but the Bulgarians were well aware of what was coming. Only three brigades were engaged, but the casualties were high and little ground was gained. Despite Wilson’s misgivings, Milne ordered a second attack two weeks later. The assault troops managed to cross no man’s land
, but it was difficult to get information back to HQs, and some companies simply disappeared.
This 1st Battle of Doiran
(second battle by Bulgarian reckoning) had been a failure, and with many troops being withdrawn to other theatres, Wilson and XII Corps did not get another opportunity to launch a major attack until 18 September 1918. On that day, with two brigades of 22nd Division and the Greek Seres Division, XII Corps failed to take ‘Pip Ridge’ and the ‘Grande Couronne’. Again Wilson advised Milne against an immediate resumption of the attack. The following day he attacked with a brigade from 27th Division supported by the remnants of 22nd Division, the Seres Division, and the French 2nd Regiment of Zouaves. Once more the attack failed with heavy casualties, and at 11.00 Wilson informed Milne that nothing would be gained by continuing the fight. However, the 2nd Battle of Doiran
had served its purpose by drawing Bulgarian attention away from Gen Franchet d’Esperey’s main Franco-Serbian thrust, which broke through the Bulgarian lines further west. On 21 September the downcast men of the BSF were stunned to be ordered to pursue the retreating Bulgarians, with XII Corps in the lead. Bulgaria signed an armistice
with the Allies on 29 September, but the BSF continued to advance across Bulgaria towards the Turkish frontier, until the Ottoman Turks
also signed the Armistice of Mudros
on 31 October.
and Bosporus
, and his men occupied those two straits while the Allied fleet steamed through on 12 November 1918. Wilson landed from the fleet the following day and was greeted by a guard of honour
of 300 released British prisoners of war
(POWs), clothed in rough civilian dress provided by the neutral Dutch ambassador in place of their prisoners' rags. Wilson spent the next two years dealing with the complexities of the occupation, arranging the handover of Turkish munitions and defences, and the repatriation not only of released Allied POWs but of some 10,000 German troops left behind in Turkey.
Wilson was promoted to substantive lieutenant-general on 1 January 1919, and on 11 February he ceased to command XII Corps, becoming instead Commander, Allied Forces Turkey in Europe, British Salonika Army, and British Army of the Black Sea, which combined posts he held until 18 November 1920. He retired on 13 July the following year. In retirement he was appointed colonel-commandant of 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade 1921–29. He died on 16 November 1941.
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...
, KCMG
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....
, (1859–1941) was a British soldier who served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
, the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and 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...
. He commanded a division on the Western Front
Western Front
Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the east and the Allies to the west...
and an army corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
at Salonika
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
in 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...
.
Family background and early career
Wilson was born on 18 February 1859, the second son of Lieut-Col Fuller Maitland Wilson of Stowlangtoft HallStowlangtoft
Stowlangtoft is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England two miles south-east from Ixworth. Located around five miles north-east of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 270.-St George's:...
, Suffolk. The World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
commander Field Marshal ‘Jumbo’ Wilson
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson
Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, GCB, GBE, DSO , also known as "Jumbo" Wilson, saw active service in the Second Boer War and First World War, and became a senior British general in the Middle East and Mediterranean during the Second World War...
was his nephew. Wilson was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
into the Rifle Brigade in January 1878.
India
Joining the 4th BattalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of his regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
at Nowshera in India, Wilson served with it during the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
1878–79, including the capture of Ali Masjid
Battle of Ali Masjid
The Battle of Ali Masjid, which took place on 21 November 1878, was the opening battle in the Second Anglo-Afghan War between the British forces, under Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel James Browne, and the Afghan tribesmen, under Ghulam Haider Khan...
and the expedition in the Kunar Valley
Kunar Valley
Kunar Valley or Chitral Valley is a valley in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan the length of the valley is almost entirely narrow with steep and rugged mountains on both sides. The center of the valley is occupied by the Kunar River flowing south where it joins the Kabul River...
