Louis Lipsett

Louis Lipsett

Louis James Lipsett (born June 14, 1874 in Bundoran , † October 14, 1918 near Saulzoir ) was a British major general who was known as the leader of a Canadian division in the First World War .

Life

Louis Lipsett was born in Ireland in 1874 , the younger of Richard Lipsett's two sons and grew up in Merthyr Tydfil ( Wales ) in the family of his mother Etty. When his mother was widowed in 1887, she took him to high school in Bedford . One of his teachers, Dr. James Edward Morris found fault with his literary skills. With study and perseverance, he passed the entrance exam into the royal army. He was inducted into the Royal Military College at Sandhurst in 1892 . After graduating from Sandhurst, he was appointed second lieutenant in the Royal Irish Regiment on October 10, 1894 . In July 1897 he was promoted to lieutenant , while he was already in India with the 2nd battalion of his regiment . He took part in the fighting in the Samana and Kurram valleys, in 1897 he accompanied the campaign on the north-western border of India and in 1898 he was involved in the fighting in Tirah ( Pakistan ).

In February 1901 he was promoted to captain on his return to England . He also studied French and qualified as an interpreter in the 2nd class. In 1903 he entered Staff College at Camberley , his instructors included some prominent staff officers of the impending World War. From March 1905 to the end of February 1907 he was with the British Army in South Africa . He returned to England as Major General Stephenson's adjutant and served in the 2nd Division at Aldershot . After that, Lipsett served again for three years in his old Royal Irish Regiment. On July 27, 1911, he was appointed General Staff Officer to Western Canada , where he served with the Royal Canadian Strathconas, with the local rank of major . His tact, his sense of humor and his enthusiasm for the sport made him popular with his colleagues. In a number of military courses, he helped train and inspire many Canadian officers who would soon lead the brigades and battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force .

When World War I broke out in 1914, Lipsett's first mission was to organize the defense of British Columbia , which appeared to be threatened by a German cruiser squadron. As a British officer in Canada, he was honored to lead the 8th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, based on Canada's 90th Regiment. His 8th Battalion fought under General Arthur Currie in the Canadian 2nd Infantry Brigade. In the second Battle of Ypres on April 24, 1915, his unit became the mainstay of Canada's defense against the German gas attack . Lipsett organized his decimated unit so successfully after the battle that he was allowed to take over the 2nd Brigade in September 1915, while Currie received command of the Canadian 1st Division.

When Major General Mercer fell at the beginning of the German attack on Mount Sorrel in June 1916 , the Canadian 3rd Division came to Lipsett. In the last counterattack, Lipsett's brigade had proven itself, the achievement also earned him promotion to major general . Lipsett's unit soon became one of the top divisions in the Canadian Corps . He led the 3rd Division from summer 1916 through the Battle of the Somme , he achieved another success on April 9, 1917 in the Battle of Vimy Ridge and also proved himself in October 1917 in the Battle of Passchendaele . As a division commander, Lipsett received high recognition from his troops. He was widely regarded as a shrewd and thoughtful tactician, whose professional commitment from the pre-war period had paid off. His troops paid him tribute because he often shared their dangers while other generals lived more sheltered. In return, his men trained hard and pioneered the innovations in tactics and technology he developed.

The Canadian 3rd Division played a major role in the victory of August 8, 1918 in the Battle of Amiens and the subsequent breakthrough between Drocourt - Quéant (August 27 and 28). When the British Commander-in-Chief Sir Douglas Haig asked General Currie that Lipsett should command the British 4th Infantry Division, the latter reluctantly followed the request and took over the less powerful formation on September 14, 1918. A month later, on October 14, 1918, he fought in the Bois de Vordon near Saulzoir. In order to get a better overview of the area, he crawled briefly from his position and soon came under German barrage. A bullet hit him in the face and he managed to reach the forest, where he died. A day later, his body was buried in a military cemetery in Quéant. The 3rd Canadian Division organized his funeral. Lipsett's old battalion delivered the salvos of honor, and General Currie led a large contingent of mourners.

literature

• Desmond Morton: Lipsett, Louis James . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . tape 14: 1911-1920 . University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1998, ISBN 0-8020-3476-4 ( English , French ).