T H E C O V E N A N T E R
Brigadier - General F.A. Maxwell
knee, to write a letter to his wife. After the
war she edited a book which was published
VC, CSI, DSO, and the 9th
by John Murray in 1921 with the title
Scottish Rifles.
Frank Maxwell, VC: A Memoir and some
letters. For this article of The Covenanter
On 23rd October 1916 Brigadier-General
quotations follow which have been selected
Maxwell arrived to take over 27 Infantry
from the book, chosen to give some
Brigade in the 9th Scottish Division, and
impression of this great man.
found the men of his new command
Maxwell was always to be found as far
resting in the area of Albert, following a
forward as possible when a battle was in
bad spell on the Somme front holding Snag
progress. As a battalion commander he
Trench, near High Wood, in appallingly wet
was on several occasions censured by his
conditions under heavy shelling. Among
superiors for this, but took little notice of
the battalions in the brigade was the 9th
their disapproval and continued to do what
Scottish Rifles, one of the two battalions of
he thought was right. As will be seen in
the regiment raised as part of Kitchener’s
the following letter he had to change his
New Army in 1914.
habit a little when he became a brigade
Maxwell’s own regiment was the 18th
commander but the urge to get right up to
King George’s Own Bengal Lancers, but
the front never left him.
like many other cavalry officers in the
Great War he had applied to serve with
France, October, 1916, To September,
the infantry because the mounted arm had
1917
been so little used once trench warfare had
27th (infantry) brigade, 9th Division,
settled in. When he came to France in 1916
October 23rd, 1916
he had already seen much action. Early in
his career he had fought in campaigns in
The frost of yesterday and day before gave
North-West Frontier of India, gaining his
way to a dense fog, and south wind to-day
first DSO and being recommended for the
has ended in rain, which heartbreaking
Victoria Cross. This great honour he won
for every reason, not the least being the
later in South Africa during the Boer War
poor soldier-men wallowing in mud and
when saving the guns of an RHA battery
foot-deep slime again, and undergoing
at Sanna’s Post near Bloemfontain. He was
pitiless shelling in their rotten, broken-
ADC to Lord Kitchener 1900 to 1904, and
down German trenches recently taken,
Military Secretary to the Viceroy of India
and pounded to pieces, first by our artillery
1910 to 1916, when he volunteered to go to
when the G’s. had them, and then by
France. On his first arrival in May 1916 he
the Germans now we have them. I don’t
was posted to command the 12th Battalion
suppose the German Fritz enjoys life much
The Middlesex Regiment in Major-General
better than T.A. does under such conditions,
Maxse’s 18th Division. It was his superb
but, at any rate, it is useful for his cause - if
handling of his battalion at the battle of
he has one. And if his artillery strafes us, as
Trones Wood, 16th July, and Thiepval, 27
it is strafing my particular sector, with great
September, which led to his promotion
violence, ours, I fancy, is much worse on
and appointment to command 27 Infantry
theirs, and goes on night and day without
Brigade.
pause. How our gunners stick it, I don’t
The Brigade was moved from the Somme
know. They live in comparative luxury,
area soon after Maxwell’s arrival, going
most of them, of course, but the continual
into action next during two phases of the
firing of their noisy pieces must be hard on
battle of Arras from 9 to 13 April 1917 and
them. One of the Divisional Gunners told
again from 3 to 4 May. A further move to
me that nearly all his men were deaf, some
another sector brought the brigade north
half blind, and all dead beat, for they had
on 29 July 1917 to become involved in
only been out of the line a fortnight since
the Third battle of Ypres, often known
June 24th, when the Somme bombardment
as Passchendaele. On 21 September 1917
began, and then were marching or training
Maxwell was killed by a snipers bullet as he
round the country. A soldier’s life in this
stood up to examine enemy positions near
modern type of business is a thin one, and
Zonnebeke from a forward trench manned
I’m glad indeed now that I have been right
by a company of the 9th Scottish Rifles.
through the mill with an infantry battalion
Every day Maxwell found time, even
and know just how bad it is. The experience
if crouched in a trench with a pad on his
should, if I can use it properly, be good for
20
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