Reginald Applin
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Vincent Kempenfelt Applin DSO, OBE (11 April 1869 – 5 April 1957) was a British
military officer who took a prominent part in the development of machine gun tactics in the British Army
. He later entered politics, initially in two minor right wing parties before becoming a Conservative Party
member of parliament
.
, of "Exeview", Alphington
, near Exeter
. Following education at Sherborne School
, he initially sought employment as a stage actor. However, in December 1889 he became a cadet with the British North Borneo Company
. He continued to serve in the company's administration of the protectorate, becoming successively a police magistrate and justice of the peace
for Labuan
and a District Officer. He was involved in the suppression of the Mat Salleh Rebellion
from 1895–1897 and was awarded the The British North Borneo Company's Medal and clasp. After eight years service Applin had reached the rank of Captain Superintendent in the British North Borneo Armed Constabulary, but was forced to resign due to ill health and returned to England. He wrote an account of his years in North Borneo entitled Across the Seven Seas.
) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
. With the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1899 the battalion was mobilised and sailed to South Africa
. He was appointed District Commissioner at Bloemfontein
in June 1900 and acting Provost-Marshal for the Orange River in October of the same year. He subsequently saw active service in the Cape Colony
, the Orange Free State
and the Transvaal
. He was twice mentioned in despatches. He transferred to the Royal Garrison Regiment
in August 1902, and was made a companion of the Distinguished Service Order
in October 1902.
. In December 1906 Applin returned to his regiment, and in June 1911 promoted to major. During this period he was involved in developing tactics for the use of the machine gun, and in 1909 published one of the first books on the subject, Machine Gun Tactics.
Training Centre in July 1916. In November 1916 he was appointed temporary lieutenant-colonel, and commanded the machine guns of the II ANZAC Corps
at the battles of Messines
and Passchendaele. With the entry of the United States
into the war, Applin was part of a British mission to the country, and gave lectures on machine gun tactics. He remained with the MGC until July 1919.
In January 1919 Applin was given the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel and in February was made commanding officer of the 14th Hussars. He retired from the army in January 1921.
for Enfield.
, a xenophobic party that broke away from the Conservatives in 1917. He stood at the parliamentary by-election at Dartford
in April 1920. The party came in a poor fourth place, with Applin losing his deposit. The intervention of the National Party and an Independent candidate split the Conservative vote and allowed John Edmund Mills of the Labour Party
to secure an unexpected victory. The National Party was disbanded a year later.
was held for the constituency of Westminster Abbey. Applin stood as the candidate of Anti-Waste League
, a right-wing party formed by Lord Rothermere in opposition to the spending plans of the Lloyd George Coalition government. Such was the unpopularity of the government that all three candidates, including the winner Brigadier-General John Nicholson
of the Conservative Party (who formed part of the coalition), claimed to be "anti-waste". Applin finished in second place, receiving 34.9% of the votes cast.
's candidate to contest the north London seat of Enfield
. The seat had been won by William Henderson
of the Labour Party
at the general election of 1923
. When a further election was held in October of that year
, he was elected with a majority of 2,079 votes in a straight fight with Henderson. At the next general election in 1929
, Applin again faced Henderson as well as a Liberal
candidate. Henderson regained the seat for Labour by the narrow margin of 258 votes. Following the collapse of the minority Labour Government, a National Government was formed in August 1931 and an election was held in October of the same year
. Applin was the Conservative and National Government candidate, and was returned to the Commons when he defeated his Labour opponent by the large majority of 10,886 votes. He retired from parliament at the 1935 general election
.
, Natal
in April 1957 aged 87. His medals were auctioned in 2009.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
military officer who took a prominent part in the development of machine gun tactics in the 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...
. He later entered politics, initially in two minor right wing parties before becoming a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
member of parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
British North Borneo Company
He was the eldest son of Captain Vincent Jesson Applin, Military TrainRoyal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
, of "Exeview", Alphington
Alphington, Devon
Alphington is a suburb of the City of Exeter in southwest England. The ward of Alphington has a population of 8250 according to the 2001 census, making it the third largest in Exeter, with the village itself accounting for about a quarter of this figure...
, near Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. Following education at Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
, he initially sought employment as a stage actor. However, in December 1889 he became a cadet with the British North Borneo Company
British North Borneo Company
The North Borneo Chartered Company or British North Borneo Company was a chartered company assigned to administer North Borneo in August 1881. North Borneo became a protectorate of the British Empire with internal affairs administered by the company until 1946 when it became the colony of British...
. He continued to serve in the company's administration of the protectorate, becoming successively a police magistrate and justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Labuan
Labuan
Labuan is a federal territory in East Malaysia. It is an island off the coast of the state of Sabah. Labuan's capital is Victoria and is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as being an offshore support...
and a District Officer. He was involved in the suppression of the Mat Salleh Rebellion
Mat Salleh Rebellion
Mat Salleh Rebellion was a series of major disturbances in North Borneo, now the Malaysian state of Sabah, from 1894 to 1900. It was instigated by Datu Muhammad Salleh, better known as Mat Salleh.-Causes of the rebellion:...
from 1895–1897 and was awarded the The British North Borneo Company's Medal and clasp. After eight years service Applin had reached the rank of Captain Superintendent in the British North Borneo Armed Constabulary, but was forced to resign due to ill health and returned to England. He wrote an account of his years in North Borneo entitled Across the Seven Seas.
