Frederick Stopford

Lieutenant General Sir Frederick William Stopford, KCB, KCMG, KCVO (2 February 1854 – 4 May 1929) was a British Army officer, best remembered for commanding the Suvla Bay landing in August 1915 during the Gallipoli Campaign.

Military career

He was a younger son of James Stopford, 4th Earl of Courtown, and his second wife Dora Pennefather. Stopford was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1871.^[1] He was appointed Aide-de-Camp to Sir John Adye, Chief of Staff for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force and took part in the Battle of Tel el-Kebir in 1882.^[1] He went on to be Aide-de-Camp to Major General Arthur Fremantle, Commander of the Suakin Expedition in 1885.^[1] He was then made Brigade Major for the Brigade of Guards which had been posted to Egypt.^[1]

He returned to England to be Brigade Major of 2nd Infantry Brigade at Aldershot in 1886.^[1] He became Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Horseguards in 1892 and Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Aldershot in 1894.^[1] He took part in the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War in 1895 and became Assistant Adjutant General at Horseguards in 1897.^[1]

He took part in the Second Boer War as Military Secretary to General Sir Redvers Buller and later Military Secretary to the General Officer Commanding Natal,^[1] for which he was knighted and appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in November 1900.^[2]

After his return to the United Kingdom, he was appointed Deputy Adjutant General at Aldershot in 1901, and Chief Staff Officer for 1st Army Corps with the temporary rank of brigadier general on 1 April 1902.^[3] Two years later, he was appointed Director of Military Training at Horseguards in 1904.^[1] He was Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding London District from 1906.^[1]

He took part in the First World War and, as General Officer Commanding IX Corps, was blamed for the failure to attack following the Suvla Bay landing in August 1915 during the Gallipoli Campaign; however, responsibility ultimately lay with Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, who had appointed the elderly and inexperienced general to an active corps command, and with Sir Ian Hamilton, who had accepted Stopford's appointment. Stopford had chosen to command the landing from the sloop HMS Jonquil, anchored offshore, but slept as the landing was in progress.^[4] He was quickly replaced by General Sir Julian Byng. He retired in 1920.^[5]

References