23 Facts About Ivor Maxse

Ivor Maxse was the eldest of four children born to Admiral Frederick Maxse and Cecilia Steel.

Ivor Maxse's siblings were Olive Hermione Maxse, and editors Violet Milner, Viscountess Milner, and Leopold Maxse.

Ivor Maxse was a nephew of Sir Henry Berkeley Fitzhardinge Maxse.

Ivor Maxse was educated at Mr Lake's Preparatory School in Caterham, Surrey from 1875 to 1877; Rugby School from 1877 to 1880 and Royal Military College, Sandhurst from 1881 to 1882.

Ivor Maxse served with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment in India for the first few years of his military career.

Ivor Maxse transferred to the Coldstream Guards in May 1891.

Ivor Maxse was promoted in December 1897 to major and served in the Egyptian Army where he was present at the Battle of Atbara and the Battle of Omdurman.

Ivor Maxse then served in the Second Boer War, in the rank of lieutenant colonel, as a staff officer in the transport department in South Africa.

Ivor Maxse was promoted to brevet colonel in January 1905.

Ivor Maxse led the 18th Division when it took all its objectives on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Ivor Maxse achieved this in part by hiding the division in no man's land before the battle was joined and having them closely follow the creeping barrage towards the German line.

In January 1917, Ivor Maxse, made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, was promoted to temporary lieutenant-general and given command of XVIII Corps, which he commanded during the Battle of Passchendaele later in the year.

On receiving these messages at around noon, Ivor Maxse ordered XVIII Corps to withdraw immediately, without cover of artillery fire, and they fell back behind the Somme altogether that evening.

Ivor Maxse was able to hold on with the help of a counterattack by "Harman's Detachment": remnants of 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Divisions, 600 assorted infantry under a Royal Horse Artillery Officer and 8 Lewis Gun detachments from a Royal Engineer balloon Company.

Ivor Maxse's speciality was training and he was moved from field command in June 1918, to become Inspector General of Training to the British Armies in France and the UK, to impose uniformity of training in preparing men for the combination of assault and open warfare that was to characterise the Hundred Days Offensive.

Ivor Maxse went on to be general officer commanding-in-chief of Northern Command from June 1919, when he took over from General Sir John Maxwell, until 1923.

Ivor Maxse ceased to belong to the reserve of officers in December 1929.

Ivor Maxse held the post of colonel of the Middlesex Regiment from 1921 to 1932.

Ivor Maxse retired to Sussex, becoming a deputy lieutenant for the county in June 1932, and in 1936 he decided to establish a fruit-growing company, in Little Bognor, Fittleworth, near Petworth: the Maxey Fruit Company.

Ivor Maxse moved to a nursing home in Pendean, West Lavington in Sussex, where lived the last two years of his life.

Ivor Maxse died in 1958: described as an "atheist", he was nevertheless buried at St Mary's Church, Fittleworth, West Sussex.

Ivor Maxse was always ready to encourage and make use of new ideas.

The military historian Correlli Barnett said Ivor Maxse was "One of the ablest officers of his generation, a man of originality and drive, and a formidable personality".