# Gerald Cuthbert

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{{Short description|British Army general (1881–1931)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [Major-General](/source/Major_general_(United_Kingdom))
|name= Gerald Cuthbert
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CB|CMG}}
|image= Gerald Cuthbert.png
|image_size= 215px
|alt= 
|caption= Major-General Cuthbert, {{circa|1917}}
|nickname= "Bluebell"<ref name=Nicknames>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstworldwar.bham.ac.uk/nicknames/cuthbert.htm|title=No. 119 Gerald James Cuthbert ('Bluebell')|work=Generals' Nicknames|publisher=Centre for First World War Studies, [University of Birmingham](/source/University_of_Birmingham)|date=January 2009|accessdate=2011-01-28|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409210255/http://www.firstworldwar.bham.ac.uk/nicknames/cuthbert.htm|archivedate=9 April 2008|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><br>"Spit and Polish"<ref name="Nicknames"/>
|birth_date= {{Birth date|1861|09|12|df=yes}}
|birth_place= [London](/source/London), England<ref>https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1069156</ref>
|death_date= {{Death date and age|1931|02|01|1861|09|12|df=yes}}
|death_place= 
|burial_place= 
|allegiance= United Kingdom
|branch= [British Army](/source/British_Army)
|service_years= 1882–1919
|rank= [Major-General](/source/Major_general_(United_Kingdom))
|service_number= 
|unit= [Scots Guards](/source/Scots_Guards)
|commands= [72nd Division](/source/72nd_Division_(United_Kingdom))<br/>[39th Division](/source/39th_Division_(United_Kingdom))<br/>[13th Infantry Brigade](/source/13th_Brigade_(United_Kingdom))<br/>[4th London Infantry Brigade](/source/140th_Brigade_(United_Kingdom))<br/>1st Battalion, [Scots Guards](/source/Scots_Guards)
|battles= [Mahdist War](/source/Mahdist_War)<br/>[Second Boer War](/source/Second_Boer_War)<br/>[First World War](/source/First_World_War)
|awards= [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath)<br/>[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George)<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=12894|page=82|date=17 January 1916|city=e}}</ref><br/>[Mentioned in Despatches](/source/Mentioned_in_Despatches)
|relations= 
|other_work=
}}
[Major-General](/source/Major_general_(United_Kingdom)) '''Gerald James Cuthbert''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|CB|CMG}} (12 September 1861&nbsp;– 1 February 1931) was a [British Army](/source/British_Army) officer who commanded a battalion in the [Second Boer War](/source/Second_Boer_War) and a division in the [First World War](/source/First_World_War). Cuthbert joined the [Scots Guards](/source/Scots_Guards) in 1882 and served in Egypt and the Sudan during the late 19th century. During the Boer War he served with his regiment, rising to command a battalion. After the war he commanded a brigade in the [Territorial Force](/source/Territorial_Force) and then in the [British Expeditionary Force](/source/British_Expeditionary_Force_(World_War_I)) of 1914. He served on the [Western Front](/source/Western_Front_(World_War_I)) from 1914 to 1917, rising to command the [39th Division](/source/39th_Division_(United_Kingdom)), then returned to home service before retiring in 1919.

==Early military career==
The fifth son of William Cuthbert of [Beaufront Castle](/source/Beaufront_Castle) in Northumberland, Gerald was privately educated, and attended the [Royal Military College at Sandhurst](/source/Royal_Military_College%2C_Sandhurst).<ref name="WWW">''Who Was Who''</ref> He was [commissioned](/source/Officer_(armed_forces)) as a [subaltern](/source/Subaltern_(military)), with the rank of [lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant_(British_Army_and_Royal_Marines)), in the Oxfordshire Light Infantry (later the [Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry](/source/Oxfordshire_and_Buckinghamshire_Light_Infantry)) in May 1882,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25105|page=2159|date=9 May 1882}}</ref> before transferring to the [Scots Guards](/source/Scots_Guards) just two months later.<ref name="AL">{{cite book|title=Quarterly Army List for the quarter ending 30th June 1919|year=1919|url=https://archive.org/details/armylistjulpart11919grea|page=[https://archive.org/details/armylistjulpart11919grea/page/45 45]|place=London|publisher=HMSO}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25124|page=3099|date=4 July 1882}}</ref> He served with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment during the [Sudan Expedition](/source/Mahdist_War) of 1885,<ref name="Obit">Obituary in the ''Times''</ref> where he saw service at the [Battle of Suakin](/source/Battle_of_Suakin).