. In 1881, by now a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(promoted 1879), he served in an expedition against the Mahsud Waziris
Wazir (tribe)
Wazirs or Waziris are a Pashtun tribe settled in the North Waziristan and South Waziristan agencies of Pakistan as well in the urban cities of Tank, F.R Bannu,i.e Domel and adjacent villages, Karachi and Lahore. Across the border, they can also be found in Paktia, Khost and Paktika provinces of...
. That year he became adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of his battalion, and was promoted to captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 1884.
On 29 April 1884 Wilson married Charlotte Elise Gough (died 17 August 1942), the daughter of Maj-Gen Sir Hugh Gough
Hugh Henry Gough
General Sir Hugh Henry Gough VC, GCB was born in Calcutta, India and was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:He was 23 years old, and a lieutenant in the...
, VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, of the Bengal Army
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
. The World War I commanders Gen Sir Hubert Gough, and Brig-Gen Sir John Gough, VC, were her cousins. In 1887, shortly after he took command of the Lahore Division
3rd (Lahore) Division
The 3rd Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops of the Ottoman Empire.-Pre-Mutiny:The Lahore Division first...
, Sir Hugh appointed his son-in-law as his 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...
.
Home service and South Africa
Wilson returned to regimental duty after two years, and in 1892 was appointed adjutant of 5th Bn Rifle Brigade. This was a Militia battalion, previously the Queen’s Own Royal Tower Hamlets Light Infantry (2nd Tower Hamlets Militia) based in Bethnal GreenBethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
in the East End of London. He was promoted to major in 1895. Wilson transferred to 1st Bn Rifle Brigade in time to serve in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. He was in the campaign to relieve Ladysmith
Relief of Ladysmith
When the Second Boer War broke out on 11 October 1899, the Boers had a numeric superiority within Southern Africa. They quickly invaded the British territory and laid siege to Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking...
, including the battles of Colenso
Battle of Colenso
The Battle of Colenso was the third and final battle fought during the Black Week of the Second Boer War. It was fought between British and Boer forces from the independent South African Republic and Orange Free State in and around Colenso, Natal, South Africa on 15 December 1899.Inadequate...
, Vaal Krantz and Pieter’s Hill. He was promoted brevet lieutenant-colonel and received two mentions in despatches for his services. Wilson then became second-in-command of 4th Bn Rifle Brigade in Dublin, but was back in South Africa with the battalion for the final operations in the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
in early 1902, for which he received a further mention in despatches.
Wilson became a regimental lieutenant-colonel in November 1902 and took command of 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade, in which his nephew Henry Maitland Wilson
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson
Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, GCB, GBE, DSO , also known as "Jumbo" Wilson, saw active service in the Second Boer War and First World War, and became a senior British general in the Middle East and Mediterranean during the Second World War...
was a junior officer. Between 1902 and 1907 the battalion was stationed in Egypt, Aden, and India. Wilson was promoted brevet colonel in 1904 and full colonel in 1907. After completing his five-year period of command, he was appointed assistant adjutant general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
of the South Army in India, in the grade of GSO1. He was awarded the companionship of the Order of the Bath
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...
(CB) in 1910. Wilson went on half-pay
Half-pay
In the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, half-pay referred to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service....
in 1911 but the following year came back onto full pay as a temporary brigadier-general with the appointment as 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...
(GOC) 12th Infantry Brigade, based at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
.
France and Flanders
12th Brigade formed part of 4th Division4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), ready to go overseas in the event of hostilities. When 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...
broke out in August 1914, 4th Division proceeded to France as soon as its coastal defence duties could be handed over. The division arrived at the front on 26 August, hungry, wet and weary after a night march, and was rushed into action at the Battle of Le Cateau
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
. Wilson’s 12th Bde was taken by surprise and suffered heavy casualties, but rallied and held the extreme left of the British line until the BEF was able to retreat. On 9 September the commander of 4th Division was disabled by an accident and Wilson took over as acting GOC, leading it at the crossing of the Aisne
First Battle of the Aisne
The First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
on 13–14 September.
