William Robertson in United Kingdom

History of the Field Marshal Sir William Robertson (1860-1933)

The following commentary about Field Marshal Sir William Robertson (1860-1933) in the Churchill Era is produced by the Churchill College (Cambridge): British General. Chief of Staff in France, 1915, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 1915-1918 (responsible for co-ordinating the armed forces of Britain and the Empire).

Robertson was a convinced “westerner” (concentrating on the Western Front) and a strong supporter of Field Marshal Haig. It was Robertson who took the decision to pull out of the disastrous Dardanelles campaign. Robertson was out-manoeuvred by his political opponents, and replaced in February 1918 by Sir Henry Wilson.

Robertson began his military career as a private in the ranks in 1877, achieving promotion to officer rank as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Dragoon Guards, 1888. Thereafter he served as: a staff officer in Intelligence in India and South Africa; as Assistant Director of Military Operations, War Office, 1901-1907; on the General Staff, Aldershot, 1907-1910; as Commandant of the Staff College, 1910-1913; Director of Military Training at War Office, 1913-1914. Robertson began the First World War as Quartermaster-General (head of the department which provides soldiers’ quarters) of the British Expeditionary Force (part of the Army available for service in Europe) in 1914, before becoming Chief of General Staff in 1915 (renamed as Chief of Imperial General Staff, 1915-1918). After a brief spell as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command, he returned home to act as Commander-in-Chief of the forces in Britain, 1918-1919, then Commander-in-Chief, British Army on the Rhine, 1919-1920. Robertson was finally promoted to Field-Marshal, 1920, and is still the only man to rise to this rank from that of private.