Spring R. Rice
Encyclopedia
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...
, 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...
general who served on the staff of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War.
He entered the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in 1877, and was promoted to Captain in 1888. He was appointed the adjutant of the School of Military Engineering
School of Military Engineering
School of Military Engineering may refer to a training institution for military engineering such as:*Royal School of Military Engineering of the British Army*College of Military Engineering, Pune of the Indian Army...
in 1892, and promoted Major in 1896.
During the South African War he commanded 23rd Field Company RE, deployed to Ladysmith
Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal
Ladysmith is a city in the Uthukela District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is north-west of Durban and south of Johannesburg. Important industries in the area include food processing, textile and tyre production...
; during the Siege of Ladysmith
Siege of Ladysmith
The Siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 30 October 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal.-Background:...
, he acted as the commanding officer of the Royal Engineers. In 1901, he designed a simple and inexpensive blockhouse
Blockhouse
In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
, which saw extensive use. For his services during the War, he was mentioned in despatches four times, won the Queen's Medal
Queen's South Africa Medal
The Queen's South Africa Medal was awarded to military personnel who served in the Boer War in South Africa between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902. Units from the British Army, Royal Navy, colonial forces who took part , civilians employed in official capacity and war correspondents...
with two clasps and the King's medal with two clasps, and was given a brevet promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel.
He left the School of Military Engineering in 1905, and was appointed the chief engineer in charge of coastal defences for Southern Command
Southern Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 from the Second Army Corps and was initially based at Tidworth but in 1949 moved to Fugglestone Farm near Wilton in Wiltshire....
in 1909, with the rank of colonel. In 1911 he was appointed as the chief engineer of Aldershot Command
Aldershot Command
-History:After the success of the Chobham Manoeuvres of 1853, a permanent training camp was established at Aldershot in 1854 on the recommendation of the Commander-in-Chief, Viscount Hardinge...
, holding this post until 1914.
On the outbreak of the First World War, he was appointed to the post of Brigadier-General Royal Engineers in I Corps, the senior engineering officer of the corps. He was promoted to Major-General in 1915 for distinguished service, and in February 1916 he was appointed Engineer-in-Chief of the entire BEF, succeeding G. H. Fowke. He picked up the trial project to form the Royal Engineer tunnelling companies
Royal Engineer tunnelling companies
Royal Engineer tunnelling companies were specialist units of the Corps of Royal Engineers within the British Army, formed to dig attacking tunnels under enemy lines during the First World War....
, forming them into a distinct branch within the Corps.
He was transferred to the Forts Garrison Command in 1917, a posting he held for the remainder of the war. He retired in 1919, having been mentioned in despatches a further six times, awarded the KCMG and the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
, and made a Commandeur of the Order of Leopold
Order of Leopold
Order of Leopold may refer to:* Order of Leopold , founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918* Order of Leopold , founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium...
for his wartime service.