Bot: robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

2022-02-26T23:56:23Z

robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

New page

{{Short description|British Indian Army general (1868–1937)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2021}}
Lieutenant-General '''Sir Skipton Hill Climo''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|DSO}} (24 December 1868 − 31 March 1937) was a British officer of the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]].

Climo was born in [[Longford]], the son of Colonel William Hill Climo (1838−1919) of the [[Royal Army Medical Corps|Army Medical Service]] and his wife Margaret (1843/4−1922).<ref name="obit" /><ref name="DNB">Biography, ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]''</ref> He was educated at [[Shrewsbury School]]<ref name="obit" /> and the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]] and in February 1888 was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] in the 2nd Battalion, [[Border Regiment]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25785|supp=|page=893|date=10 February 1888}}</ref> In July 1889, while serving with the 1st Battalion in India, he was promoted [[lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25984|supp=|page=5430|date=15 October 1889}}</ref> and two months later transferred to the Indian Army and joined the [[24th Punjabis]], which became the 4th Battalion, [[14th Punjab Regiment]] in 1922.<ref name="obit">Obituary, ''[[The Times]]'', 1 April 1937</ref>

In 1897−1898, Climo served with the battalion at the [[siege of Malakand]] and the [[relief of Chakdara]] and the subsequent operations during the [[Mohmand campaign of 1897–98|Mohmand campaign]] on the [[Military history of the North-West Frontier|North-West Frontier]].<ref name="obit" /> For these operations, he was [[mentioned in despatches]], awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO) in May 1898,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26968|supp=|page=3166|date=20 May 1898}}</ref> which was awarded personally by [[Queen Victoria]] on 17 November 1898,<ref>"Court Circular", ''The Times'', 18 November 1898</ref> and in February 1899 promoted [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27073|supp=|page=2546|date=21 April 1899}}</ref> and [[brevet (military)|brevet]] [[major (United Kingdom)|major]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27076|supp=|page=2807|date=2 May 1899}}</ref><ref name="obit" />

In 1900, Climo accompanied his battalion to China to help put down the [[Boxer Rebellion]], and fought at the [[Battle of Peking (1900)|relief of Peking]] and the battles of [[Battle of Beicang|Peitsang]] and [[Battle of Yangcun|Yangtsun]],<ref name="obit" /> being again mentioned in despatches in January 1901.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27313|supp=|page=3279|date=14 May 1901}}</ref> He was [[second-in-command]] of his battalion during the [[British expedition to Tibet]] in 1903−1904<ref name="obit" /> and in February 1905 was promoted to the substantive rank of major.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27788|supp=|page=3104|date=28 April 1905}}</ref> In 1908, he served in the Mohmand expedition on the North-West Frontier and in the engagement at Kargha in May,<ref name="obit" /> and was mentioned in despatches for a third time in June 1908.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28168|supp=y|page=6059|date=14 August 1908}}</ref> On 22 June 1911, he was one of the Indian Army officers selected to represent the force at the [[Coronation of George V and Mary|coronation of King George V]].<ref>"British Officers from India", ''The Times'', 13 March 1911</ref> In February 1912, he was promoted [[lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]] and took command of the 24th Punjabis.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28601|supp=|page=2903|date=23 April 1912}}</ref><ref name="obit" />

At the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in 1914, the battalion was posted to Egypt with [[Indian Expeditionary Force F]]<ref name="DNB" /> to help defend the [[Suez Canal]], and in 1915 was sent to [[Mesopotamian campaign|Mesopotamia]], where it fought at the [[Battle of Shaiba]] on 12–14 April. At the end of May, Climo was given temporary command of the [[17th Indian Brigade]] and led the main assault in the so-called "[[Charles Townshend (British Army officer)#Mesopotamian Campaign 1915–1916|regatta]]", in which a fleet of small boats was used to advance up the [[Tigris]] and capture [[Amarah]]. He then commanded his battalion at the [[Battle of Nasiriyah (1915)|battle of Nasiriyah]] in June−July 1915, and commanded the [[30th Indian Brigade]] at the [[Battle of Kut al Amara]] in September 1915<ref name="DNB" /> and the [[Battle of Ctesiphon (1915)|Battle of Ctesiphon]] in November 1915, where he was severely wounded on 22 November while commanding the brigade in the successful assault on the "Vital Point" redoubt, being hit twice in the leg and then again as he was being evacuated on a stretcher.<ref name="obit" /><ref name="DNB" /> He was promoted to brevet [[colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] in October 1915,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29344|supp=y|page=10728|date=29 October 1915}}</ref> again mentioned in despatches in January 1916<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29536|supp=y|page=3670|date=4 April 1916}}</ref> appointed [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] (CB) in June 1916,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29608|supp=y|page=5554|date=2 June 1916}}</ref> He was also awarded the [[Order of the Nile]] 3rd class by the [[Sultan of Egypt]] in November 1916.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29977|supp=y|page=2450|date=9 March 1917}}</ref>

