Louis Lipsett: Difference between revisions
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|birth_date=14 June 1874 |
|birth_date=14 June 1874 |
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|death_date= 14 October 1918 (aged 44) |
|death_date= 14 October 1918 (aged 44) |
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|birth_place= [[Ballyshannon]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] |
|birth_place= [[Ballyshannon]], [[County Donegal]],,[[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Ireland]] |
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|death_place= [[Saulzoir]], France |
|death_place= [[Saulzoir]], France |
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|image= Louis lipsett.jpg |
|image= Louis lipsett.jpg |
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|allegiance= {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} United Kingdom |
|allegiance= {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} United Kingdom |
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|serviceyears= 1894 - 1918 |
|serviceyears= 1894 - 1918 |
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|rank= [[Major |
|rank= [[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] |
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|branch= [[File:Flag of the British Army.svg|22px]] [[British Army]] |
|branch= [[File:Flag of the British Army.svg|22px]] [[British Army]] |
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|commands= [[3rd Canadian Division]]<br>[[4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 4th Division]] |
|commands= [[3rd Canadian Division]]<br>[[4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 4th Division]] |
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|laterwork= |
|laterwork= |
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| ⚫ | [[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] '''Louis James Lipsett''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|CB|CMG}} (14 June 1874 – 14 October 1918), was a senior officer in the [[British Army]] and [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]] during the [[World War I|First World War]]. He commanded the [[3rd Canadian Division]] during some of the bitterest battles of the war, taking over in 1916 after his predecessor, [[Malcolm Mercer]], was killed. In 1918, Lipsett took command of the [[4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 4th Division]]. Less than a month before the end of the war, during a reconnaissance mission observing German positions along the [[River Selle]], Lipsett was killed. He was the last British general to be killed during the First World War. |
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| ⚫ | [[Major |
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A highly experienced officer, Lipsett had previously seen action in the [[Tirah Campaign]] and the [[Second Boer War]] with the British Army, serving as an officer with the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922)|Royal Irish Regiment]]. He was later instrumental in developing military training and education throughout Canada and expanding the shore defences of [[British Columbia]], in response to the threat of the German East Asian Cruiser Squadron. An experienced and capable officer, Lipsett was popular with both his men and his superiors. His death was considered "a deplorable loss to the [4th] Division".<ref name="DCB"/> |
A highly experienced officer, Lipsett had previously seen action in the [[Tirah Campaign]] and the [[Second Boer War]] with the British Army, serving as an officer with the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922)|Royal Irish Regiment]]. He was later instrumental in developing military training and education throughout Canada and expanding the shore defences of [[British Columbia]], in response to the threat of the German East Asian Cruiser Squadron. An experienced and capable officer, Lipsett was popular with both his men and his superiors. His death was considered "a deplorable loss to the [4th] Division".<ref name="DCB"/> |
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==Early military career== |
==Early military career== |
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Born in [[Ballyshannon]], [[County Donegal]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Ireland]], to Richard and Etty Lipsett in June 1874, Lipsett was raised in [[Merthyr Tydfil]], [[Wales]], and [[Bedford]], [[England]], following his father's death in 1887. He was educated at [[Bedford School]] and took the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst|Sandhurst]] entrance examination against the wishes of his tutors, entering the college and graduating 35th from his class of 120. In 1894, Lipsett was commissioned a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922)|Royal Irish Regiment]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26559|page=5688|date=9 October 1894}}</ref> and took ship to [[British India|India]] where he served for the next five years on the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|Northwest Frontier]], participating in the [[Tirah Campaign]] against the [[Afridi (Pashtun)|Afridi]].<ref name="FFW.com"/> During these campaigns he conducted himself with distinction, being promoted to [[lieutenant]] but also contracting a near-fatal bout of [[cholera]].<ref name="DCB"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26885|page=4726|date=24 August 1897}}</ref> |
