Louis Bols

{{Infobox military person

|name= Sir Louis Bols

|image= Major-General Sir Louis Jean Bols, KCB, DSO (cropped).jpg

|image_size=

|alt=

|caption=

|nickname=

|birth_date= {{birth date|1867|11|23|df=yes}}

|birth_place= Cape Town, Cape Colony{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

|death_date= {{death date and age|1930|09|13|1867|11|23|df=yes}}

|death_place=

|placeofburial=

|allegiance= United Kingdom

|branch= British Army

|serviceyears= 1887–1920

|rank= Lieutenant General

|unit= Devonshire Regiment

|commands= 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
24th Division
84th Infantry Brigade
Dorsetshire Regiment

|battles= Chitral Expedition
Second Boer War
First World War

|awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath{{London Gazette |issue=31093|date=31 December 1918|page=51|supp=y}}
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches (6)

|relations= Major General Eric Bols (son)

|laterwork= Governor of Bermuda (1927–30)

}}

Lieutenant General Sir Louis Jean Bols, {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|KCB|KCMG|DSO}} (23 November 1867 – 13 September 1930) was a British Army general, who served as chief of staff of Edmund Allenby's Third Army on the Western Front and in the Sinai and Palestine campaign during the First World War. From 1927 until his death he served as the Governor of Bermuda.

Early life and education

Bols was born in Cape Town{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} to Louis Guillaume Michael Joseph Bols of Belgium and Mary Wilhelmina Davidson. He was educated at Lancing College in England and Bishop's College School in Canada.{{cite ODNB|last=Owen|first= C. V.|date=2004|id=31947 |title=Bols, Sir Louis Jean (1867–1930)}}

Military career

File:Dorsets Football XI.jpg, the battalion's adjutant.]]

After graduating from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Bols was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Devonshire Regiment on 5 February 1887,{{London Gazette|issue=25670|page=599|date=4 February 1887}} and was promoted to lieutenant, dated 22 September 1889.{{London Gazette|issue=26022|page=734|date=11 February 1890}}

In 1891–92 he served in Burma, including operations in the Kachin Hills, and received the operational medal with clasp. In 1895 he served with the Chitral Relief Force under Sir Robert Low as adjutant and quartermaster at the British Military Depot. Promotion to captain followed on 18 January 1897,{{London Gazette|issue=26854|page=2754|date=18 May 1897}} and he served as adjutant of the 2nd Battalion of his regiment from 17 February 1899.{{London Gazette|issue=27066|page=2081|date=28 March 1899}}

File:The investiture by H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught. Decorated Generals Allenby, in foreground. LOC matpc.02244 (cropped).jpg

Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War in late 1899, his battalion was sent to South Africa, where he served as adjutant of the battalion throughout the war. He was present at the Battle of Colenso (15 December 1899), Battle of Vaal Krantz (5–7 February 1900), Battle of the Tugela Heights (14–27 February 1900) and the Relief of Ladysmith (1 March 1900), and later in operations in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony.Hart´s Army list, 1903 For his services in the war, he was twice mentioned in dispatches, received the Queen's South Africa Medal, and was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). After peace was declared in May 1902, Bols left South Africa on board the SS Bavarian and arrived in the United Kingdom the following month.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Army in South Africa – the Coronation contingent |date= 11 June 1902 |page=14 |issue=36791}}

Bols, who in January 1905 was promoted from supernumerary captain to captain,{{London Gazette|issue=27752|page=219|date=10 January 1905}} was in February made commander of a company of gentlemen cadets.{{London Gazette|issue=27763|date=10 February 1905|page=1034}} Made a major in October 1906,{{London Gazette|issue=27958|page=6942|date=16 October 1906}} he was in January 1907 made a brigade major.{{London Gazette|issue=27992|page=828|date=5 February 1907}}

