Lieutenant General Sir Robert Irvin Scallon GCB KCIE DSO (3 April 1857 – 1 May 1939) was a British officer in the Indian Army.[1]

Sir Robert Scallon
Born3 April 1857
Long Ditton, Surrey, England
Died1 May 1939(1939-05-01) (aged 82)
Worcester, Worcestershire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branchIndian Army
RankLieutenant General
Commands held23rd Bombay Rifles
3rd Indian Brigade
British troops in Aden
Bangalore Brigade
Burma Division
8th (Lucknow) Division
Northern Army, India
Southern Army, India
Battles/warsSecond Anglo-Afghan War
Burma Campaign
Tirah Campaign
World War I
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
Distinguished Service Order

Military career edit

Scallon was commissioned into the British Army in 1876 and joined the 72nd Highlanders in 1877.[2] He transferred to the Bombay Staff Corps in 1877 and took part in the Battle of Kandahar in 1880 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.[2] He became adjutant of the 23rd Bombay Light Infantry in 1881 and took part in the Burma Campaign in 1886.[2] He became Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Poona in 1891, Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Bombay in 1895 and Inspector General of the Imperial Service Troops in 1897.[2]

Scallon took part in the Tirah Campaign in 1897 and became Commanding Officer of the 23rd Bombay Rifles in 1898.[2] He commanded the Zhob Section of Blockading Force for the Mahsud Waziri expedition in 1900.[2] He was promoted to Lieutenant-colonel on 12 February 1902,[3] and went on to command troops in the Zhob District during disturbances in 1902 and to command troops during operations in the Aden Hinterland in 1903.[2] He was appointed Commander of 3rd Indian Brigade in India in 1904, General Officer Commanding Aden in 1905 and Commander of the Bangalore Brigade in 1906.[2]

Scallon became Adjutant-General, India in 1908, Secretary to Government of India, Army Department in 1909 and General Officer Commanding Burma Division in 1911 before becoming General Officer Commanding 8th (Lucknow) Division in 1913.[2] He served in World War I as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Army in India in 1914 and then as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Army in 1915 before retiring in 1919.[2]

In retirement Scallon worked in high positions in the Boy Scouts and the Red Cross.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ "Obituary: General Sir Robert Scallon". The Times. 2 May 1939. p. 16.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sir Robert Irvin Scallon Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  3. ^ "No. 27428". The London Gazette. 25 April 1902. p. 2794.
  4. ^ Medal Circular, December 2000, London
Military offices
Preceded by Adjutant-General, India
1908−1909
Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC-in-C, Northern Army, India
1914−1915
Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC-in-C, Southern Army, India
1915−1916
Succeeded by