Born in [[Ballyshannon]], [[County Donegal]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Ireland]], to Richard and Etty Lipsett, in June 1874, Lipsett was raised in [[Merthyr Tydfil]], [[Wales]], and [[Bedford]], [[England]], following his father's death in 1887. He was educated at [[Bedford School]] and took the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst|Sandhurst]] entrance examination against the wishes of his tutors, entering the college and graduating 35th from his class of 120. In 1894, Lipsett was commissioned a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922)|Royal Irish Regiment]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26559|page=5688|date=9 October 1894}}</ref> and took ship to [[British India|India]] where he served for the next five years on the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|Northwest Frontier]], participating in the [[Tirah Campaign]] against the [[Afridi (Pashtun)|Afridi]].<ref name="FFW.com"/> During these campaigns he conducted himself with distinction, being promoted to [[lieutenant]] but also contracting a near-fatal bout of [[cholera]].<ref name="DCB"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26885|page=4726|date=24 August 1897}}</ref> |
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In 1899 he and his regiment were ordered to South Africa for service in the [[Second Boer War]]. Although he did not serve in any significant actions Lipsett performed his duties well, in 1901 was promoted to [[captain (OF-2)|captain]] and on his return to England in 1903 was recommended to the [[Staff College, Camberley]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27305|page=2620|date=16 April 1901}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=27526|page=1132|date=20 February 1903}}</ref> |
In 1899 he and his regiment were ordered to South Africa for service in the [[Second Boer War]]. Although he did not serve in any significant actions Lipsett performed his duties well, in 1901 was promoted to [[captain (OF-2)|captain]] and on his return to England in 1903 was recommended to the [[Staff College, Camberley]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27305|page=2620|date=16 April 1901}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=27526|page=1132|date=20 February 1903}}</ref>{{sfn|Davies|1997|p=82}} In 1905 he returned to South Africa as a staff officer ([[Adjutant general|Deputy-Assistant Adjutant]] and [[Quartermaster-General]]),<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27778|page=2276|date=24 March 1905}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=27856|page=7823|date=21 November 1905}}</ref> to aid in the reconstitution of colonial government, a task he performed until 1907, when he was posted back to his regiment.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28127|page=2756|date=10 April 1908}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=28012|page=2505|date=12 April 1907}}</ref> Based at [[Aldershot]], Lipsett conducted both regimental business and operated as an aide-de-camp to the commander of the [[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Division]], [[Theodore Stephenson|Theodore Edward Stephenson]].<ref name="DCB"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28002|page=1740|date=8 March 1907}}</ref> |
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In 1911, Lipsett responded to the call from the Colonial Office for young staff officers to operate in colonial military academies, as military education had been standardised throughout the [[British Empire]] in 1909.<ref name="FFW.com"/> Lipsett was sent to Canada and promoted to [[Major (UK)|major]] (in 1913), working hard to improve training in the Dominion.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28524|page=6225|date=22 August 1911}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=28782|page=9255|date=16 December 1913}}</ref> He instigated numerous new training courses and special schools, establishing close ties with the Canadian military establishment and personally training most of the next generation of Canadian staff officers and generals.<ref name="DCB"/> |
In 1911, Lipsett responded to the call from the Colonial Office for young staff officers to operate in colonial military academies, as military education had been standardised throughout the [[British Empire]] in 1909.<ref name="FFW.com"/> Lipsett was sent to Canada and promoted to [[Major (UK)|major]] (in 1913), working hard to improve training in the Dominion.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28524|page=6225|date=22 August 1911}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=28782|page=9255|date=16 December 1913}}</ref> He instigated numerous new training courses and special schools, establishing close ties with the Canadian military establishment and personally training most of the next generation of Canadian staff officers and generals.<ref name="DCB"/> |
