William Hacket Pain

Infobox Military Person
name=George William Hacket Pain
born=5 February 1855
died=14 February 1924
placeofdeath=Osborne House, Isle of Wight
placeofburial=Whippingham, Isle of Wight
placeofburial_label=Buried
allegiance=United Kingdom, Ulster
branch=British Army, Ulster Volunteers (1913-1914)
serviceyears=1875-1912, 1914-1919
rank=Brigadier-General
unit=36th (Ulster) Division
commands=108th Infantry Brigade; Northern district of Ireland
battles=Mahdist War, Second Boer War, First World War, Irish War of Independence
awards=KBE, CB, 3rd class Medjidie, 3rd class Osmanieh
laterwork=RIC Commander, MP for South Derry

Brigadier-General Sir George William Hacket Pain KBE CB (5 February 1855 – 14 February 1924) was a British Army officer and Royal Irish Constabulary commissioner. He played a key part in setting up the Ulster Volunteers as a unionist militia during the Home Rule crisis of 1912, and was believed to have organised gun-running. At the outbreak of the First World War he served in command of a Brigade of the Ulster Division and commanding British forces in the north of Ireland. He served briefly as a Unionist Member of Parliament.

Early career

Hacket Pain joined the Army in 1875, initially serving part-time in the Royal Wiltshire Militia, and in October of that year as a Lieutenant of Militia he passed the qualifying examination of the Civil Service Commissioners."Naval And Military Intelligence", "The Times", 28 October 1875, p. 11.] He transferred to the regular army on 20 November, when he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 102nd Foot, and then joined the 2nd Regiment of Foot (Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)) on 18 December 1875."The Times", 20 November 1875, p. 8.] [LondonGazette|issue=24268|startpage=5518|endpage=5519|date=19 November 1875|accessdate=2008-10-09] [LondonGazette|issue=24276|startpage=6468|date=17 December 1875|accessdate=2008-10-09] He served in the Sudan from 1888 to 1891M. Stenton and S. Lees, "Who's Who of British MPs" Vol. III (Harvester Humanities, 1979), p. 272.] as a Captain in the West Surreys, and was awarded the Order of Osmanieh Third Class which he was given a Royal Licence to wear on his British uniform."The Times", 19 August 1891, p. 6.]

outh African war

In 1896 Hacket Pain was promoted from Major to Lieutenant-Colonel in the Worcestershire Regiment. He was still employed with the Egyptian Army,"The Times", 18 November 1896, p. 10.] and served in Egypt from 1896 to 1898. On 27 December 1898, he married Saidie Merton, an Australian, at Cairo."Marriages", "The Times", 28 December 1898, p. 1.] He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1900, and served in South Africa throughout the South African War of 1900-02. Back in Britain, in 1908 he was placed in command of the South Midland district, in which post he served for three years. Hacket Pain left the Army in February 1912."Sir W. Hacket Pain" (Obituary), "The Times", 15 February 1924, p. 15.]

Ulster Volunteers

Hacket Pain's retirement from the Army coincided with preparations in the north of Ireland for active resistance to Home Rule. At the beginning of 1912 many Unionists had offered their services and begun drilling with dummy rifles, which were considered ridiculous by their political opponents. According to Timothy Bowman's history, Hacket Pain was among a select group of senior officers specifically recruited by the Unionist establishment to be Chief of Staff to Lieutenant-General Sir George Richardson, the General Officer Commanding of the Volunteers.Timothy Bowman, "Carson's Army", Manchester University Press, 2007, p. 58.]

Under Hacket Pain's guidance, the Volunteers were organised and trained in military effectiveness."The Volunteers Of Ulster", "The Times", 19 March 1914, p. 6.] He insisted, however, that Volunteer units should use their own ranks rather than traditional British Army ones, and reprimanded units which failed to follow this approach.Timothy Bowman, "Carson's Army", Manchester University Press, 2007, p. 82.] Hacket Pain was fully supportive of the Ulster Volunteers' political agenda, and made a political speech at a smoking concert for a section of the East Belfast Regiment in Ballynafeigh in August 1914.Timothy Bowman, "Carson's Army", Manchester University Press, 2007, p. 128.]

Larne Gun Running

Just as the Ulster Volunteers knew they needed armaments, the British authorities were keen to stop them from landing guns on Irish shores. At the end of March 1914, just as the Ulster Volunteers were readying for an imminent civil war, a Norwegian steamer called "Fanny" was filled full of 35,000 rifles from Germany, and gave its destination as "Öreland" (sic). Two English-speaking people were said to be on board."Gun-Smuggling In The Baltic", "The Times", 1 April 1914, p. 7.] The owners of the ship insisted that the destination was in fact South America, and some connected the cargo with the Mexican Revolution,"Mystery Of An Arms Cargo", "The Times", 2 April 1914, p. 7.] but on 25 April the "Fanny" (disguised as the "Mountjoy") landed its cargo at Larne, Bangor and Donaghadee having outwitted Customs. The Ulster Volunteers had been given a general mobilisation order on Friday 24 April and made sure that all roads leading to the disembarking centres had been blocked and that key telephone wires had been cut."The Arming Of Ulster", "The Times", 27 April 1914, p. 8.] 500 cars were used to distribute the rifles."Landing The Cargo", "The Times", 27 April 1914, p. 8.]

