21 Facts About Walter Braithwaite

General Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite, was a British Army officer who held senior commands during the First World War.

Walter Braithwaite was educated at Victoria College between 1875 and 1880, and at Bedford School between 1880 and 1884.

Walter Braithwaite studied at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned as a subaltern, with the rank of lieutenant, into the Somerset Light Infantry on 30 January 1886.

Walter Braithwaite was appointed an adjutant of his regiment in October 1892 and was promoted to captain on 8 November 1894.

Walter Braithwaite served in the Second Boer War, seeing action at Ladysmith, Spion Kop, Vaal Krantz and Tugela Heights.

Walter Braithwaite was mentioned in despatches three times and in a South Africa honours list received the brevet rank of major on 29 November 1900.

In 1906, Walter Braithwaite was promoted to major, and transferred to The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.

Walter Braithwaite was later promoted in January 1906 to lieutenant colonel and succeeded Richard Haking as a deputy assistant adjutant general at the Staff College, Camberley.

Walter Braithwaite held this post until May 1908 when he was made a GSO1 there.

Walter Braithwaite gave up this appointment in January 1911 and then went on half-pay.

Walter Braithwaite only had to endure this until March when he was promoted to temporary brigadier general and named commandant of the Staff College, Quetta, a position he still held at the outbreak of the First World War in the summer of 1914.

Walter Braithwaite was regarded by many of the Australians involved in that effort as "arrogant and incompetent".

Walter Braithwaite was, in December 1915, assigned to command of the 62nd Division, a Territorial Force formation, which was posted to the Western Front in January 1917.

Walter Braithwaite was devastated by his son's death on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Walter Braithwaite became general officer commanding-in-chief Western Command, India in December 1920, which he relinquished command of in June 1923.

Walter Braithwaite was then GOC-in-C at Scottish Command in 1923, in succession to General Sir Francis Davies, and then GOC-in-C at Eastern Command in February 1926 during which time he was promoted to general in April.

Walter Braithwaite relinquished his appointment of adjutant general and retired from the army in March 1931.

Walter Braithwaite served as a commissioner of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission from 1927 to 1931, as governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from October 1931 to 1938, and as King of Arms of the Order of the Bath from 1933 until his death.

Walter Braithwaite died at his home in Rotherwick, Hampshire on 7 September 1945, at the age of 79.

Walter Braithwaite married in 1895 Jessie Ashworth, with whom he had a son, Valentine.

Captain Valentine Walter Braithwaite MC was killed in action at Serre while serving with his father's former regiment, the Somerset Light Infantry, on 1 July 1916 aged 20.