The very good Birthday Honours June 1912 Companion of the Order of the Bath, Third Burma War September 1887 Intelligence Officer’s Mention in Despatches, South Africa Boer War Horse Artillery Battery Commander’s Mention in Despatches, and Great War Divisional Artillery Commander’s group awarded to Brigadier General E.H. Armitage, C.B., Royal Artillery. Armitage was commissioned in December 1878, and by the Third Burma War was serving with the 5th Battery in the 1st Brigade with the Southern ‘Cinque Ports’ Division, and employed as an Intelligence Officer, for which service, in the aftermath of the capture of Mandalay, he was awarded a Mention in Despatches in September 1887. During the subsequent clear up operations in Burma he saw service with No.9 Mountain Battery. With the Boer War he saw extensive service in South Africa as the commanding officer of ‘M’ Battery Royal Horse Artillery, and accompanied Colonel Mahon’s force during the advance to Pretoria, being present at Johannesburg on 31st May 1900, Diamond Hill from 11th to 12th June 1900, and the operations at Wittebergen from 1st to 29th July 1900. His Battery had heavy fighting, and did splendid work on the march to Barberton and again on the way to Heidelberg, when it directly supported the 6th Dragoon Guards, and Armitage was awarded a second Mention in Despatches, this being awarded by Earl Roberts, and gazetted in September 1901, in the same month as he was awarded the promotion to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel. Armitage was appointed a Companion of the Military Division of the Order of the Bath in June 1912 for his work as Colonel in charge of Records for the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery, and having left this position in July 1914, was promoted to temporary Brigadier General in October 1914, and saw service out on the Western Front from 10th May 1915 as the officer commanding Divisional Artillery for one of the British Divisions. He held this position until January 1916, and having been briefly placed on half-pay, was then appointed an Assistant Adjutant General to the Headquarters of a unit from July 1916 to January 1917, and ultimately held a Special Appointment from July 1917 to May 1919.
Group of 6: The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Companion, C.B., Military Division, neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels, this being originally converted from a breast badge, and fitted with a privately produced ribbon loop; India General Service Medal 1854-1895, 2 Clasps: Burma 1885-7, Burma 1887-89; (CAPTAIN E.H. ARMITAGE. NO.5 BY: 1ST: BDE: SO: DN: R.A.); Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902, 5 Clasps: Cape Colony, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Wittebergen, South Africa 1901; (MAJOR. E.H. ARMITAGE. M. BTY. R.H.A.); 1914-1915 Star; (BRIG. GEN. E.H. ARMITAGE. C.B.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (BRIG. GEN. E.H. ARMITAGE.), last five mounted swing style as worn on old partially frayed ribbon.
Condition: first with light enamel loss to some leaves on the green enamelled wreath, second and third with slight contact wear, edge bruise to reverse rim on second, overall God Very Fine
Edward Hume Armitage was born on 28th January 1859 in Christchurch, Hampshire, and having attended the Royal Military Academy as a Gentleman Cadet, was then commissioned as a Lieutenant on 18th December 1878, and appointed to the Seconded List of the Royal Artillery. Armitage then went on to see service in India and was then present on operation in Burma during the Third Burma War of 1885 to 1887, during which period he was promoted to Captain on 8th September 1886, and saw service with the 5th Battery in the 1st Brigade with the Southern ‘Cinque Ports’ Division, and for his services in the aftermath of the capture of Mandalay, was awarded a Mention in Despatches for gallant and distinguished services as an Intelligence Officer, this being published in the London Gazette for 2nd September 1887.
Armitage then went on to see service during the clear up operations in Burma during the period from September 1887 through into 1889, which operations became necessary to quell any native unrest the occurred in the aftermath of the Third Burma War, being shown as employed with No.9 Mountain Battery for these operations. Armitage was then posted out on a long course of Instruction in Gunnery from 1st January 1890, and after this was then taken off the Seconded List and promoted to Captain in the Regular List as of 9th January 1891.
With the outbreak of the Boer War, Armitage then saw service as a Major in command of ‘M’ Battery of the Royal Horse Artillery on operations in South Africa, being present on operations in the Cape Colony from 20th March 1900, he was however not with elements of his Battery when it formed part of Colonel Mahon's force for the relief of Mafeking, and during this period Arming performed the duties of Commandant at Naauwpoort. He however was present with his Battery as part of Mahon’s force during the advance to Pretoria, and as such was in action at Johannesburg on 31st May 1900, Diamond Hill from 11th to 12th June 1900, and the operations at Wittebergen from 1st to 29th July 1900. Afterwards, Armitage went with Mahon’s force and that of Ian Hamilton to Rustenburg in August, and then east to Barberton in September 1900, and to Heidelberg in October 1900. His Battery had heavy fighting, and did splendid work on the march to Barberton and again on the way to Heidelberg, when it directly supported the 6th Dragoon Guards. His Battery was then despatched to the south of the Orange River Colony at end of November 1900 for pursuit of De Wet. Armitage was as a result awarded a second Mention in Despatches, he having featured in Earl Roberts’ despatch of 2nd April 1901, as published in the London Gazette for 10th September 1901, and by the end of his time of there, he had also been promoted to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel in respect of his services, this being published in the London Gazette for 27th September 1901. He was posted home in October 1901.
Armitage was then promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 15th February 1904, when on service at Mhow in India, and was then promoted to Brevet Colonel on 8th July 1905. Armitage then had a most unusual entry in the London Gazette for 11th June 1909, this concerning The Diseases and Animals Acts of 1894 to 1903, and concerning a dog he had imported, on 8th June 1909 he received a notice concerning it from the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. The exact reason for this entry is unknown, and he may have sole sought and been granted permission to import and dog. Another person who received similar notice in this Gazette entry was Her Serene Highness, The Duchess of Teck.
Around this time Armitage was serving as the Colonel in charge of Records for the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery, and would have been stationed at Woolwich, and it was for these services that he was appointed a Companion of the Military Division of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath in the King’s Birthday Honours List, as published in the London Gazette for 14th June 1912. This position would have held great responsibility and also would have required the handling of a huge amount of paperwork. He would relinquish this position on 18th July 1914.
Owing to the outbreak of the Great War, Armitage then found himself promoted to temporary Brigadier General on 11th October 1914, and saw service out on the Western Front from 10th May 1915, he having been given command of a Divisional Artillery unit, however this clearly did not prove successful, and he vacated this command and was placed on the Half-pay List on 29th January 1916. Armitage was then brought back into full pay as a Colonel and temporary Brigadier General from 30th March 1916, and was then attached as an Assistant Adjutant General to the Headquarters of a unit from 7th July 1916, before being once again placed on the Half-pay Lis on ceasing to be employed from 17th February 1917, and he eventually retired on full pay on 10th June 1917, being given the honorary rank of Brigadier General.
Despite being officially retired, Armitage is then shown as been brought back for a Special Appointment as an Honorary Brigadier General on retired pay, to be however graded for purposes of pay as a Staff Captain from 15th July 1917. The reason for his employment is unclear, however he remained as such until removed from this role on 21st May 1919. Armitage was subsequently awarded the Silver War Badge on 24th June 1919, by which time he had retied to the village of Hersham near Walton-on-Thames in Surrey. Armitage died on 15th February 1949 in London.
