Charles Bulkeley Bulkeley-Johnson

Brigadier-General Charles Bulkeley Bulkeley-Johnson (19 November 1867 – 11 April 1917) was a British and Egyptian Army officer who served in the Mahdist War and the First World War, he was killed in action on 11 April 1917, while commanding the 8th Cavalry Brigade, on the second day of the Battle of Arras.^[1]

Charles Bulkeley Bulkeley-Johnson
Bulkeley-Johnson October 1914
Born	(1867-11-19)19 November 1867 Shanghai
Died	11 April 1917(1917-04-11) (aged 49) Belgium
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Years of service	1887–1917
Rank	Brigadier-general

He is the only foreigner to receive the Russian Imperial Order of St. George Cross, — the highest military order, in both fourth and third class, for his bravery in First World War

Biography

The son of Francis Bulkeley Johnson, he was born in 1867.^[1] He was educated at Harrow School and graduated from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.^[2]

Bulkeley-Johnson was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) on 5 February 1887,^[3] promoted to lieutenant on 16 March 1889 and to captain on 13 June 1894.^[4] He served in the Egyptian Army from January 1899 to January 1903, during which he participated in the Nile Expedition. He also participated in operations that resulted in the defeat of the Khalifa, when he was in command of a squadron of cavalry during the Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on 25 November 1899 (mentioned in despatches 25 November 1899^[5]). Promotion to major came on 17 September 1902.^[6] On 19 August 1911, at 43 years of age, Bulkeley-Johnson was appointed as the commanding officer of the Royal Scots Greys. On 13 November 1914, after receiving a promotion to the temporary rank of brigadier-general,^[7] he was promoted to be the general officer commanding (GOC) of the 8th Cavalry Brigade of the 3rd Cavalry Division and he commanded this brigade until his death.

For his exploits he has been awarded the two Crosses of the Russian Order of St. George^[8] — which makes him the only Allied Officer during WWI ever to achieve such a level of recognition.

On 11 April 1917, during the Battle of Arras, British infantry were pinned down in front of the village of Monchy under very heavy machine-gun fire from the north ridge of Scarpe. The General was mortally wounded and died at age 49 in Monchy-le-Preux, France. His burial site is the Gouy-en-Artois Communal Cemetery Extension.^[1] An account of General Bulkeley-Johnson's death is related in detail in And All For What? by D.W.J Cuddeford.^[9]

References

• Davies, Frank and Graham Maddocks. Bloody Red Tabs: General Officer Casualties of the Great War 1914–1918. Leo Cooper, 1995. ISBN 0850524636 ISBN 9780850524635.