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==First World War== |
==First World War== |
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At the outbreak of the [[World War I|First World War]] Lipsett was dispatched to [[British Columbia]], the Pacific coastline of which was largely undefended and was believed to be at risk from the German East Asian Cruiser Squadron under [[Maximilian von Spee]], which had embarked on a raiding campaign in the [[Pacific Ocean]] that would culminate in the [[Battle of Coronel]] and the [[Battle of the Falkland Islands]]. Lipsett recognised that there was no immediate threat to the Canadian coast and calmed fears whilst simultaneously organising the local militia forces and deploying the two submarines purchased by provincial Premier [[Richard McBride]].<ref name="DCB"/> His task completed in British Columbia, Lipsett took over command and training of the [[8th Battalion, CEF|8th Battalion]] of the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]] |
At the outbreak of the [[World War I|First World War]] Lipsett was dispatched to [[British Columbia]], the Pacific coastline of which was largely undefended and was believed to be at risk from the German East Asian Cruiser Squadron under [[Maximilian von Spee]], which had embarked on a raiding campaign in the [[Pacific Ocean]] that would culminate in the [[Battle of Coronel]] and the [[Battle of the Falkland Islands]]. Lipsett recognised that there was no immediate threat to the Canadian coast and calmed fears whilst simultaneously organising the local militia forces and deploying the two submarines purchased by provincial Premier [[Richard McBride]].<ref name="DCB"/> His task completed in British Columbia, Lipsett took over command and training of the [[8th Battalion, CEF|8th Battalion]] of the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]] (CEF),{{sfn|Davies|1997|p=82}} 'the Little Black Devils'. A friend recalled that as a commanding officer he was "always accessible and charming in manner, yet there was that about him which made him respected and no one ever presumed on his kindness, except the few old soldiers, who with their war ribbons up, and uncanny intuition, never failed to touch a soft spot in his heart."<ref name="DCB"/> |
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In 1915 the 8th Battalion joined the [[British Army]] in France as part of the [[1st Canadian Division]]. At the [[Second Battle of Ypres]] his troops faced the brunt of the German assault, involving the first use of [[poison gas in World War I|poison gas]] in modern warfare.<ref name="DCB"/> Lipsett is credited with issuing the first order to counteract the effects of poison gas, when he ordered his men to urinate on strips of cloth and tie them to their faces to neutralise the chlorine. Lipsett's battalion was instrumental in holding the line during the action and he was consequently rewarded by being made a [[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]], promoted to acting [[Brigadier (UK)|brigadier-general]] and given command of the [[2nd Canadian Brigade]], which he trained during the spring of 1916 to conduct major trench raids on German lines.<ref name="LG1">{{London Gazette|issue=29202|supp=y|pages=6113–6114|date=23 June 1915}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=29364|page=11205|date=12 November 1915}}</ref><ref name="DCB"/> |
In 1915 the 8th Battalion joined the [[British Army]] in France as part of the [[1st Canadian Division]]. At the [[Second Battle of Ypres]] his troops faced the brunt of the German assault, involving the first use of [[poison gas in World War I|poison gas]] in modern warfare.<ref name="DCB"/> Lipsett is credited with issuing the first order to counteract the effects of poison gas, when he ordered his men to urinate on strips of cloth and tie them to their faces to neutralise the chlorine. Lipsett's battalion was instrumental in holding the line during the action and he was consequently rewarded by being made a [[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]], promoted to acting [[Brigadier (UK)|brigadier-general]] and given command of the [[2nd Canadian Brigade]], which he trained during the spring of 1916 to conduct major trench raids on German lines.<ref name="LG1">{{London Gazette|issue=29202|supp=y|pages=6113–6114|date=23 June 1915}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=29364|page=11205|date=12 November 1915}}</ref><ref name="DCB"/> |
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===3rd Canadian Division=== |
===3rd Canadian Division=== |
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On 2 June 1916, Lipsett's commanding officer [[Malcolm Mercer]] was killed by enemy shellfire at [[Mount Sorrel]] in [[Belgium]] and Lipsett was given an acting promotion to replace him in command of the [[3rd Canadian Division]], |