After recovering from his wounds, Climo served as a temporary [[brigadier-general]] and [[brigade]] commander from January<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29547|supp=|page=3920|date=14 April 1916}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29730|supp=|page=8608|date=1 September 1916}}</ref> to April 1916,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29708|supp=|page=8022|date=15 August 1916}}</ref> commanded the [[Nowshera Brigade]]<ref name="DNB" /> in India, again as temporary brigadier-general,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30132|supp=y|page=5945|date=15 June 1917}}</ref> from May 1917 and was promoted [[major general (United Kingdom)|major-general]] in June 1918.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30742|supp=y|page=6995|date=11 June 1918}}</ref> In 1919, he commanded the [[3rd Indian Brigade]] during the [[Third Anglo-Afghan War]].<ref name="obit" /> In May 1919, he was given command of the [[Waziristan Force]], which [[Waziristan campaign (1919–1920)|successfully subdued the Tochi Wazirs]].<ref name="obit" /> For this, he was once again mentioned in despatches in December 1920<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32353|supp=y|page=4697|date=10 June 1921}}</ref> and appointed [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] (KCB) on 1 August 1920.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32353|supp=y|page=4693|date=10 June 1921}}</ref>

[[Sir Charles Monro, 1st Baronet|General Sir Charles Monro]], the [[Commander-in-Chief, India]], wrote of him: "Major-General S. H. Climo, C.B., D.S.O., commanded the Waziristan Field Force to my entire satisfaction. In every theatre of war in which he has been employed he has proved himself to be an exceptionally able and resolute commander, and especially so in this arduous campaign, which has demanded the highest qualities of leadership. His knowledge of frontier warfare and the best means of dealing satisfactorily with the complex problems created thereby has been most marked. His extensive acquaintance of administrative detail enabled him to provide successfully for the comfort and health of his troops. This was especially noticeable on the Lines of Communication, where the provision of Rest Camps, wherein the sick were attended to and relieving troops provided with ample food and shelter, largely contributed to the efficiency of the Force and the success of the operation."<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32156|supp=|page=12141|date=7 December 1920}}</ref>

He then held the temporary rank of [[lieutenant general (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-general]] while retaining command of the Waziristan Force until May 1920<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32165|supp=y|page=12384|date=14 December 1920}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32792|supp=|page=811|date=2 February 1923}}</ref> and was appointed [[general officer commanding]] (GOC) [[Poona]] District in June 1920.<ref name="obit" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32074|supp=|page=9699|date=5 October 1920}}</ref> He was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general in June 1921,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32467|supp=y|page=7512|date=23 September 1921}}</ref> but was placed on the unemployed list in December 1922,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32834|supp=|page=4213|date=15 June 1923}}</ref> returning to Britain and settling in [[Folkestone]].<ref name="obit" /> He retired in 1923<ref name="obit" /> and was granted an Indian Good Service Pension.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32880|supp=|page=7860|date=16 November 1923}}</ref> He served as colonel of the 4/14th Punjab Regiment during his retirement.<ref name="DNB" />

He married Ethel Bessie Mann (1893−1974), 25 years his junior, on 15 April 1925; they had no children.<ref name="obit" /><ref name="WW">Biography, ''[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]]''</ref><ref name="DNB" /> The couple also owned the Villa La Madeleine in [[Cannes]],<ref>"The Riviera", ''The Times'', 12 November 1927</ref> where they spent the winter and were members of the exclusive [[Cercle Nautique]] club.<ref>"The Riviera", ''The Times'', 3 December 1928</ref> Climo was also president of the Cannes branch of the [[Royal British Legion]] in 1931.<ref>"The Riviera", ''The Times'', 3 March 1931</ref> During his army days, Climo had been one of the best [[polo]] players in the Indian Army.<ref>"Naval, Military and Air Force", ''The Times'', 9 December 1929</ref> He was also a keen [[golf]]er and fisherman and a close friend of [[Andrew Skeen|General Sir Andrew Skeen]] since his early days in India.<ref name="DNB" /> He died at his home at 7 Godwyn Gardens, Folkestone,<ref name="DNB" /> on 31 March 1937 after a short illness and was buried in the garrison churchyard of nearby [[Shorncliffe Garrison]]<ref name="obit" /> after a military funeral.<ref>"Deaths", ''The Times'', 3 April 1937</ref>

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp65655/sir-skipton-hill-climo Photographic portrait of Climo in the National Portrait Gallery]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Climo, Skipton}}
[[Category:1868 births]]
[[Category:1937 deaths]]
[[Category:People from County Longford]]
[[Category:People educated at Shrewsbury School]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Border Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Indian Army generals of World War I]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:British polo players]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the First Mohmand Campaign]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Afghan War]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Waziristan Campaign]]

Skipton Climo - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.