William Dobbie
Sir William George Shedden Dobbie , GCMG , KCB , DSO , (born July 12, 1879 in Madras , India , † October 3, 1964 in Kensington , London ) was a British officer and Governor of Malta . He was a veteran of the Second Boer War and the First and Second World Wars .
Childhood and youth
William Dobbie was born in Madras to an Indian Civil Service employee , WH Dobbie. His family had a long line of military tradition. At the age of nine months, his parents left him in the care of relatives in England so that he could receive an education in keeping with family traditions. At the age of thirteen he received a scholarship from the Charterhouse School . He was one of the best students in his class and studied military history at an early age. After graduating from school, he qualified for a military career at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich . From there he moved to the Royal School of Military Engineering in Chatham . He then joined the British Army in 1899 with the Royal Engineers .
Dobbie was a member of the Plymouth Brothers from early youth and a deeply committed Christian. At the age of fourteen he was called, in his own words, to “enter the service of God” ”.
Military career
Second Boer War
In 1901 he went to South Africa with his own horse and stable boy (who volunteered to join him) . During the Second Boer War he served in the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony . There he acquired leadership and technical skills that would benefit him throughout his career.
After traveling to Bermuda and serving in Southern Ireland, Dobbie enrolled in one of the final staff officer courses at Staff College Camberley , before the outbreak of war.
On his return he married his wife Sybil in 1904, the daughter of a captain of the Royal Artillery.
First World War
Dobbie took part in the British Expeditionary Force as adjutant to the commander of the 4th Division in the retreat on the Marne and the subsequent attack on the Aisne . He then served in various divisional, corps and army staffs. In 1918 he became a General Staff Officer in the Operations Department in the High Command under Field Marshal Douglas Haig . When asked what he did in World War I, Dobbie replied, "I finished the damn thing!" He had just become a staff officer in November 1918. The only telex with his signature was the announcement of the armistice to the subordinate troops. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George , also mentioned five times in Despatches and a member of the French Legion of Honor .
Interwar period
In the first ten years after the end of the war, Dobbie served on the General Staff of the Rhine Army, in Aldershot , in the War Office and in the Western Command .
In 1928 he was promoted to brigadier general and took command of the infantry brigade in Cairo , Egypt . A turning point in his career came the following year when he was faced with a serious outbreak of racial and religious hostility between Jews and Arabs in Palestine . The clashes arose from the question of access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem . At that time the garrison in Palestine was provided by the Royal Air Force . However, the situation was completely out of control, law and order had collapsed, and atrocities and riots were rampant. The outbreak occurred during the holiday season, at a time when the High Commissioner and most of the senior officers had left Palestine and were in England. There were few troops within range; Dobbie's Brigade was the closest unit and was tasked with clearing up the situation. Dobbie got on the first train to Jerusalem to immediately take the lead and get the situation under control. Dobbie acted quickly and forcefully. He had the ringleaders arrested and rebel villages occupied. After three weeks he was able to hand over a pacified area. His decisive action was recognized and Dobbie became Companion of the Order of the Bath .
At this point in time, Dobbie's strong religiosity was already evident. At the beginning of the operation, he prayed for the guidance, claiming that he had received it from the Lord. He also allowed the Bible Society to distribute the New Testament to its troops, and included a note with each Bible stating:
"You are stationed at the place where the central event in human history occurred - namely the crucifixion of the Son of God. You may see the place where this happened and you may read the details in this book. As you do this, you cannot help being interested, but your interest will change into something far deeper when you realize the events concern you personally. It was for your sake the Son of God died on the cross here. The realization of this fact cannot but produce a radical change in one's life - and the study of this book will, under God's guidance, help you to such a realization. "
After his promotion to major general in 1932 Dobbie was Commanding General (General Officer Commanding) in Chatham. With this post the command of the School of Military Engineering and the post of the Inspector of the Pioneers (Inspector Royal Engineers, now Engineer-in-Chief) were connected.