On 2 June 1916, Lipsett's commanding officer, Major General [[Malcolm Mercer]], was killed by enemy shellfire at [[Mount Sorrel]] in [[Belgium]] and Lipsett was given an acting promotion to replace him in command of the [[3rd Canadian Division]],{{sfn|Davies|1997|p=82}} and a [[brevet (military)|brevet]] promotion to [[Lieutenant-Colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29608|supp=y|pages=5563–5564|date=2 June 1916}}</ref> The Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence Minister Sir [[Sam Hughes]] attempted to have him removed from the division in favour of Hughes' son Garnet, but Lipsett was so highly regarded in the Canadian military establishment that General [[Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy|Julian Byng]] overruled Hughes.<ref name="DCB"/> Lipsett led his division through the worst of the campaigns in 1916, including extensive operations during the [[Battle of the Somme]]. He received promotion to substantive lieutenant-colonel in February 1917,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30247|supp=y|page=8670|date=21 August 1917}}</ref> and in April 1917 Lipsett's division was instrumental in the Canadian success at the [[Battle of Vimy Ridge]]. The following September however the division took heavy casualties in bitter fighting at the [[Battle of Passchendaele]]. After each of these battles, Lipsett was forced to reconstitute and retrain his units with fresh drafts, so severe were the casualties the division took. In August, 1918 he was involved in the planning and execution of an assault on German positions by the entire Canadian Corps which is known as the [[Battle of Amiens (1918)|Battle of Amiens]] which was completely successful and for which he was made a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]].<ref name="DCB"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30450|supp=y|pages=1–2|date=28 December 1917}}</ref> Through the rest of the month he was engaged in combat with the division,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31111|supp=y|pages=344–345|date=3 January 1919}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=31143|page=1265||date=24 January 1919}}</ref> but at the start of September Lieutenant General [[Arthur Currie]], GOC [[Canadian Corps]], and Field Marshal [[Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig|Sir Douglas Haig]], [[Commander-in-chief|Commander-in-Chief]] (C-in-C) of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF) in France and Belgium, arranged his transfer to the command of the [[4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 4th Division]] in order that the Canadian Corps be entirely officered by Canadians.<ref name="DCB"/>{{sfn|Davies|1997|p=82}} |
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===Death=== |
===Death=== |
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[[File:Queant Communal Cemetery British Extension-5.jpg|thumb|left|The grave of Major General Louis Lipsett.]] |
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| ⚫ | Although Lipsett was unhappy about the transfer, he acquiesced and took energetic command of the division during the [[Hundred Days Offensive]]. On 14 October 1918, whilst planning an assault at [[Saulzoir]] in France he was crawling along a bank overlooking the [[River Selle]] with several officers of his own staff and some of the [[49th (West Riding) Infantry Division|49th Division]], when at about 3:15 in the afternoon the party was spotted and a German [[machine gun]] opened fire from across the river. The party went to ground but a single bullet struck Lipsett in the face. He was able to stagger back to his own lines but there collapsed from massive blood loss and never regained consciousness. |
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| ⚫ | Although Lipsett was unhappy about the transfer, he acquiesced and took energetic command of the division during the [[Hundred Days Offensive]]. On 14 October 1918, whilst planning an assault at [[Saulzoir]] in France he was crawling along a bank overlooking the [[River Selle]] with several officers of his own staff and some of the [[49th (West Riding) Infantry Division|49th Division]], when at about 3:15 in the afternoon the party was spotted and a German [[machine gun]] opened fire from across the river. The party went to ground but a single bullet struck Lipsett in the face. He was able to stagger back to his own lines but there collapsed from massive blood loss and never regained consciousness.{{sfn|Davies|1997|pp=82–83}} He was the last British general to be killed during the First World War. Lipsett was buried the following day in [[Quéant Communal Cemetery]]<ref name="CWGC">{{CWGC|id=316130|name=Lipsett, Louis James|access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref> with his funeral attended by dozens of officers from the British and Canadian armies in France including [[Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy|General Julian Byng]] and Lipsett's close friend [[Arthur Currie|Lt.Gen. Arthur Currie]]. The burial party was provided by the unit he had entered the war in command of, the 8th Battalion, C.E.F., and amongst the mourners was the [[Edward VIII|Edward, the Prince of Wales]].{{sfn|Davies|1997|p=83}} After the war he was posthumously awarded the Croix d'officier de la [[Legion d'honneur]] and the [[Croix de Guerre]] by the French government.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31150|supp=y|page=1445|date=29 June 1919}}<br/>{{London Gazette|issue=31465|supp=y|pages=9219–9221|date=18 July 1919}}</ref><ref name="FFW.com">[http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/lipsett.htm Who's Who: Louis James Lipsett], ''First World War.com'', retrieved 26 August 2007</ref> The Imperial War Graves Commission headstone erected over Lipsett's grave bears the inscription: <small>''OUT OF THE STRESS OF THE DOING / INTO THE PEACE OF THE DONE''</small>.<ref name="CWGC"/> |