In May 1910 he went to the Staff College, Camberley as a deputy assistant quartermaster general and was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel while in this role,{{London Gazette|issue=28362|page=3064|date=3 May 1910}} before succeeding Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hull as a GSO2 at the Staff College in February 1912.{{London Gazette|issue=28588|page=1748|date=8 March 1912}} He transferred from the Devonshires to the Dorsetshire Regiment as a lieutenant colonel in February 1914 and took command of the 2nd Battalion of his new regiment,{{London Gazette|issue=28803|page=1372|date=20 February 1914}} five months before the start of the First World War.{{cite web|url=http://www.sussexpeople.co.uk/lieutenant-athelstan-key-durance-george/|title=Lieutenant Athelstan Key Durancé George|publisher=Sussex People|access-date=18 May 2020}}

At the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 Bols, having been promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general in February,{{London Gazette|issue=29107|page=2820|date=19 March 1915|supp=y}} held the command of the 84th Infantry Brigade, part of the 28th Division. That same month saw him made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.{{London Gazette|issue=12780|page=357|date=5 March 1915|city=e}} while in June his permanent rank was advanced to brevet colonel.{{London Gazette|issue=29202|page=6116|date=22 June 1915|supp=y}} In late September he moved to the newly created XII Corps to serve as its brigadier general, general staff.{{London Gazette|issue=29335|page=10373|date=19 October 1915|supp=y}}

File:Governor of Bermuda Lieutenant-General Sir Louis Bols takes salute at Prospect Camp in 1930.jpg in 1930]]

In October that year he was promoted again, now to temporary major general,{{London Gazette|issue=29426|page=119|date=31 December 1915|supp=y}} and served as major general, general staff (MGGS) of the Third Army of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), commanded briefly by General Sir Charles Monro before he was replaced by General Sir Edmund Allenby. Bols was to serve with Allenby, both on the Western Front in 1916 and in 1917, and later in 1917–18 in Palestine.'Allenby: Soldier & Statesman', by Archibald Wavell (Pub. White Lion, 1974).

From January to June 1920 Bols, who had been promoted in January 1917 to substantive major general,{{London Gazette|issue=29886|page=15|date=29 December 1916|supp=y}} served as the Chief Administrator of Palestine, and signed over power to Herbert Samuel, the first British High Commissioner of Palestine, who confirmed in an often-quoted document: "Received from Major-General Sir Louis J. Bols K.C.B.—One Palestine, complete."

Bols went on to become General Officer Commanding 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division in September 1920.{{cite web|url=https://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201860-.pdf|title=Army Commands|access-date=1 June 2020}} From 1927 to his death he was Governor and General Officer Commanding of the army garrison of the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda. He also served as colonel of the Devonshire Regiment from 1921 to his death.{{cite web|url=//www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/011Devon.htm |title=The Devonshire Regiment at the archive of regiments.org |access-date=2013-09-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113060232/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/011Devon.htm |archive-date=13 January 2008 }}

Bols died in his 63rd year on 13 September 1930 in a nursing home in the city of Bath, Somerset, while on leave from Bermuda.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/bermuda/louisbols.htm|title=Lieutenant-General Sir Louis Bols|publisher=British Empire|access-date=18 May 2020}}

Personal life

Bols married Augusta Blanche Strickland and had two sons, Major-General Eric Bols, and Major Kenneth Bols (killed in action in Italy in the Second World War).{{cite web|title=Entry for the war grave of Maj. K. W. Bols|publisher=War Graves Commission register|url=https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2067891/bols,-kenneth-william/|access-date=18 May 2020}}

References

External links

[http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/bols.htm Louis Jean Bols] bio at firstworldwar.com
[http://angloboerwar.com/DSO/b/bols_lj.htm Bols, LJ]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at angloboerwar.com

{{succession box|title=GOC 24th Division|years=May–September 1917|before=John Capper|after=Arthur Daly}}

{{succession box |

before = Sir Harry Watson|

title = Chief Administrator of Palestine |

years = January–July 1920|

after = Sir Herbert Samuel
As High Commissioner of Palestine

}}

{{s-ttl|title=GOC 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division|years=1920–1924}}

{{succession box |

before = Sir Joseph John Asser |

title = Governor of Bermuda |

years = 1927–1930|