Arthur Asquith

Infobox Military Person
name= Arthur Melland Asquith
lived= 24 April 1883 – 25 August 1939
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
serviceyears= 1914 to 1917
rank= Brigadier-General
branch=
commands= 189th Brigade, 63rd Division
unit=
battles= First World War • Siege of Antwerp • Battle of Gallipoli • Western Front
awards= Distinguished Service Order and two bars
laterwork=

Brigadier-General Arthur Melland Asquith (24 April 1883 – 25 August 1939) was a senior officer of the Royal Naval Division, a Royal Navy land detachment attached to the British Army during the First World War. His father, H. H. Asquith was the British Prime Minister during the first three years of the conflict and later became the Earl of Oxford. Arthur Asquith was wounded four times in the war and three times awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery under fire. In December 1917, Asquith was seriously wounded during fighting near Beaucamp and was evacuated to Britain where one of his legs was amputated. Asquith retired from the military following his wound and worked for the Ministry of Munitions.

Military Service

Arthur Asquith was born in 1883, the third son of politician H. H. Asquith and his wife Helen Melland, who died when Arthur was seven in 1891. Asquith was educated at Winchester College with his brothers and later attended New College, Oxford as an undergraduate. After completing his studies, Asquith joined the trading firm Franklin & Herrera, with whom he did extensive business in Argentina. [http://www.firstworldwar.bham.ac.uk/donkey/asquith.htm Hon. Arthur Melland Asquith] , "Centre for First World War Studies", John Bourne, University of Birmingham, Retrieved 3 July 2008]

When the First World War broke out in the summer of 1914, Asquith resigned from Franklin & Herrera and joined the Royal Navy, explaining that he could not "sit quietly by reading the papers" during the conflict. His elder brothers also joined up, Raymond Asquith was commissioned in the London Regiment and was killed in action in 1916 while Herbert Asquith joined the Royal Artillery. As the Royal Navy had too many recruits in the early months of the war, they formed a separate division to deploy on land known as the Royal Naval Division. This force was rapidly deployed to Belgium with Arthur Asquith as a junior officer. P.109, "Bloody Red Tabs", Davies & Maddocks ]

The Royal Naval Division suffered heavy casualties in the Siege of Antwerp, and was withdrawn shortly before the city fell, but in 1915 it was redeployed to the Mediterranean for use in the Battle of Gallipoli. Shortly after arrival, Asquith's friend and colleague Rupert Brooke died from an infected mosquito bite. During the battle of Gallipoli, Asquith was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions but was also wounded, resulting in his withdrawal to staff work. P.110, "Bloody Red Tabs", Davies & Maddocks ]

In 1916, The Royal Naval Division, now designated the 63rd Division, was sent to the Western Front. Asquith remained as a staff officer until April 1917, when heavy casualties forced him to replace Bernard Freyberg in command of the 189th Brigade. At the head of this formation, Asquith participated in heavy fighting throughout the year, earning two bars to his DSO and being wounded twice more.

On 17 December 1917, Asquith was badly wounded forcing his evacuation to Britain. Despite extensive surgery, his leg was amputated in January 1918, forcing his retirement from the military with the rank of brigadier-general. Asquith then served the remainder of the war with the Ministry of Munitions, in the Controller of the Trench Warfare Department. Asquith retired following the end of the war to his home in Devon, where he died in August 1939. [http://www.thepeerage.com/p1462.htm#i14611 Brig.-Gen Hon. Arthur Melland Asquith] , "peerage.com", Daryl Lundy, Retrieved 3 July 2008]

Notes

References

*cite book
author= Frank Davies & Graham Maddocks| title=Bloody Red Tabs
date=1995
publisher=Leo Cooper
id=ISBN 0-850524-63-6

Persondata
NAME=Asquith, Arthur Melland
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= British First World War general
DATE OF BIRTH=24 April 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH=Unknown
DATE OF DEATH=25 August 1939
PLACE OF DEATH=Devon