The BEF next moved to the Ypres
Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient is the area around Ypres in Belgium which was the scene of some of the biggest battles in World War I.In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. Therefore, the salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops...
sector, 4th Division detraining at St Omer and taking part in the Battle of Armentieres
Battle of Armentières
This battle was part of Race to Sea campaign. During this battle the British successfully held the line in their sector, against repeated German assaults.To the south it merged into the battle of La Bassée, to the north into the battle of Messines....
. Influenced by his sluggish corps commander, Pulteney
William Pulteney Pulteney
Lieutenant-General Sir William Pulteney Pulteney, GCVO, KCB, KCMG, DSO was a British general during the First World War.-Military career:...
, Wilson did not push on, and even withdrew a battalion that was making good progress, but he did eventually secure the crossings of the River Lys and the town of Armentieres. Wilson’s promotion to major-general was notified on 26 October, and he was confirmed in command of 4th Division. During the 1st Battle of Messines on 1 November, 4th Division’s rifle fire held off an attack by the German Guard Cavalry Division ordered personally by the Kaiser, and did not need to retire to positions that had been prepared in the rear. The division continued to hold its line in front of Ploegsteert
Ploegsteert Wood
Ploegsteert Wood was a sector of the Western Front in Flanders in World War I, part of the Ypres Salient. After fighting in late 1914 and early 1915, it became a quiet sector where no major action took place...
(‘Plug Street’) Wood for the duration of the 1st Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
.
When the German gas attack initiated the 2nd Battle of Ypres on 22 April 1915, 4th Division was in GHQ (General Head Quarters) Reserve, and over the following days parts of it were sent up piecemeal to reinforce the Canadian Division, plug gaps in the line, and take part in the counter-attacks around Kitchener’s Wood
Battle of Kitcheners' Wood
The Battle of Kitcheners' Wood was fought during World War I during the Second Battle of Ypres.-Location:The name of this oak plantation derived from the French name, Bois-de-Cuisinères, where French troops housed their field kitchens, and not in reference as is sometimes thought to the British...
. It was not until 4 May that Wilson was able to reassemble his division to relieve the Canadians – parts of it had been assigned to six different divisions. Wilson was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
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...
(KCB) in June that year, and in September was promoted to temporary lieutenant-general as GOC of the newly-organised XII Corps.
Salonika
In November 1915, XII Corps was sent from France with 22nd, 26th26th Division (United Kingdom)
The 26th Division was a unit of the British Army during World War I, the last division to be raised under the K3 elistment scheme. Although the division began to assemble in September 1914, it was not fully deployed on the Western Front until the following year. In November 1915, the division was...
and 28th Division
28th Division (United Kingdom)
- History :Formed in England in December 1914 - January 1915 from regular arm battalions returning from India , Singapore and Egypt . In January 1915 the division moved to France and on to the Western Front....
s under command to reinforce Allied forces on the Macedonian front
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
. Wilson and his corps headquarters (HQ) arrived at the port of Salonika on 12 November, but the commander of the British Salonika Force (BSF) took Wilson’s staff to establish his own HQ, and Wilson was left unemployed for a month. On 14 December 1915 the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
sanctioned the establishment of two corps within the BSF and Wilson reformed XII Corps.
After a period holding the defensive position known as ‘the Birdcage’ around Salonika, XII Corps moved up-country in July 1916, taking over former French positions, but only part of Wilson’s command was involved in the fighting during the summer and autumn. Wilson was ordered to prepare an attack on the Bulgarian positions west of Lake Doiran in April 1917. The area to be attacked was ‘a defender’s dream, being a tangled mass of hills cut by numerous ravines’. Wilson planned a three-stage operation to capture the three lines of defences, preceded by a short intense bombardment. The BSF’s commander, Sir George Milne decided that his manpower was too limited, and reduced Wilson’s plan to a smaller assault on the first defence line only, preceded by a three-day bombardment to neutralise enemy batteries and destroy trenches and barbed wire. This of course lost the element of surprise in Wilson’s plan, but the Bulgarians were well aware of what was coming. Only three brigades were engaged, but the casualties were high and little ground was gained. Despite Wilson’s misgivings, Milne ordered a second attack two weeks later. The assault troops managed to cross no man’s land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
, but it was difficult to get information back to HQs, and some companies simply disappeared.
