King's College London
Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives

Survey of the Papers of Senior UK Defence Personnel, 1900-1975

Service biography
Commissioned 4 Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers 1883; 12 Lancers 1885; 11 Bengal Lancers 1887; Hazara Campaign 1891; Isazai 1892; Adjutant, Viceroy's Bodyguard, India 1893; North West Frontier, India and Tirah campaign 1897-1898; South African War 1899-1902; Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, South Africa 1900; Military Secretary to Commander-in-Chief (Gen Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum), South Africa 1902; Assistant Military Secretary and interpreter to Commander-in-Chief, India 1902; Assistant Adjutant General, Headquarters India 1904; Military Secretary to Commander-in-Chief (Gen Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Vicount Kitchener of Khartoum), India 1905; Mohmand expedition 1908; Bde Commander, Kohat Bde, North West Frontier, India 1909; Quartermaster General, India 1912; Secretary to Government of India, Army Department and Member of the Governor General's Legislative Council 1912-1914; General Officer Commanding Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, World War I 1914-1918; Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and Commander, Dardanelles Army, Gallipoli 1915-1916; General Officer Commanding Australian Imperial Force 1915-1918; France 1916-1918; Commander, 5 Army, France 1918-1919; General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Army, India 1920-1924; Commander-in-Chief, India 1925-1930; Member of the Executive Council of the Governor Gen and of the Council of State of India 1925

Papers
LIDDELL HART CENTRE FOR MILITARY ARCHIVES: The papers of Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton include a file of correspondence with Birdwood 1915-1916 relating to Gallipoli, including details of senior army appointments, and planning of the final evacuation, 1916 (ref: Hamilton 5/10); the Hamilton papers also include a file of correspondence with Birdwood 1917-1925, including extracts from Hamilton's evidence given to the Dardanelles commission, and a copy of Birdwood's statement to the Esher Commission on military administration in India (ref: Hamilton 1/14); the papers of Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart include correspondence 1949-1957 (Ref: LH 1/75); the papers of Maj Gen Sir Frederick Barton Maurice include a single letter from Birdwood to Maurice, Nov 1930, including comment on current affairs in India (one page, ref: Maurice 3/5/191) ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY, NATIONAL LIBRARY OF NEW ZEALAND, WELLINGTON: five letters to Maj Gen Sir Godfrey Williams 1916-1918; BRITISH LIBRARY DEPARTMENT OF MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS, LONDON: The papers of Lt Gen Sir Edward (Thomas Henry) Hutton include correspondence with Birdwood 1916-1920 (ref: Add Mss 50089); the papers of Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe of St Peter in the County of Kent, include correspondence with Birdwood 1917 (ref: Add MS 62159); BRITISH LIBRARY, ORIENTAL AND INDIA OFFICE COLLECTIONS, LONDON: Correspondence and papers, mainly relating to service under Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum and Broome, and to military administration in India 1888-1944 (ref: MSS Eur D 686); the papers of Sir Francis (Edward) Younghusband include correspondence (ref: MSS Eur F 197); the papers of Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, Governor of Burma, include letters from Birdwood 1909-1927 (ref: MSS Eur F 116); the papers of Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall include letters from Birdwood 1900-1911 (ref: MSS Eur F 132); letters to Rufus Daniel Isaacs Reading, 1st Marquess of Reading, Viceroy of India 1921-1935 (ref: MSS Eur e 238, F 118); CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DEPARTMENT OF MANUSCRIPTS: The papers of Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, include correspondence with Birdwood 1912-1917 (ref: Hardinge); CHURCHILL ARCHIVES CENTRE, CHURCHILL COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY: Papers of Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha of Devonport, include personal letters from Birdwood, Mar-Oct 1939 (ref: HOBE 7/6); the papers of AF Sir John Michael de Robeck include correspondence with Birdwood 1915-1928 (ref: DRBK); IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM, LONDON: Papers relating to Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) forces in Dardanelles and France 1915-1917 (overall ref: P216), including; 12 letters to Col Rintoul relating to Anzac forces 1915-1917 (ref: WRB/1); reports to Chief of General Staff, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force on the Gallipoli landings, Apr 1915 (ref: WRB/1); three letters to Maj R A Lamprey relating to the Heavy Anti Aircraft Regt 1942-1943 (ref: WRB/2); a single letter to Col Robert Alexander Carruthers relating to his appointment as Birdwood's Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General, Nov 1914 (ref: WRB/3); the papers of V Adm Harry Rowlandson Godfrey (ref: 66/19/1) include a single letter from Birdwood describing the Gallipoli evacuation, Dec 1915; the papers of FM Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein and Hindhead, include two letters from Birdwood 1944-1945 (ref: BLM 97/40, 76); LIDDLE COLLECTION, LEEDS UNIVERSITY: Photocopies of letters to Col Rintoul (originals at Australian War Memorial) 1915; photographs of Gallipoli campaign 1915; LIVERPOOL RECORD OFFICE AND LOCAL HISTORY SERVICE: The papers of Sir Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, include correspondence with Birdwood as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Army and Commander-in-Chief India 1923-1929 (ref: 920 DER 33); NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM, LONDON: an account of visit to Ankara, Turkey for the funeral of Gen Kemel Ataturk 1938 (ref: 5910-99-2); NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA: the papers of Ronald Crauford Munro-Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar (Governor General of Australia, 1914-1920), include correspondence with Birdwood 1914-1920; NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM, LONDON: The papers of Adm Sir Cecil Thursby include letters from Birdwood 1915-1923 (ref: 88/002); PRIVATE POSSESSION: Correspondence with Gen Sir John Ewart (no date) (enquiries to the National Register of Scotland, ref: NRA(S) 0370); PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON: The Kitchener papers include correspondence relating to the Dardanelles campaign, and correspondence 1916-1938, with Sir George Arthur about his biography of Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum and Broome (ref: PRO 30/12, War Office 159); RHODES HOUSE LIBRARY, OXFORD UNIVERSITY: The papers of Col Charles William Garne Walker include correspondence with Birdwood 1926-1927 (ref: MSS Afr s 717)

Publications
: Despatch by Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood on the disturbances on the North West Frontier of India, 23 April to 12 September, 1930 (Air Ministry, London, 1932); Khaki and gown: an autobiography (Ward Lock & Co, London, 1941); In my time: recollections and anecdotes (Skeffington & Son, London, 1944)

Index terms
SUBJECTS Commonwealth Forces 1914-1918; staff 1912-1930
PLACES South Asia 1888-1944; Balkans 1915-1916; Middle East 1938
NAMES Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha of Devonport, 1939

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