John Coleridge (Indian Army officer)

Sir John Coleridge
Born (1878-04-25)25 April 1878[1]
Died 3 November 1951(1951-11-03) (aged 73)
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Indian Army
Years of service 1898 - 1940
Rank General
Commands held 189th Brigade
188th Brigade
Peshawar District
Northern Command, India
Battles/wars World War I
Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order

General Sir John Francis Stanhope Duke Coleridge GCB CMG DSO (25 April 1878 – 3 November 1951) was a senior British Indian Army officer who went on to be Military Secretary to the India Office.

Military career

Coleridge was educated at Wellington College[2] and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[2] He was commissioned into the Indian Staff Corps in 1898,[3] transferred to the 8th Gurkhas in July 1900[4] and was sent on a mission to Tibet in 1903.[5]

Coleridge served on the Abor expedition on the north east frontier of India in 1911-12 and was mentioned in despatches.[6] He served in World War I and in 1916 was on the General Staff of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.[7] He served as Commander of 189th Brigade from October 1917 and then 188th Brigade from December 1917[8] and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order,[9] Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George[10] and a bar to his Distinguished Service Order.[11]

After the War he returned to India as a General Staff Officer[12] and carried out a review the new Indian Defence Force and the internal security measures there.[13]

He served as Assistant Commandant at the Quetta Staff College from 1923 to 1925, Military Secretary Army Headquarters, India from 1926 to 1930 and became commander of the Kohat District in 1930.[14]

During the North West Frontier operations of 1930-31 he commanded, as a Major-General, the Peshawar District.[15] He was Military Secretary to the India Office from 1933 to 1936[16] and General Officer Commanding Northern Command, India from 1936 to 1940 for which he was mentioned in despatches twice,[17][18] retiring shortly afterwards.[19]

He was a Companion of the Order of the Bath,[20] Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath[21] and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.[22] He was also Aide de Camp General to the King from 1936 to 1940.[14]

He was appointed Colonel of the 8th Gurkha Rifles from January 1926,[23] Colonel of the 2nd battalion 1st Punjab Regiment from November 1932[24] and honorary Colonel 87th Anti-Tank regiment, Royal Artillery (Devons) from 1941.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "John Francis Stanhope Duke COLERIDGE , Gen., Sir". Coleridge family tree. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 Wellington College Register 1859-1933, p. 163
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26988. p. 4355. 19 July 1898. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  4. ↑ January 1908 Indian Army List
  5. ↑ The Opening of Tibet: An account of Lhasa and the Country and the People of Central Tibet and the progress of the mission sent there by the English Government in the year 1903 to 1904
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28627. p. 5177. 16 July 1912. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  7. ↑ MacMunn, G. & Falls, C., Military operations: Egypt and Palestine, (London 1930), p. 387
  8. ↑ Royal Naval Division
  9. ↑ London Gazette 3 June 1916
  10. ↑ London Gazette 3 June 1918
  11. ↑ London Gazette 2 December 1918
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 32346. p. 4532. 4 June 1921. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  13. ↑ National Archives
  14. 1 2 p463, Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes 1944
  15. ↑ Orders of Battle
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34289. p. 3448. 29 May 1936. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34449. p. 6815. 2 November 1937. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  18. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34520. p. 3822. 14 June 1938. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  19. ↑ Major Michael Delme-Radcliffe, Royal Engineers
  20. ↑ London Gazette 4 June 1921
  21. ↑ London Gazette 1933
  22. ↑ London Gazette 11 July 1940
  23. ↑ January 1931 Indian Army List
  24. ↑ October 1939 Indian Army List
  25. ↑ Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes 1944, p. 463
Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Sydney Muspratt		 Military Secretary to the India Office
1933–1936 		Succeeded by
Sir Roger Wilson
Preceded by
Sir Kenneth Wigram		 GOC-in-C, Northern Command, India
1936 – 1940 		Succeeded by
Sir Alan Hartley
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