Walter Braithwaite General Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite , GCB ( 11 November 1865 – 7 September 1945 ) was a British general during World War I . After being dismissed from his position as Chief of Staff for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force , he received some acclaim as a competent divisional commander on the Western Front . After the war , he was commissioned to produce a report analyzing the performance of British staff officers during the conflict . Early life . Braithwaite was born in Alne , the son of the Reverend William Braithwaite and Laura Elizabeth Pipon . He was the youngest of twelve children . He was educated at Victoria College from 1875 to 1880 , and subsequently at the Bedford School . Military career . Braithwaite studied at the Royal Military Academy , and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Somerset Light Infantry in 1886 . In 1895 , he married Jessie Ashworth , with whom he had a son , Valentine . He served in the Boer War , seeing action at Ladysmith , Spion Kop , Vaal Krantz and Tugela Heights . He was mentioned in despatches three times . After the war , he returned to England and was posted to Southern Command on the staff of Evelyn Wood . In 1906 , Braithwaite was promoted to major , and transferred to The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment . He was later promoted to lieutenant - colonel , and served as an instructor at the Staff College , Camberley . In 1909 , he was assigned to the staff of Douglas Haig at the War Office , and promoted to colonel . He was subsequently named commandant of the Staff College , Quetta , a position he still held at the outbreak of World War I . At this point , the college was closed , and he was again transferred to the War Office , this time as Director of Staff Duties . World War I . In 1915 , he was appointed Chief of Staff for the Mediterranean Expedition , commanded by Ian Hamilton . He was regarded by many of the Australians involved in that effort as " arrogant and incompetent " . After the failure of the Mediterranean expedition , Braithwaite was recalled to London . He was later assigned to the 62nd Division , which was posted to France in January 1917 . Here he experienced considerable success . Although the division struggled to make headway during the Battle of Arras , it proved a solid and reliable unit during the German Spring Offensive the following year . Following success in repelling German advances at Bullecourt and Cambrai , he was given command of IX Corps and later XII Corps . Post war . After the war , Braithwaite was commissioned by Haig to produce a report evaluating the performance of British staff officers in all theatres of the conflict . Although the decision - making abilities of many staff officers ( including Braithwaite ) had been seriously questioned during the war , Braithwaite ' s report was generally favourable . He became General Officer Commanding - in - Chief Western Command , India in 1920 , General Officer Commanding - in - Chief at Scottish Command in 1923 , and then General Officer Commanding - in Chief at Eastern Command in 1926 before being appointed Adjutant - General to the Forces in 1927 . He retired in 1931 . He served as a commissioner of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission from 1927 to 1931 , as Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1931 to 1938 , and as King of Arms of the Order of the Bath from 1933 until his death . He died at his home in Rotherwick on 7 September 1945 . References .