Second Boer War
In November 1898 Applin obtained a commission as a captain in the 6th (MilitiaMilitia (United Kingdom)
The Militia of the United Kingdom were the military reserve forces of the United Kingdom after the Union in 1801 of the former Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland....
) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
Lancashire Fusiliers
The Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.- Formation and early history:...
. With the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1899 the battalion was mobilised and sailed to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He was appointed District Commissioner at Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
in June 1900 and acting Provost-Marshal for the Orange River in October of the same year. He subsequently saw active service in the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
, 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...
and the Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
. He was twice mentioned in despatches. He transferred to the Royal Garrison Regiment
Royal Garrison Regiment
The Royal Garrison Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in February 1900 and disbanded in 1908.The regiment was originally formed as the "Royal Reserve Battalions", independent battalions composed of reserve infantry called up in the United Kingdom on the outbreak of the...
in August 1902, and was made a companion of the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in October 1902.
Development of machine gun tactics
In July 1905 he transferred to the 14th (King's) Hussars. In August of the same year he was seconded to the General Staff and was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for Musketry in MaltaMalta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. In December 1906 Applin returned to his regiment, and in June 1911 promoted to major. During this period he was involved in developing tactics for the use of the machine gun, and in 1909 published one of the first books on the subject, Machine Gun Tactics.
First World War
During the First World War Applin became an instructor in the use of the machine gun, and was attached to the Machine Gun CorpsMachine Gun Corps
The Machine Gun Corps was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks in combat, and the branch was subsequently turned into the Tank...
Training Centre in July 1916. In November 1916 he was appointed temporary lieutenant-colonel, and commanded the machine guns of the II ANZAC Corps
II Anzac Corps
The II ANZAC Corps was an Australian and New Zealand First World War army corps formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganization of the Australian Imperial Force following the evacuation of Gallipoli in November 1915, under the command of William Birdwood...
at the battles of Messines
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
and Passchendaele. With the entry of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
into the war, Applin was part of a British mission to the country, and gave lectures on machine gun tactics. He remained with the MGC until July 1919.
In January 1919 Applin was given the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel and in February was made commanding officer of the 14th Hussars. He retired from the army in January 1921.
Politics
With the ending of his military career, Applin entered politics. After making two unsuccessful attempts to enter parliament with minor parties, he became the Conservative MPMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Enfield.
Dartford by-election 1920
Applin was originally a member of the National PartyNational Party (UK, 1917)
The National Party was a short-lived British political party created in August 1917 as a right-wing split from the Conservative Party.-Formation:...
, a xenophobic party that broke away from the Conservatives in 1917. He stood at the parliamentary by-election at Dartford
Dartford (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Notes and references:...
in April 1920. The party came in a poor fourth place, with Applin losing his deposit. The intervention of the National Party and an Independent candidate split the Conservative vote and allowed John Edmund Mills of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
to secure an unexpected victory. The National Party was disbanded a year later.
Abbey by-election 1921
In August 1921 a parliamentary byelectionWestminster Abbey by-election, 1921
The Westminster Abbey by-election, 1921 was a parliamentary by-election held on 25 August 1921 for the British House of Commons constituency of Westminster Abbey in London. The seat had become vacant when the Conservative Member of Parliament William Burdett-Coutts had died on 28 July 1921...
was held for the constituency of Westminster Abbey. Applin stood as the candidate of Anti-Waste League
Anti-Waste League
The Anti-Waste League was a political party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1921 by Lord Rothermere.The formation of the League was announced in a January 1921 edition of the Sunday Pictorial with Rothermere attacking what he saw as government waste during a time of recession. As such the party...
, a right-wing party formed by Lord Rothermere in opposition to the spending plans of the Lloyd George Coalition government. Such was the unpopularity of the government that all three candidates, including the winner Brigadier-General John Nicholson
John Sanctuary Nicholson
Brigadier-General John Sanctuary Nicholson, CB, CMG, CBE, DSO was a British soldier and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1921 to 1924....
of the Conservative Party (who formed part of the coalition), claimed to be "anti-waste". Applin finished in second place, receiving 34.9% of the votes cast.
Member of Parliament for Enfield
In September 1924 Applin was chosen as the Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
's candidate to contest the north London seat of Enfield
Enfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Enfield was a parliamentary constituency of Middlesex centred on the town of Enfield. The area formed part of the London conurbation. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:The...
. The seat had been won by William Henderson
William Henderson, 1st Baron Henderson
William Watson Henderson, 1st Baron Henderson PC , was a British Labour politician.-Background:Henderson was the second son of Arthur Henderson and the elder brother of Arthur Henderson, Baron Rowley.-Political career:...
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
at the general election of 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. When a further election was held in October of that year
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, he was elected with a majority of 2,079 votes in a straight fight with Henderson. At the next general election in 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Applin again faced Henderson as well as a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate. Henderson regained the seat for Labour by the narrow margin of 258 votes. Following the collapse of the minority Labour Government, a National Government was formed in August 1931 and an election was held in October of the same year
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
. Applin was the Conservative and National Government candidate, and was returned to the Commons when he defeated his Labour opponent by the large majority of 10,886 votes. He retired from parliament at the 1935 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
.
Later life
In 1935 he emigrated to South Africa. He died at his home in HowickHowick, KwaZulu-Natal
Howick is a town located in the uMgungundlovu District of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The town is 1050 m above sea level, and about 88 kilometres from the port city of Durban. It enjoys warm summers and cool dry winters. A snappy chill descends upon Howick when snow falls on the nearby...
, Natal
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
in April 1957 aged 87. His medals were auctioned in 2009.