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Lipsett is remembered in the [[Dictionary of Canadian Biography]] as "arguably the best" Canadian officer of the Great War, "a shrewd and thoughtful tactician whose pre-war professional dedication paid off under fire from Ypres to Amiens" and who "set an example of fearlessness and disregard of danger to those under him at all times and in all places; in fact to lead and not to follow was the ideal which he set for himself and lived up to the end."<ref name="DCB">[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7536 Lipsett, Louis James], ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', retrieved 26 August 2007</ref> |
Lipsett is remembered in the [[Dictionary of Canadian Biography]] as "arguably the best" Canadian officer of the Great War, "a shrewd and thoughtful tactician whose pre-war professional dedication paid off under fire from Ypres to Amiens" and who "set an example of fearlessness and disregard of danger to those under him at all times and in all places; in fact to lead and not to follow was the ideal which he set for himself and lived up to the end."<ref name="DCB">[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7536 Lipsett, Louis James], ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', retrieved 26 August 2007</ref> |
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==See also== |
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*[[List of generals of the British Empire who died during the First World War]] |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Commons category|Louis Lipsett}} |
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*{{cite book | |
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*{{cite book |title=Bloody Red Tabs: General Officer Casualties of the Great War 1914–1918 |last=Davies |first=Frank |year=1997 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-85052-463-5}} |
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author= Frank Davies & Graham Maddocks| |
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title=Bloody Red Tabs | |
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year=1995 | |
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publisher=Leo Cooper| |
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isbn=0-85052-463-6 }} |
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* {{cite web |
* {{cite web |
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| title = Lipsett, Louis James |
| title = Lipsett, Louis James |
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[[Category:British Army personnel of the Second Boer War]] |
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Second Boer War]] |
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[[Category:British Army generals of World War I]] |
[[Category:British Army generals of World War I]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:British Army major generals]] |
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[[Category:British military personnel killed in World War I]] |
[[Category:British military personnel killed in World War I]] |
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[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]] |
[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]] |
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[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]] |
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]] |
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[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]] |
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]] |
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[[Category:Military personnel from County Donegal]] |
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Latest revision as of 12:10, 1 May 2024
Louis James Lipsett | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 14 June 1874 Ballyshannon, County Donegal,,Ireland |
| Died | 14 October 1918 (aged 44) Saulzoir, France |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1894 - 1918 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | Royal Irish Regiment, General Staff |
| Commands held | 3rd Canadian Division British 4th Division |
| Battles/wars | Tirah Campaign |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Major-General Louis James Lipsett CB CMG (14 June 1874 – 14 October 1918), was a senior officer in the British Army and Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. He commanded the 3rd Canadian Division during some of the bitterest battles of the war, taking over in 1916 after his predecessor, Malcolm Mercer, was killed. In 1918, Lipsett took command of the British 4th Division. Less than a month before the end of the war, during a reconnaissance mission observing German positions along the River Selle, Lipsett was killed. He was the last British general to be killed during the First World War.
