Editing Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode

{{Short description|British Army officer (1869–1950)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Field Marshal (British Army)|Field Marshal]] [[The Right Honourable]]
| name          = The Lord Chetwode
| birth_date    = 21 September 1869
| death_date    = {{death date and age|df=yes|1950|7|6|1869|9|21}}
| birth_place   = [[Westminster]], England
| death_place   = [[Marylebone]], England
| image         = General Sir Philip Chetwode.jpg
| caption       = Portrait by [[John St Helier Lander]], 1919
| allegiance    = United Kingdom
| branch        = [[British Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1889–1935
| unit          = [[Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry]]<br>[[19th Royal Hussars]]
| rank          = [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]]
| commands      = [[19th Royal Hussars]]<br>[[11th Cavalry Brigade (British Indian Army)|London Mounted Brigade]]<br>[[5th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)|5th Cavalry Brigade]]<br>[[2nd Cavalry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Cavalry Division]]<br>[[Desert Column]]<br>[[XX Corps (United Kingdom)|XX Corps]]<br>[[Aldershot Command]]<br>[[Commander-in-Chief, India]]
| battles       = {{Tree list}}
* [[Second Boer War]]
** [[Siege of Ladysmith]]
* [[World War I]]
** [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]
** [[First Battle of Ypres]]
** [[Battle of Rafa]]
** [[First Battle of Gaza]]
** [[Battle of Beersheba (1917)|Battle of Beersheba]]
** [[Battle of Jerusalem]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| awards        = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]<br>[[Member of the Order of Merit]]<br>[[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of India]]<br>[[Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br>[[Distinguished Service Order]]
| laterwork     = [[Constable of the Tower]]<br>President of the [[Royal Geographical Society]]
}}
[[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] '''Philip Walhouse Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|GCB|OM|GCSI|KCMG|DSO|GCStJ}} (21 September 1869 – 6 July 1950), was a senior [[British Army]] [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]]. He saw action during the [[Second Boer War]], during which he was present at the [[Siege of Ladysmith]] in December 1899. He saw action again during [[World War I]] on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], taking part in the [[First Battle of Ypres]], and then in the [[Sinai and Palestine campaign]] during which he led his corps at the [[First Battle of Gaza]] in March 1917, at the [[Battle of Beersheba (1917)|Battle of Beersheba]] in October 1917 and the [[Battle of Jerusalem]] in November 1917.

After the War he held a series of senior military appointments including [[Adjutant-General to the Forces]] and then Commander in Chief [[Aldershot Command]]. He went on to be [[Chief of the General Staff (India)|Chief of the General Staff in India]] in 1928 and [[Commander in Chief in India]] in 1930 and was much concerned with the modernisation and "Indianisation" of the army in India.

==Early life and education==
Born the son of [[Baron Chetwode|Sir George Chetwode, 6th Baronet]], and Alice Jane Bass (daughter of [[Michael Thomas Bass, Jr.|Michael Thomas Bass]] the brewer), Chetwode was educated at [[Eton College|Eton]], where he was an athlete of some distinction, and entered the [[British Army]] through the [[Militia]] with his first commission being as a [[second lieutenant]] in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry (later the [[Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry]]) on 11 April 1888.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=25808 |date= 17 April 1888 |page=2200}}</ref> He then received a commission in the [[Standing army|Regular Army]], still holding a second lieutenant's rank, with the [[19th Hussars]] on 20 November 1889.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25994|page=6136|date=19 November 1889}}</ref>

==Military career==
[[File:Chetwode Chauvel Royston in Egypt 1917 AWM A00049.jpeg|left|thumb|Chetwode (foreground) at El Arish, Egypt, January 1917]]

Promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 6 August 1890,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=26076 |date= 5 August 1890 |page=4283|nolink=y}}</ref> Chetwode first saw active service in the [[Chin Hills]] expedition in Burma from 1892 to 1893{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=87}} and was promoted to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 7 February 1897.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=26826|date= 23 February 1897 |page=1097|nolink=y}}</ref> He served in the [[Second Boer War]] where he took part in the actions at Reitfontein in October 1899, [[Siege of Ladysmith|Ladysmith]] in December 1899, Laing's Nek in June 1900 and Belfast in August 1900: he was twice [[mentioned in despatches]] and was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]].<ref name=LG27359>{{London Gazette |issue=27359 |date=27 September 1901 |page=6305|nolink=y}}</ref> Promoted to [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] on 21 December 1901,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27397 |date=14 January 1902 |page=295|nolink=y}}</ref> he stayed in [[South Africa]] until the end of hostilities. The war ended in late May 1902, and the following month Chetwode returned home in the ''SS Tagus'', arriving at [[Southampton]] in July.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Army in South Africa - Troops returning Home  |date=5 July 1902 |page=8 |issue=36812}}</ref>

He succeeded as 7th Baronet in 1905.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=87}} In 1906, Chetwode became assistant military secretary to Lieutenant General [[John French, 1st Earl of Ypres|Sir John French]] and on 3 January 1908 he was promoted to [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]]<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=28111 |date=21 February 1908 |page=1206|nolink=y}}</ref> on appointment as [[commanding officer]] (CO) of the 19th Hussars.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=87}}