In April 1889, after being seconded for service on the staff,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26011|page=94|date=7 January 1890}}</ref> he was made an [aide-de-camp](/source/aide-de-camp) to [Major General](/source/Major_general_(United_Kingdom)) [Frederick Forestier-Walker](/source/Frederick_Forestier-Walker) at Aldershot,<ref name="WWW"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26005|page=7470|date=24 December 1889}}</ref> an assignment he held until 1890. He was promoted from supernumerary lieutenant to lieutenant in February 1891,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26146|page=1666|date=24 March 1891}}</ref> although this was later antedated to December 1890.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26187|page=4004|date=28 July 1891}}</ref> Returning to his regiment, he was promoted to [captain](/source/Captain_(British_Army_and_Royal_Marines)) in May 1893,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26412|page=3385|date=13 June 1893}}</ref> and appointed [adjutant](/source/adjutant) of the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards, from February 1895 to February 1899. He was promoted to [major](/source/Major_(United_Kingdom)) in June 1899.<ref name="AL"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27095|page=4139|date=4 July 1899}}</ref>

Cuthbert served extensively during the [Second Boer War](/source/Second_Boer_War), seeing action at [Belmont](/source/Battle_of_Belmont_(1899)), Enslin, [Modder River](/source/Battle_of_Modder_River), [Magersfontein](/source/Battle_of_Magersfontein), [Poplar Grove](/source/Battle_of_Poplar_Grove), Driefontein, Vet River, Zand River, Johannesburg, Pretoria, [Diamond Hill](/source/Battle_of_Diamond_Hill), Riet Vlei, and [Belfast](/source/Battle_of_Belfast). Between January and July 1901, he was [commanding officer](/source/commanding_officer) (CO) of the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards. He was [mentioned in dispatches](/source/mentioned_in_dispatches) during the war, and given a [brevet promotion](/source/Brevet_(military)) to [lieutenant colonel](/source/Lieutenant_colonel_(United_Kingdom)) (dated 29 November 1900) in the South Africa Honours list 1901.<ref name="WWW"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=11343|page=1078|date=1 October 1901|city=e}}</ref>

Back with the regiment's 2nd Battalion on the conclusion of hostilities in June 1902, he left [Port Natal](/source/Port_Natal) with men of this battalion on the SS ''Michigan'' in late September 1902, arriving at Southampton in late October, when the battalion was posted to [Aldershot](/source/Aldershot_Garrison).<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Army in South Africa – Troops returning Home |date=2 October 1902 |page=4 |issue=36888}}</ref>

Following the war, Cuthbert was promoted to substantive lieutenant colonel in April 1904<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27667|page=2379|date=15 April 1904}}</ref> and was again CO of the 1st Battalion. In August 1905 he was promoted again, this time to brevet colonel.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27824|page=5377|date=4 August 1905}}</ref> This appointment only lasted until April 1906, when he was relieved of his command and placed on [half-pay](/source/half-pay) after an inquiry into [ragging](/source/ragging) in the battalion.<ref name="Obit"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27907|page=2797|date=24 April 1906}}</ref> Later that year, after being removed off half-pay, he was posted to Egypt as a temporary assistant adjutant-general (AAG); this was made permanent in December, when he was promoted to substantive colonel.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27983|page=119|date=4 January 1907}}</ref> He remained on the staff in Egypt until September 1909.<ref name="AL"/> He then returned home to command the [4th London Brigade](/source/140th_(4th_London)_Brigade) in the [2nd London Division](/source/47th_(1%2F2nd_London)_Division), a [Territorial Force](/source/Territorial_Force) (TF) unit. He also commanded the regimental district of the Scots Guards.<ref name="Obit"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28291|page=7122|date=24 September 1909}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28298|page=7661|date=19 October 1909}}</ref>

In June 1912 he was created a [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) (CB) in the [1912 Birthday Honours](/source/1912_Birthday_Honours).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28617|page=4298|date=11 June 1912|supp=y}}</ref> He relinquished this assignment in October 1913 and was then placed again on half-pay.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28765|page=7248|date=17 October 1913}}</ref> By now removed from half-pay, in February 1914 he was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28799|page=983|date=6 February 1914}}</ref> and was appointed to succeed Brigadier General [Thompson Capper](/source/Thompson_Capper) in command of the [13th Infantry Brigade](/source/13th_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)), a [Regular Army](/source/Standing_army) brigade which formed part of the [5th Division](/source/5th_Infantry_Division_(United_Kingdom)), at the time stationed in [Ireland](/source/Ireland).<ref name="AL"/>

==First World War==
thumb|left|Major-General Gerald Cuthbert (holding a walking stick) and Brigadier-General George Armytage (behind Cuthbert) with their staff in a trench near Thiepval Wood, July 1916.

