Sir Hereward Wake, 13th Baronet
British Army officer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Major-General Sir Hereward Wake, 13th Baronet, CB, CMG, DSO (11 February 1876 – 4 August 1963) was a British Army officer. Born into an historic and noble family, he joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) as a second lieutenant in 1897. He served on the staff during the Second Boer War, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. During the First World War, he served again as a staff officer with the British Expeditionary Force. In 1917 he was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier-general and appointed to the secretariat of the Supreme War Council (SWC). Wake led E Branch, responsible for advising the British military representative, General Sir Henry Wilson on enemy strength and supply. Wake's unit predicted the 1918 German spring offensive but countermeasures recommended by the SWC were ignored by the British commander-in-chief Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. Towards the end of the war Wake predicted that Germany would remain the predominant military power in Europe.
Major-General Sir Hereward Wake | |
---|---|
Born | 11 February 1876 London, England |
Died | 4 August 1963(1963-08-04) (aged 87) |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1897–1937 |
Rank | Major-general |
Unit | King's Royal Rifle Corps |
Commands held | 46th (North Midland) Division (1934–37) 12th Infantry Brigade (1929–32) 4th battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (1920–23) |
Battles/wars | Second Boer War First World War |
Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy |
After the war, Wake returned to his regiment and commanded its 4th battalion in British India. He was made an aide-de-camp to George V and promoted to major-general. Wake afterwards commanded the 12th Infantry Brigade and the 46th (North Midland) Division.
Wake retired from the army in 1937 but maintained links, being appointed to the honorary role of colonel-commandant of the KRRC, and later chairing the Northamptonshire Territorial Army Association. During the Second World War, he commanded the county's Local Defence Volunteers, and was colonel-commandant of the 1st battalion of the Northamptonshire Army Cadet Force. He also held non-military roles as a Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. He had an interest in history, was a member of the Northamptonshire Record Society and campaigned for the restoration of abandoned ironstone quarries in the county.