Sir Frederick Stopford | |
|---|---|
 Sir Frederick Stopford in January 1916 | |
| Born | (1854-02-02)2 February 1854 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 4 May 1929(1929-05-04) (aged 75) London, Middlesex, England |
| Father | James Stopford |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1871–1920 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Grenadier Guards |
| Commands | IX Corps London District |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Mentioned in Despatches |
Lieutenant GeneralSir Frederick William Stopford,KCB, KCMG, KCVO (2 February 1854 – 4 May 1929) was aBritish Army officer, best remembered for commanding thelanding at Suvla Bay in August 1915, during theGallipoli Campaign, where he failed to order an aggressive exploitation of the initially successful landings.
Stopford was a younger son ofJames Stopford, 4th Earl of Courtown, and his second wife Dora Pennefather, daughter ofEdward Pennefather,Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.[1]
Stopford was commissioned into theGrenadier Guards on 28 October 1871.[2] He was appointedaide-de-camp to Sir John Adye, chief of staff for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, and took part in theBattle of Tel el-Kebir in 1882.[3] He went on to be aide-de-camp to Major GeneralArthur Fremantle, commander of theSuakin expedition in 1885.[3] He was then made brigade major for the Brigade of Guards, which had been posted to Egypt.[3]
Stopford returned to England to be brigade major of the 2nd Infantry Brigade atAldershot in 1886.[3] He became deputy assistant adjutant general atHorseguards in 1892, and deputy assistant adjutant general at Aldershot in 1894.[3] He took part in theFourth Anglo-Ashanti War in 1895, and became assistant adjutant general at Horseguards in 1897.[3]
Stopford took part in theSecond Boer War as military secretary to GeneralSir Redvers Buller and later military secretary to the general officer commanding Natal,[3] for which he was knighted as aKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in November 1900.[4] After his return to Britain, he was appointed deputy adjutant general at Aldershot in 1901, and chief staff officer forI Corps with the temporary rank ofbrigadier general, on 1 April 1902.[5] Two years later, he was appointed director of military training at Horseguards in 1904.[3] Promoted to major general in February 1904,[6] he wasmajor-general commanding the Brigade of Guards andgeneral officer commanding (GOC) of theLondon District from 1906.[3] He was awarded a KCVO in June 1909[7] and promoted to lieutenant general in September.[8]
In October 1912 he was madelieutenant of the Tower of London, taking over the post from GeneralSir Henry Grant.[9]
On 5 August 1914, a day after theBritish entry into World War I, he was appointed GOC First Army,[10] part of Home Forces, a position he held until he took command ofIX Corps the following year.[11]
As GOC of IX Corps, Stopford was blamed for the failure to attack following thelanding at Suvla Bay in August 1915, during theGallipoli campaign.[12] Stopford had chosen to command the landing fromHMS Jonquil, anchored offshore, but slept as the landing was in progress. He was quickly replaced on 15 August by Major-GeneralSir Julian Byng.[13]
After almost 50 years of military service, Stopford retired from the army in 1920.[14]
| Court offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Page of Honour 1866–1870 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Laurence Oliphant (As GOC Home District) | GOC London District 1906–1909 | Succeeded by |
| New command | GOC IX Corps August 1915 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