He commanded the regiment for the next four years, during which time he was promoted to [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]], backdated to 4 October 1911,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28569|date=5 January 1912|page=133}}</ref> and was placed on the [[half-pay]] list from 3 January 1912.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28569|date=5 January 1912|page=130|nolink=y}}</ref> On 1 April he reverted to normal pay and succeeded Colonel [[Thomas Calley (British Army officer)|Thomas Calley]] as commander of the [[London Mounted Brigade]], a [[Territorial Force]] (TF) formation.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=87}}<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28604|date=3 May 1912|page=3181|nolink=y}}</ref>

During the [[Curragh incident]] in March 1914 Chetwode was offered command of the [[3rd Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)|3rd Cavalry Brigade]] when Brigadier General [[Hubert Gough]] threatened to resign.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=87}} He knew that he would be "looked upon by all his brother officers as a [[Strikebreaker|scab]]” but thought it "his duty as a soldier to do as he was ordered & not to meddle in politics".{{sfn|Jeffery|2006|p=121, 124}} In the event Gough kept his command and Chetwode remained with the London Mounted Brigade, but his willingness to replace Gough caused some ill feeling.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=87}} Promoted to the temporary rank of [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|brigadier general]] on 15 May,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28832|date=19 May 1914|page=4006|nolink=y}}</ref> he was given command of the [[5th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)|5th Cavalry Brigade]] in August 1914, the same month of the [[British entry into World War I]].{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=87}}

[[File:British generals Jerusalem 1918 AWM A02746A.jpeg|thumb|right|From left to right are, [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Sir Edmund Allenby]], [[Rennie MacInnes]], [[Malcolm Donald Murray]], HRH [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|the Duke of Connaught]], Major General [[John Shea (Indian Army officer)|J S M Shea]], [[Edward Bulfin|Sir E S Bulfin]], General [[Harry Chauvel|Sir Harry Chauvel]], Sir Philip Chetwode<br>(March 19, 1918).]]

[[File:The investiture by H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught. Decorated Generals Allenby, in foreground. LOC matpc.02244 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The investiture by H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, February 1918. Decorated Generals Allenby, in conversation with Lieutenant General Philip Chetwode, in foreground. Stood nearby is Allenby's MGGS, Major General [[Louis Bols]].]]

During the war, Chetwode served on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]: his 5th Cavalry Brigade helped cover the retreat from the frontier, and checked the pursuing Germans at [[Cerizy]] on 29 August 1914.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=87}} After taking part in the [[First Battle of Ypres]] in October 1914, he was appointed [[general officer commanding]] (GOC) [[2nd Cavalry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Cavalry Division]], and along with it came a temporary promotion to [[Major general (United Kingdom)|major general]] on 15 July 1915<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=29267|date=18 August 1915|page=8247 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref> and to substantive major general on 1 January 1916.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=12894|date=17 January 1916|page=86 |city=e}}</ref>

With the war on the Western Front bogged down in [[trench warfare]], Chetwode was transferred to [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] where he was given command of the [[Desert Column]] and promoted to temporary [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|lieutenant general]] with effect from 22 November 1916.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=29882|date=28 December 1916|page=12647 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref> He led the corps at Rafa in January 1917 and at the [[First Battle of Gaza]] in March 1917.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=88}} When General [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Sir Edmund Allenby]], a fellow cavalryman, took command of the Allied forces in Palestine in June 1917, Chetwode was promoted to command of [[XX Corps (United Kingdom)|XX Corps]].{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=88}} He led his corps to military success at the [[Battle of Beersheba (1917)|Battle of Beersheba]] in October 1917 and at the [[Battle of Jerusalem]] in November 1917.<ref name=lh>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/CHETWODE.shtml|title=Philip Chetwode|publisher=Hart Centre for Military Archives|access-date=18 May 2013}}</ref> During the [[Sinai and Palestine campaign]] he was mentioned in despatches eight times.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=88}}

==Service in India and after==
[[File:Philipchetwode.jpg|thumb|left|Philip Chetwode c. 1900s]]

After the war, and following promotion to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 1 January 1919,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=13379|date=6 January 1919|page=88 |city=e}}</ref> Chetwode was appointed to a number of senior military appointments serving as [[Military Secretary (United Kingdom)|military secretary]] from 1919, [[Deputy Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)|Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff]] from October 1920,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32108|page=10600|date=29 October 1920|supp=y}}</ref> [[Adjutant-General to the Forces]] from September 1922 and Commander in Chief [[Aldershot Command]] from March 1923.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32801|page=1495|date=2 March 1923}}</ref> He was promoted to full [[General (United Kingdom)|general]] on 1 June 1926.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33169|date=4 June 1926|page=3654 |nolink=y}}</ref>

Chetwode became [[Chief of the General Staff (India)|Chief of the General Staff in India]] in 1928 and [[Commander-in-Chief, India]], in November 1930.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=88}} He was promoted to [[Field Marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal]] on 13 February 1933.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33917|date=3 March 1933|page=1428 |nolink=y}}</ref> In his tenure as Commander-in-Chief, India, Chetwode was an opponent of replacing horses with tanks; he "made the surprising pronouncement that the Army in India would be unlikely to adopt tanks for a very long time, and then only to keep up the momentum of horsed cavalry."{{sfn|Dixon|1976|p=117}} He was much concerned with the modernisation and "Indianisation" of the army in India. The main building and its central hall at the [[Indian Military Academy]] is named after him. The credo of the academy, engraved on the entrance to the central hall, is a passage from his address delivered at the formal inauguration of the academy in 1932: {{blockquote|''The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time.'' 
''The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next.''

''Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.''}} This is known as the "Chetwode Motto" and is the motto of the officers passing out from the academy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.induscommunityschool.com/newsletter-ceo-April2012.asp|title=Servant-hood|publisher=Indus International Community School|access-date=18 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714194329/http://www.induscommunityschool.com/newsletter-ceo-April2012.asp|archive-date=14 July 2014}}</ref>

Chetwode returned from India in May 1934.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=89}} He was [[Constable of the Tower]] from 1943 to 1948 and also President of the [[Royal Geographical Society]] as well as the recipient of an [[Honorary degree|Honorary]] [[Doctor of Civil Law|DCL]] from [[Oxford University]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/26th-june-1936/2/cardinal-seredi-at-oxford |title=Cardinal Seredi at Oxford|newspaper=Catholic Herald|access-date=18 May 2013}}</ref> He had been appointed a [[deputy lieutenant]] of Buckinghamshire on 6 March 1919.<ref>{{London Gazette | issue=31230 |page=3483 | date=14 March 1919}}</ref> He was created '''Baron Chetwode''', of [[Chetwode]] in the [[Buckinghamshire|County of Buckingham]], on 10 July 1945<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37119|date=14 June 1945|page=2933 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37177|date=13 July 1945|page=3629 |nolink=y}}</ref> and died in London on 6 June 1950.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=89}}

==Family==
Chetwode married Hester (Star) Alice Camilla Stapleton Cotton and had a son Roger and a daughter Penelope.{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=89}}
* Roger Chetwode married Honourable Molly Berry, daughter of the 1st [[Viscount Camrose]]. He was killed on active service on 14 August 1940 at age 34, leaving two sons: Philip, the 2nd Baron Chetwode, and Christopher.
* Honourable [[Penelope Chetwode]] married [[John Betjeman]] the poet (later [[Poet Laureate]]) and had a son Paul and daughter [[Candida Lycett Green]].
Chetwode's sister Florence was married to [[Noel Birch|General Noel Birch]].

==Honours and awards==

===British===
*'''DSO''' : [[Distinguished Service Order|Companion of the Distinguished Service Order]] – ''20 November 1900'' – for services during the operations in South Africa ([[Second Boer War]])<ref name=LG27359/>
*'''KCMG''' : [[Order of St Michael and St George|Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George]] – ''4 June 1917''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=30111|date=4 June 1917|page=5458 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref>
*'''GCB''' : [[Order of the Bath|Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] (GCB) – ''3 June 1929''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33501|date= 3 June 1929|page=3668 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref>
**'''KCB''' : Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath – ''11 January 1918''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=30471|date= 11 January 1918|page=721 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref>
**'''CB''' : Companion of the Order of the Bath – ''18 February 1915''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=29086|date= 18 February 1915|page=2090 |nolink=y}}</ref>
*'''KJStJ''' : [[Venerable Order of St John|Knight of Justice of the Venerable Order of St. John]] – ''23 December 1930''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33676|date= 2 January 1931|page=53 |nolink=y}}</ref>
*'''GCSI''' : [[Order of the Star of India|Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]] – ''4 June 1934''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34056|date= 4 June 1934|page=3559 |nolink=y}}</ref>
*'''OM''' : [[Order of Merit (United Kingdom)|Member of the Order of Merit]] – ''1 January 1936''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34238|date= 1 January 1936|page=4 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref>

===Foreign===
*[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)]] – ''21 May 1917''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=30081|date= 21 May 1917|page=4920 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref>
*[[Order of the Nile]], 2nd Class (Egypt) – ''9 November 1918''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=13350|date= 12 November 1918|page=4176 |city=e}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book|last=Dixon|first=Norman|title=[[On the Psychology of Military Incompetence]]|year=1976|publisher=Jonathan Cape|location=London|isbn=0-224-01161-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Heathcote|first=Tony|title=The British Field Marshals 1736–1997|year=1999|publisher=Leo Cooper|isbn= 0-85052-696-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Jeffery|first=Keith|title=Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson: A Political Soldier|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-19-820358-2}}

==External links==
*[https://generals.dk/general/Chetwode/Philip_Walhouse/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]
{{Commons category|Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode}}

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{{succession box | title=[[Baron Chetwode|Baronet]]<br />'''(of Oakley) | years='''1905–1950 | before=[[Sir George Chetwode, 6th Baronet|George Chetwode]] |  after=[[Philip Chetwode, 2nd Baron Chetwode|Philip Chetwode]]}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chetwode, Philip Walhouse, 1st Baron}}
[[Category:1869 births]]
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