Hurdis Ravenshaw

Major-General Hurdis Secundus Lalande Ravenshaw CMG (June 1869 – c. 6 June 1920) was a senior British Army officer in the First World War who served at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and saw action on the North-West Frontier of India, in South Africa in the Second Boer War and in France and Greece in the First World War. In 1916 a German U-boat captured him, and he was a prisoner of war for the next two years. He died in 1920 in unusual circumstances after becoming lost in the South African bush near Port Elizabeth and succumbing to the elements.

Hurdis Ravenshaw
BornJune 1869
Died6 June 1920 (aged 50)
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1888–1920
RankMajor-General
UnitEast Yorkshire Regiment,
Devonshire Regiment,
Connaught Rangers
Commands heldBritish 83rd Brigade,
British 27th Division
Battles/warsChitral expedition
Malakand
Tirah Campaign
Second Boer War
First World War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of St Michael and St George

Military career

Hurdis Ravenshaw was born in June 1869 to John Hurdis Ravenshaw and his second wife Harriet Lalande Biggs. His elder half-brother was Thomas Edward Ravenshaw.[1] He was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and from there joined the militia, using this posting to gain a commission in the East Yorkshire Regiment in December 1888. Seeking action, in August 1890 he transferred to the Devonshire Regiment who were sent to India and went on campaign in 1895 as part of the Chitral Relief Force which overthrew the Mehtar of Chitral and replaced him with the pro-British Shuja ul-Mulk the younger son of the former ruler, Aman ul-Mulk.[2]

In 1897 and 1898 Ravenshaw was again active, conducting operations against Malakand and then participating in the Tirah Campaign where he was with the army which forced the Khyber Pass against the Afridis. He was appointed adjutant of the 1st battalion of his regiment in December 1898, serving until December 1902.[3] In these years he was transferred with his regiment to South Africa to fight against the Boers at the outbreak of the Second Boer War in late 1899. He fought in the relief of Ladysmith and numerous smaller actions for three years. After his return home in 1902, Ravenshaw was given the position of Adjutant at Sandhurst, a post he held until 1907.[2]

First World War

In 1914, Ravenshaw was brought out of semi-retirement to command the 1st battalion of the Connaught Rangers, an Irish regiment in India which he brought to France for service on the Western Front in late September.[1] Ravenshaw remained in command of the Connaught Rangers until April 1915, when he was made a staff officer at 1st Division headquarters before being promoted and given command of the 83rd Brigade. This unit saw action in France during 1915 before being sent to Salonica in Greece as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.[2] There he served against the Bulgarian Army, rising to command the 27th Division in October 1916.[2]

The troop ship Caledonia

In December 1916, Ravenshaw sailed on the troop ship Caledonia to meet his superiors in England. On 4 December, U-65 sank Caledonia in the Mediterranean, and captured both Ravenshaw and his adjutant Captain FHD Vickerman.[4] They were taken to Austria-Hungary, where they were prisoners of war for the next two years.[2]

Released after the armistice, Ravenshaw was appointed commander of the troops in South Africa.[5] In 1920 he travelled to Port Elizabeth in South Africa and on 6 June was seen entering Addo Bush near the city but failed to return. A search party discovered his body two days later.[2]

Notes
  1. Lundy, Darryl. "Maj-Gen. Hurdis Secundus Lalande Ravenshaw". The Peerage., thePeerage.com. Retrieved 19 August 2007
  2. Davies & Maddocks, Bloody Red Tabs, p. 182.
  3. "No. 27502". The London Gazette. 9 December 1902. p. 8511.
  4. "Says Blaikie's ship damaged U-boat". The New York Times. 14 December 1916. p. 8. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Times Machine.
  5. "No. 31453". The London Gazette (4th supplement). 12 July 1919. p. 8947.

References
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