A highly experienced officer, Lipsett had previously seen action in the Tirah Campaign and the Second Boer War with the British Army, serving as an officer with the Royal Irish Regiment. He was later instrumental in developing military training and education throughout Canada and expanding the shore defences of British Columbia, in response to the threat of the German East Asian Cruiser Squadron. An experienced and capable officer, Lipsett was popular with both his men and his superiors. His death was considered "a deplorable loss to the [4th] Division".[1]
Early military career[edit]
Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, to Richard and Etty Lipsett, in June 1874, Lipsett was raised in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, and Bedford, England, following his father's death in 1887. He was educated at Bedford School and took the Sandhurst entrance examination against the wishes of his tutors, entering the college and graduating 35th from his class of 120. In 1894, Lipsett was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Royal Irish Regiment,[2] and took ship to India where he served for the next five years on the Northwest Frontier, participating in the Tirah Campaign against the Afridi.[3] During these campaigns he conducted himself with distinction, being promoted to lieutenant but also contracting a near-fatal bout of cholera.[1][4]
In 1899 he and his regiment were ordered to South Africa for service in the Second Boer War. Although he did not serve in any significant actions Lipsett performed his duties well, in 1901 was promoted to captain and on his return to England in 1903 was recommended to the Staff College, Camberley.[5][6] In 1905 he returned to South Africa as a staff officer (Deputy-Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General),[7] to aid in the reconstitution of colonial government, a task he performed until 1907, when he was posted back to his regiment.[8] Based at Aldershot, Lipsett conducted both regimental business and operated as an aide-de-camp to the commander of the 2nd Division, Theodore Edward Stephenson.[1][9]
In 1911, Lipsett responded to the call from the Colonial Office for young staff officers to operate in colonial military academies, as military education had been standardised throughout the British Empire in 1909.[3] Lipsett was sent to Canada and promoted to major (in 1913), working hard to improve training in the Dominion.[10] He instigated numerous new training courses and special schools, establishing close ties with the Canadian military establishment and personally training most of the next generation of Canadian staff officers and generals.[1]
First World War[edit]
At the outbreak of the First World War Lipsett was dispatched to British Columbia, the Pacific coastline of which was largely undefended and was believed to be at risk from the German East Asian Cruiser Squadron under Maximilian von Spee, which had embarked on a raiding campaign in the Pacific Ocean that would culminate in the Battle of Coronel and the Battle of the Falkland Islands. Lipsett recognised that there was no immediate threat to the Canadian coast and calmed fears whilst simultaneously organising the local militia forces and deploying the two submarines purchased by provincial Premier Richard McBride.[1] His task completed in British Columbia, Lipsett took over command and training of the 8th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF),[6] 'the Little Black Devils'. A friend recalled that as a commanding officer he was "always accessible and charming in manner, yet there was that about him which made him respected and no one ever presumed on his kindness, except the few old soldiers, who with their war ribbons up, and uncanny intuition, never failed to touch a soft spot in his heart."[1]
In 1915 the 8th Battalion joined the British Army in France as part of the 1st Canadian Division. At the Second Battle of Ypres his troops faced the brunt of the German assault, involving the first use of poison gas in modern warfare.[1] Lipsett is credited with issuing the first order to counteract the effects of poison gas, when he ordered his men to urinate on strips of cloth and tie them to their faces to neutralise the chlorine. Lipsett's battalion was instrumental in holding the line during the action and he was consequently rewarded by being made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, promoted to acting brigadier-general and given command of the 2nd Canadian Brigade, which he trained during the spring of 1916 to conduct major trench raids on German lines.[11][1]
3rd Canadian Division[edit]