According to his obituary in "The Times", Hacket Pain "was always believed to have planned and carried out" this operation. Timothy Bowman's history notes that Hacket Pain was given the credit but that Fred Crawford, who organised the shipment, regarded him as a 'dove' in the ruling councils of the Volunteers.Timothy Bowman, "Carson's Army", Manchester University Press, 2007, p. 139.] However it is known that Hacket Pain wrote to Crawford in January 1914 asking for a statement of the arms which Crawford had already imported, and requesting Crawford to undertake further gun-running if authorised by Edward Carson.Patrick Buckland (ed.), "Irish Unionism 1885-1923: A Documentary History", Belfast, HMSO, 1973, p. 239, 243-4.] After their safe landing, he issued a memorandum instructing all units that "in the event of any attempt being made to seize arms, etc. ... intimation will be given to the officers in charge of the Constabulary that their armed attempt will be promptly and firmly resisted."Patrick Buckland (ed.), "Irish Unionism 1885-1923: A Documentary History", Belfast, 1973, p. 259-60.]

First World War

Ulster Volunteers preparations for civil war were short-cut by the outbreak of the First World War. Hacket Pain re-enlisted in the British Army, and raised the 108th Infantry Brigade (part of the 36th (Ulster) Division) by recruiting the Ulster Volunteers. The Army welcomed the fact that the Volunteers were trained and armed, and Hacket Pain was appointed on 4 September to command the 108th Infantry Brigade in France. After two years he transferred back to Ireland to command the Northern Ireland district, where he served for three years.

As Chief Military Officer he faced the opening of the Irish War of Independence; in August 1919 he prohibited an Irish Nationalist procession from marching on the city walls of Derry, fearing that grave disorders would occur."Derry Procession Prohibited", "The Times", 15 August 1919, p. 10.] However Hacket Pain sometimes resisted pressure. In January 1919 Dawson Bates wrote to Sir James Craig telling him that Hacket Pain was reluctant to bring out troops against Sinn Féin-inspired strikes in Belfast, or to do anything that might make the workers think they were being intimidated, despite pressure from people Bates described as "scare-mongers".Patrick Buckland (ed.), "Irish Unionism 1885-1923: A Documentary History", Belfast, 1973, p. 431.]

Irish war of independence

On 1 November 1919"Hansard", 5th series, House of Commons, vol. 134, col. 858.] he retired from the Army again with the rank of Brigadier-General, and received the award of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. However, he was immediately re-employed as Divisional Commander of the Royal Irish Constabulary in Belfast. Nationalist MP Joseph Devlin complained that this meant the Chief of Staff in Carson's army was responsible for protecting Roman Catholics."Prinkipo Policy Triumphant", "The Times", 27 July 1920, p. 14.] After riots and the murder of an RIC District Inspector in Lisburn, Hacket Pain put the town under military control in August 1920."The Lisburn Riots", "The Times", 25 August 1920, p. 10.] Hacket Pain was reported to have resigned in early November 1920."Sir Hacket Pain", "The Times", 5 November 1920, p. 12.]

Member of Parliament

On 18 January 1922, Hacket Pain was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for South Londonderry."New M.P. For South Derry", "The Times", 19 January 1922, p. 10.] His election came after the Government of Ireland Act 1920 had provided for a reduction of the number of Members of Parliament representing Ireland, which made it unlikely that Hacket Pain would have a long Parliamentary career. He made his maiden, and only, speech on 10 May 1922 in support of the Constabulary (Ireland) Bill." [http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1922/may/10/constabulary-ireland-bill#S5CV0153P0-07190 Hansard] ", 5th series, House of Commons, vol. 153, cols. 2254-6.] Hacket Pain served on the Standing Committee examining the Bill." [http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1922/may/16/standing-committee-c#S5CV0154P0-01027 Hansard] ", 5th series, House of Commons, vol. 154, col. 244-5.]

Death

Retiring at the general election in October 1922, Hacket Pain lived at the United Services Club in Pall Mall for a short time.Legal notice, "The Times", 1 July 1924, p. 5.] In October 1923 he was taken ill and became a patient at King Edward VII Convalescent Home for Officers at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. He died there on 14 February 1924, and was buried at Whippingham on 18 February.

ee also

* List of United Kingdom MPs with the shortest service

References