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{{Short description|British Indian Army general (1869–1958)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
Major-General '''Alexander Montagu Spears Elsmie''' [[Order of the Bath|CB]] [[Order of St Michael and St George|CMG]] (2 November 1869 – 12 November 1958) was a [[British Indian Army]] officer.

==Early life and career==
Elsmie was the second son of [[George Robert Elsmie]], administrator in India and author, and his wife Elizabeth (née Spears). He was educated at [[Clifton College]]<ref>"Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. ref no 3318: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April, 1948</ref> and the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], from which he was commissioned [[second lieutenant]] in the [[Border Regiment]] in January 1889.

==Indian Army==
In May 1890 he transferred to the Indian Army<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=26214 |date=16 October 1891|page=5407}}</ref> and joined the [[2nd Punjab Infantry]] (later the [[56th Punjabi Rifles]]). He was promoted [[lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] in July 1891.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=26203 |date=22 September 1891|page=4989}}</ref> He served in the [[Miranzai]] expeditions in 1891, the [[Waziristan]] campaign in 1894–1895, and on the [[North-West Frontier (military history)|North-West Frontier]] in 1897–1898, for which he was twice [[mentioned in despatches]] while serving as regimental [[adjutant]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=26937 |date=11 February 1898|page=866}}</ref> a position he had held since October 1896. He later served with the [[Tirah Field Force]]. He was promoted [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] in January 1900<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27187 |date=27 April 1900|page=2686}}</ref> and attended the [[Staff College, Camberley]] in England in 1902.

In January 1907, he was promoted [[major (United Kingdom)|major]]<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=28014 |date=19 April 1907|page=2650}}</ref> and appointed [[brigade major]] at [[Jullundur]] and the following year he became a [[Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General]] (DAQMG)<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=28169 |date=18 August 1908|page=6080}}</ref> at the Indian Army's headquarters at [[Shimla|Simla]], serving in the Intelligence Branch of the Military Operations Directorate.

In September 1909 he was appointed a professor at the [[Indian Staff College]] at [[Quetta]], where he served until 1911, with the temporary rank of [[lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=28317 |date=14 December 1909|page=9517}}</ref> He returned to regimental duty in January 1912 and in December 1912 he was promoted [[brevet (military)|brevet]] lieutenant-colonel<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=28674 |date=24 December 1912|page=9785}}</ref> and the following year he took command of his regiment. In September 1913 he was promoted substantive lieutenant-colonel.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=28778 |date=2 December 1913|page=8896}}</ref>

==First World War==
On the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in 1914 he took the regiment to Egypt and then [[South Arabia during World War I|Aden]], where he commanded the [[28th Indian Brigade]] with the temporary rank of [[brigadier-general]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=29652 |date=4 July 1916|page=6696|supp=y}}</ref> He was appointed [[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]] (CMG) in 1915 and was promoted brevet [[colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] in December 1916.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=29876 |date=22 December 1916|page=12554|supp=y}}</ref> In 1916 the brigade moved to [[Mesopotamia]]. He was severely wounded in the thigh in July 1916 and mentioned in despatches four times.

==Post-war service==
At the beginning of 1918 he returned to India as temporary brigadier-general commanding the [[brigade]] at [[Ferozepore]] ([[44th (Ferozepore) Brigade]]). In October 1918 he became [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) [[Bushire Field Force]] in [[Persia]], for which he was appointed [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] (CB) in January 1920.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=31764 |date=30 January 1920|page=1379|supp=y}}</ref> From January 1919 to April 1921 he commanded the [[11th Indian Brigade]] at [[Abbottabad]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32437 |date=26 August 1921|page=6774}}</ref> In June 1920 he was promoted [[major-general (United Kingdom)|major-general]]<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32197 |date=18 January 1921|page=537|supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32328 |date=19 May 1921|page=3997|supp=y}}</ref> and also became GOC [[Kohat Kurram Force]] for several months.

==Retirement and family==
He retired in April 1923.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32832 |date=8 June 1923|page=4065}}</ref> In June 1926 he was appointed colonel of his old regiment, now the 2nd Battalion, [[13th Frontier Force Rifles]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33175 |date=25 June 1926|page=4123}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33181 |date=9 July 1926|page=4545}}</ref> an honorary position he held until 1939.

Elsmie married Annie Todd; they had four sons (two of whom were killed serving with the [[Royal Air Force]] in the [[Second World War]]) and three daughters.

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*Obituary, ''[[The Times]]'', 14 November 1958
*Biography, ''[[Who Was Who]]''

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elsmie, Alexander}}
[[Category:1869 births]]
[[Category:1958 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Clifton College]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Border Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Indian Army generals of World War I]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Tirah campaign]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]
[[Category:Academics of the Staff College, Quetta]]

A. M. S. Elsmie - Revision history

Bot at 14:09, 4 July 2022