Sir Edward Perceval | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 August 1861 County Meath, Ireland[1] |
| Died | 26 November 1955 (aged 94) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1880–1920 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | Royal Artillery |
| Commands | 49th (West Riding) Division 68th (2nd Welsh) Division |
| Battles / wars | Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Order of Aviz, 1st Class |
Major-GeneralSir Edward Maxwell Perceval,KCB, DSO (13 August 1861 – 26 November 1955) was aBritish Army officer.
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Educated atRoyal Academy, Gosport and theRoyal Military Academy, Woolwich, Perceval wascommissioned into theRoyal Artillery as asubaltern, with the rank oflieutenant, on 19 May 1880.[2][1] He was promoted tocaptain on 15 August 1888[3] (later amended to 4 August)[4][1] andmajor on 23 February 1898.[5][6][1]
He attended theStaff College, Camberley as a student from January 1895.[7] From January 1897 onwards he served at the Royal Military Academy as an instructor.[8]
He saw action in theSecond Boer War, which began in October 1899, for which he was awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO).[9]
After the end of the war, he returned once more to the Royal Military Academy, this time in the role of a professor.[10] Following this, he served a temporary appointment as a deputy assistant adjutant general[11] before becoming a DAAG at army headquarters.[12] In November 1905 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel[13] and, in May 1908, after being seconded for service on the staff,[14] he took over the post of DAAG at theStaff College, Camberley fromLionel Stopford,[15] and received a promotion to brevet colonel in November that year.[16] In March 1909 he succeededWalter Braithwaite as ageneral staff officer, grade 1 (GSO1) at the Staff College.[17] In December of that year he was promoted to colonel.[18]
After serving on thehalf-pay list, from May 1912,[19] Perceval was then appointed to be assistant director of movements at theWar Office in London in October.[20] In April 1914 he relinquished this position in order to becomecommander, Royal Artillery (CRA) of the2nd Division. With the new position came a promotion to the temporary rank ofbrigadier general.[21]
He deployed to France with the division, which formed part of theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF), in August 1914, shortly after the start of theFirst World War.[22] He remained in this role until January 1915 when he took over the post of sub-chief of the general staff from Lieutenant GeneralSir Henry Wilson at the BEF's general headquarters (GHQ).[23] In February he was made aCompanion of the Order of the Bath (CB), "in recognition of the meritorious services".[24][25] In June he was promoted to the rank of major general[26] and, in July, he becamegeneral officer commanding (GOC) of the49th (West Riding) Division, aTerritorial Force (TF) formation which had recently arrived on theWestern Front, which he would command for over two years. Perceval commanded the 49th Division during significant battles, including theBattle of the Somme in 1916 and theBattle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres) in 1917. The division suffered heavy casualties during these battles, particularly during the attack on 3 September 1916, where fatigue and heavy shellfire contributed to the failure of the assault. He was awarded theOrder of Leopold, "for distinguished services during the Campaign", by the Belgian government.[27] After falling ill, he returned to Britain to become GOC of the68th Division in December 1917.[28]
He was appointed to theMilitary Order of Aviz, 1st Class in October 1918.[29]
After that he became commander of the troops atShorncliffe Army Camp in 1919.[30] He retired from the army in April 1920.[31] He was made a KCB in January 1922.[32]
In 1894 he married Marian Bowles; they had one son.[30] After his first wife died in 1896, he married Norah Mayne in 1906; they had one son and one daughter.[30]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | GOC 49th (West Riding) Division 1915–1917 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GOC 68th (2nd Welsh) Division 1917–1919 | Succeeded by Post disbanded |