On 2 June 1916, Lipsett's commanding officer, Major General Malcolm Mercer, was killed by enemy shellfire at Mount Sorrel in Belgium and Lipsett was given an acting promotion to replace him in command of the 3rd Canadian Division,[6] and a brevet promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel.[12] The Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence Minister Sir Sam Hughes attempted to have him removed from the division in favour of Hughes' son Garnet, but Lipsett was so highly regarded in the Canadian military establishment that General Julian Byng overruled Hughes.[1] Lipsett led his division through the worst of the campaigns in 1916, including extensive operations during the Battle of the Somme. He received promotion to substantive lieutenant-colonel in February 1917,[13] and in April 1917 Lipsett's division was instrumental in the Canadian success at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The following September however the division took heavy casualties in bitter fighting at the Battle of Passchendaele. After each of these battles, Lipsett was forced to reconstitute and retrain his units with fresh drafts, so severe were the casualties the division took. In August, 1918 he was involved in the planning and execution of an assault on German positions by the entire Canadian Corps which is known as the Battle of Amiens which was completely successful and for which he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.[1][14] Through the rest of the month he was engaged in combat with the division,[15] but at the start of September Lieutenant General Arthur Currie, GOC Canadian Corps, and Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France and Belgium, arranged his transfer to the command of the British 4th Division in order that the Canadian Corps be entirely officered by Canadians.[1][6]
Death[edit]
Although Lipsett was unhappy about the transfer, he acquiesced and took energetic command of the division during the Hundred Days Offensive. On 14 October 1918, whilst planning an assault at Saulzoir in France he was crawling along a bank overlooking the River Selle with several officers of his own staff and some of the 49th Division, when at about 3:15 in the afternoon the party was spotted and a German machine gun opened fire from across the river. The party went to ground but a single bullet struck Lipsett in the face. He was able to stagger back to his own lines but there collapsed from massive blood loss and never regained consciousness.[16] He was the last British general to be killed during the First World War. Lipsett was buried the following day in Quéant Communal Cemetery[17] with his funeral attended by dozens of officers from the British and Canadian armies in France including General Julian Byng and Lipsett's close friend Lt.Gen. Arthur Currie. The burial party was provided by the unit he had entered the war in command of, the 8th Battalion, C.E.F., and amongst the mourners was the Edward, the Prince of Wales.[18] After the war he was posthumously awarded the Croix d'officier de la Legion d'honneur and the Croix de Guerre by the French government.[19][3] The Imperial War Graves Commission headstone erected over Lipsett's grave bears the inscription: OUT OF THE STRESS OF THE DOING / INTO THE PEACE OF THE DONE.[17]
Lipsett is remembered in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography as "arguably the best" Canadian officer of the Great War, "a shrewd and thoughtful tactician whose pre-war professional dedication paid off under fire from Ypres to Amiens" and who "set an example of fearlessness and disregard of danger to those under him at all times and in all places; in fact to lead and not to follow was the ideal which he set for himself and lived up to the end."[1]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lipsett, Louis James, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, retrieved 26 August 2007
- ^ "No. 26559". The London Gazette. 9 October 1894. p. 5688.
- ^ a b c Who's Who: Louis James Lipsett, First World War.com, retrieved 26 August 2007
- ^ "No. 26885". The London Gazette. 24 August 1897. p. 4726.
- ^ "No. 27305". The London Gazette. 16 April 1901. p. 2620.
"No. 27526". The London Gazette. 20 February 1903. p. 1132. - ^ a b c d Davies 1997, p. 82.
- ^ "No. 27778". The London Gazette. 24 March 1905. p. 2276.
"No. 27856". The London Gazette. 21 November 1905. p. 7823. - ^ "No. 28127". The London Gazette. 10 April 1908. p. 2756.
"No. 28012". The London Gazette. 12 April 1907. p. 2505. - ^ "No. 28002". The London Gazette. 8 March 1907. p. 1740.
- ^ "No. 28524". The London Gazette. 22 August 1911. p. 6225.
"No. 28782". The London Gazette. 16 December 1913. p. 9255. - ^ "No. 29202". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 June 1915. pp. 6113–6114.
"No. 29364". The London Gazette. 12 November 1915. p. 11205. - ^ "No. 29608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1916. pp. 5563–5564.
- ^ "No. 30247". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 August 1917. p. 8670.
- ^ "No. 30450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1917. pp. 1–2.
- ^ "No. 31111". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 January 1919. pp. 344–345.
"No. 31143". The London Gazette. 24 January 1919. p. 1265. - ^ Davies 1997, pp. 82–83.
- ^ a b "Casualty Details: Lipsett, Louis James". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ Davies 1997, p. 83.
- ^ "No. 31150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1919. p. 1445.
"No. 31465". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 July 1919. pp. 9219–9221.
References[edit]
- Davies, Frank (1997). Bloody Red Tabs: General Officer Casualties of the Great War 1914–1918. London: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-0-85052-463-5.
- "Lipsett, Louis James". Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
- "Who's Who: Louis James Lipsett". First World War.com.
- "casualty details: Lipsett, Louis James". Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
- "Photo Collection Relating to Louis james Lipsett". Veteran Affairs Canada.
- 1874 births
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