This 1st Battle of Doiran
Battle of Doiran (1917)
During the Second conference of the Military Counsel of the Entente in Chanties, it was decided to continue with the attempts at a breakthrough. The task for the Entente forces on the Macedonian Front was to inflict major defeats on the Bulgarian army and effect a wide breakthrough in the Balkans...
(second battle by Bulgarian reckoning) had been a failure, and with many troops being withdrawn to other theatres, Wilson and XII Corps did not get another opportunity to launch a major attack until 18 September 1918. On that day, with two brigades of 22nd Division and the Greek Seres Division, XII Corps failed to take ‘Pip Ridge’ and the ‘Grande Couronne’. Again Wilson advised Milne against an immediate resumption of the attack. The following day he attacked with a brigade from 27th Division supported by the remnants of 22nd Division, the Seres Division, and the French 2nd Regiment of Zouaves. Once more the attack failed with heavy casualties, and at 11.00 Wilson informed Milne that nothing would be gained by continuing the fight. However, the 2nd Battle of Doiran
Battle of Doiran
The third Battle of Doiran was fought from 18 September to 19 September 1918, with the Greeks and the British assaulting the positions of the Bulgarian First Army near Dojran Lake. The battle was part of World War I and took place in the Balkan Theatre...
had served its purpose by drawing Bulgarian attention away from Gen Franchet d’Esperey’s main Franco-Serbian thrust, which broke through the Bulgarian lines further west. On 21 September the downcast men of the BSF were stunned to be ordered to pursue the retreating Bulgarians, with XII Corps in the lead. Bulgaria signed an armistice
Armistice with Bulgaria
The Armistice with Bulgaria was signed on September 29, 1918 at the Bulgaria Armistice Convention in Thessaloniki, Greece, between the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Allied Powers. The convention followed from a request of the Bulgarian government on September 24, asking for a ceasefire...
with the Allies on 29 September, but the BSF continued to advance across Bulgaria towards the Turkish frontier, until the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
also signed the Armistice of Mudros
Armistice of Mudros
The Armistice of Moudros , concluded on 30 October 1918, ended the hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I...
on 31 October.
Postwar
Wilson was appointed GOC Allied Forces GallipoliGallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
and Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
, and his men occupied those two straits while the Allied fleet steamed through on 12 November 1918. Wilson landed from the fleet the following day and was greeted by a guard of honour
Guard of honour
A guard of honour is a ceremonial event practice in military and sports as a mark of respect.-Military:In the military a guard of honour is a ceremonial practice to honour visiting foreign dignitaries, or the fallen in war, or a ceremony for public figures who have died.The commander is three paces...
of 300 released British prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
(POWs), clothed in rough civilian dress provided by the neutral Dutch ambassador in place of their prisoners' rags. Wilson spent the next two years dealing with the complexities of the occupation, arranging the handover of Turkish munitions and defences, and the repatriation not only of released Allied POWs but of some 10,000 German troops left behind in Turkey.
Wilson was promoted to substantive lieutenant-general on 1 January 1919, and on 11 February he ceased to command XII Corps, becoming instead Commander, Allied Forces Turkey in Europe, British Salonika Army, and British Army of the Black Sea, which combined posts he held until 18 November 1920. He retired on 13 July the following year. In retirement he was appointed colonel-commandant of 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade 1921–29. He died on 16 November 1941.
Family
Sir Henry and Lady Wilson had three children:- Arthur Henry Maitland Wilson, b 22 January 1885, accidentally killed 29 January 1918.
- Hugh Maitland Wilson, 6 April 1886.
- Muriel Maitland Wilson, died unmarried 25 June 1950.