After the [First World War](/source/First_World_War) began in August 1914, Cuthbert remained in command of 13th Brigade when it was mobilised for service in the [British Expeditionary Force](/source/British_Expeditionary_Force_(World_War_I)). He took the brigade to France and commanded it through the [Retreat from Mons](/source/Retreat_from_Mons), the [First Battle of the Marne](/source/First_Battle_of_the_Marne) and the [First Battle of the Aisne](/source/First_Battle_of_the_Aisne). He was sent back to England at the end of September and placed on "invalid" status. He was succeeded by [William Hickie](/source/William_Hickie).<ref>French, chapter 2</ref>

On 26 November, Cuthbert was appointed to take command of the [140th Infantry Brigade](/source/140th_Infantry_Brigade), a Territorial unit, which he had commanded in its peacetime incarnation as the 4th London Brigade, of the [47th (2nd London) Division](/source/47th_(2nd_London)_Division).<ref>Maude, p. 132</ref> He remained with them through 1915 and 1916, culminating in the [German attack on Vimy Ridge](/source/Battle_of_Vimy_Ridge) in May 1916, where Cuthbert led the division in lieu of the divisional commander, who was on leave.{{sfn|Jeffery|2006|p=163}}<ref>Maude, p. 54</ref> He was not a popular brigadier; the London volunteers particularly objected to his strict views on cleanliness, a story circulated that he had ordered front-line trenches to be swept out with brooms. He was nicknamed "Spit and Polish" by the infantry as a result of his obsession with appearances, alongside his earlier nickname of "Bluebell", which may have been a reference to a brand of polish.<ref name="Nicknames"/>

Cuthbert left the 140th Brigade in early July 1916, as he was promoted to the temporary rank of major general<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29703|page=7918|date=11 August 1916}}</ref> to become the new [general officer commanding](/source/general_officer_commanding) (GOC) of the [39th Division](/source/39th_Division_(United_Kingdom)), a [Kitchener's Army](/source/Kitchener's_Army) formation.<ref>Maude, p. 60</ref> He commanded it during the later phases of the [Battle of the Somme](/source/Battle_of_the_Somme) and the [Battle of Pilckem](/source/Battle_of_Pilckem).<ref>[http://www.1914-1918.net/39div.htm The British Army in the Great War: The 39th Division]</ref> His record with the division was not well received by his superiors; Lieutenant General [Claud Jacob](/source/Claud_Jacob) of [II Corps](/source/II_Corps_(United_Kingdom)) described him as "obstinate and mulish" during the Battle of the Somme, whilst Lieutenant General [Ivor Maxse](/source/Ivor_Maxse) of [XVIII Corps](/source/XVIII_Corps_(United_Kingdom)) noted he had "little or no conception of training methods", and "few ideas" regarding tactical operations; his only merit was perceived to be his rigorous approach to discipline.{{sfn|Robbins|2005|p=63}} His major general's rank became substantive in January 1917.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29886|page=15|date=29 December 1916|supp=y}}</ref>

The end of his period in command of the 39th arrived in August 1917 when Cuthbert was transferred to the United Kingdom to command the [72nd Division](/source/72nd_Division_(United_Kingdom)) on home service. He later commanded [Shorncliffe Army Camp](/source/Shorncliffe_Army_Camp), before retiring from the army in August 1919, by which time the war was over.<ref name="WWW"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31655|page=14291|date=21 November 1919|supp=y}}</ref>

==Retirement==
Cuthbert never married. After he retired from the service, he lived in Sandhoe Garden Cottage on the family estate at [Beaufront Castle](/source/Beaufront_Castle). He died in February 1931, aged 69.<ref name="WWW"/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
*"CUTHBERT, Maj.-Gen. Gerald James". (2007). In ''Who Was Who''. [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U208239 Online edition]
*Obituary in the ''Times'', 2 February 1931, p.&nbsp;14
* {{cite book|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24538|title=1914|last=French|first=John|year=1919|place=London|publisher=Constable}}
* {{cite book|title=Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson: a political soldier|last=Jeffery|first=Keith|isbn=0-19-820358-6|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rTxE4WvGrIAC}}
* {{cite book|title=The 47th (London) Division, 1914–1919|last=Maude|first=Alan H.|year=1922|publisher=Amalgamated Press|url=https://archive.org/details/47thlondondivisi00maudrich}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qgO2rDvdOq4C|last=Robbins|first=Simon|year=2005|title=British generalship on the Western Front 1914–18: defeat into victory|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-35006-9}}
{{Refend}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuthbert, Gerald}}
Category:1861 births
Category:1931 deaths
Category:British Army personnel of the Mahdist War
Category:British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
Category:British Army generals of World War I
Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath
Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Category:Scots Guards officers
Category:British Army major generals
Category:Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers
Category:Territorial Force officers
Category:Military personnel from London

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gerald Cuthbert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Cuthbert) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Cuthbert?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.