In 1935 he became General Officer Commanding of the British forces in British Malaya . He was given responsibility for strengthening the peninsula's defense. For this purpose, his chief of staff Colonel (later Lieutenant General ) Arthur Ernest Percival (1887–1966) was entrusted with the preparation of a tactical study of likely directions of attack. Percival's final report, completed in the second half of 1937, confirmed that northern Malaysia was a key strategic location for the conquest of Singapore and Borneo . Both Dobbie and Percival made it clear that holding Singapore could no longer be taken for granted. The survival of the naval base depended on the defense of mainland Malaysia. In May 1938, Dobbie wrote to the Chief of Staff of the Imperial General Staff:
"... It is an attack from the northward that I regard as the greatest potential danger to the Fortress (Singapore). Such an attack could be carried out in the northeast monsoon. The jungle is not in most places, impassable for infantry ... "
“... I consider an attack from the north to be the greatest potential threat to the fortress (Singapore). Such an attack could be carried out during the northeastern monsoons . In most places the jungle is not impassable for infantry ... "
Dobbie added that an attack could be possible in the months between November and March, despite the wind and high waves produced by the northeast monsoons. Dobbie's and Percival's reports had no consequences. The correctness of their assumptions was confirmed by the successful Japanese campaign in Malaysia and the conquest of Singapore in 1941.
Dobbie was notified in 1939 that he would be retired after serving in Malaya. According to the new guidelines of the British War Department, at 60 years old was too old for further use. In August 1939 he left Malaya and returned to England.
Second World War
After the outbreak of war in September 1939, he tried in vain to return to active service. In April 1940, at lunch at the United Service Club, he met the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Edmund Ironside , who offered him the position of Governor and Commander-in-chief of Malta . Dobbie reached the island a few weeks before the Second Great Siege began .
At the beginning of the war, the garrison and defenses of Malta were in a hopeless state. Dobbie had only five weak battalions, 16 obsolete anti-aircraft guns and four obsolete fighters; the fighters were found more or less by chance in a warehouse in the shipyards. The problem of defense was exacerbated by the high population density (about 2,700 people per square mile). Nine tenths of the food had to be imported. No support was expected from the United Kingdom after the fall of France in June 1940. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff sent Dobbie a telex with the following wording:
"Personal from the CIGS, Deuteronomy Chapter Three, Verse Twenty-Two" (Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you). "
"In person from the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Deuteronomy chapter three, verse 22 (you should not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God will fight for you)."
Dobbie's first act was to issue an order of the day that referred to divine help and support:
"The decision of His Majesty's Government to fight on until our enemies are defeated will have been heard with satisfaction by all ranks of the Garrison of Malta. It may be that hard times lie ahead of us, but however hard they may be, I know that the courage and determination of all ranks will not falter and that with God's help we will maintain the security of this fortress. I therefore call upon all officers and other ranks humbly to seek God's help, and then in reliance upon Him to do their duty unflinchingly. "
“The decision of His Majesty's Government to fight to the final victory over our enemies was heard with satisfaction by all ranks of the Maltese garrison. Difficult times may be ahead, but as hard as they are, I know that the courage and determination of all ranks will not waver, and that with God's help we will keep this fortress safe. I therefore urge all officers and soldiers to humbly seek God's help and then, trusting in him, do their duty fearlessly. "
He then immediately turned to practical difficulties and dangers such as the elimination of the fifth column on the island and the excavation of air raid shelters (the 173rd Tunnel Company RE, which reached the islands in August 1941, made 13 miles of tunnels in the limestone cliffs of the island driven). He organized the defense of the beaches and airfields, the introduction of conscription and thousands of other details.
In July and August 1941 he fought tirelessly for the vital convoys, the first of which reached Malta in October 1941. His proposals were rejected three times (the war with Japan was already visible on the horizon), but his final personal push to Prime Minister Winston Churchill was ultimately successful. This convoy was likely the key factor in strengthening the fort's sustainability in 1942.
In the summer of 1942 the Luftwaffe stopped bombing Malta. By then, around 2,000 attacks had killed one in every seventieth civilians on the islands. It is credit to Dobbie that martial law was not introduced on the islands, although the population suffered from severe deprivation such as malnutrition. At this point John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort , was appointed Dobbie's successor. Dobbie's strength was exhausted. He was replaced for health reasons and returned to England. The end of his term of office was marked by the award of the George Cross to the island. Immediately upon his return, Dobbie Knight became Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George .
Dobbie's religious attitude was ultimately not without controversy, but through it he found easier access to the also deeply religious population of Malta.
post war period
After his retirement, Dobbie devoted himself to work in the Plymouth Brothers . He wrote several religious writings in which he presented his experiences during his military service. From 1940 to 1947 he was Honorary Colonel of the Royal Engineers. He was also the Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John of Jerusalem . Dobbie died on October 3, 1964 at his home in Kensington, London, England at the age of 85. He is buried in Charlton Cemetery .
useful information
Dobbie's marriage was very unconventional for its time. His mother-in-law, a widow with non-conformist tendencies, gave a reception on the eve of the wedding, at the end of which the guests were invited to pray, "for those who wish to attend." The ceremony took place the next day at the Gospel Hall in Bracknell , Berkshire . It was conducted by a general who was quietly assisted by a registrar to make the marriage legal. The bride's uncle, Sir Benjamin Browne , as a devout Anglican Christian, was very confused by the whole matter A tea party was being held in the nearby house of Sir George and Lady Pigot.Dobbie cut the cake with his sword but had unfortunately failed to wipe the petroleum jelly off the blade.
During the Siege of Malta (1940-42), Malta's stubborn defenders joked about "Old Dob Dob's" (as he was affectionately known by the Maltese) during the Arab-Jewish riots in Palestine in 1929:
“This will be the easiest war. . . . We will have to fight only four days a week. The Arabs won't fight on Friday, the Jews on Saturday and Dobbie certainly won't on Sunday. "
“This is the simplest war ... We only have to fight four days a week. The Arabs will not fight on Friday, the Jews will not fight on Saturday and Dobbie will certainly not fight on Sunday. "
Commenting on Dobbie's religious zeal, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma , said:
"[Dobbie] prays aloud after dinner, invoking the aid of God in destroying our enemies. This is highly approved of by the Maltese, who have the same idea about God, but I would prefer an efficient Air force here. "
“[Dobbie] prayed aloud after dinner and pleaded for the destruction of our enemies. This is highly recognized by the people of Malta, who have a similar understanding of God, but I would prefer an efficient air force here. "
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Current Biography: Who's News and Why (1945 ed.) New York: HW Wilson Company. ISBN 0-8242-0482-4
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Biographie Dobbies, Royal Engineers Museum ( Memento from November 24, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- ↑ Ong, Chit Chung (1997) Operation Matador: Britain's war plans against the Japanese 1918–1941. Singapore: Times Academic Press.
- ↑ Quoted in: Time Magazine, Monday, May 18, 1842
literature
- Dobbie, Sybil (1944) Grace Under Malta . London: Lindsay Drummond.
- Dobbie, Sybil Dobbie (1979) Faith & Fortitude . The Life & Works of General Sir William Dobbie: ISBN 0-7066-0810-0
Web links
- Dobbie in Malta (World War II), Royal Engineers Museum (English)
- Biography Dobbies, Royal Engineers Museum ( Memento from November 24, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| General Sir Charles Bonham Carter |
Governor of Malta 1940–1942 |
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dobbie, William |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dobbie, William George Shedden |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British officer and governor of Malta |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 12, 1879 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Madras , India |
| DATE OF DEATH | 3rd October 1964 |
| Place of death | Kensington (London) |