Francis Stewart Montague - Bates Brigadier - General Francis Stewart ' Frank ' Montague - Bates , , ( 1876 – 1954 ) was a British Army officer in the early part of the 20th Century , serving in the Second Boer War , World War I , the Occupation of Constantinople the Anglo - Irish War and World War II . Family Life . Francis Stewart Montague - Bates was born on 8 February 1876 , the only son of Henry Montague Bates and Mary Montague - Bates , her second husband , who she married in 1872 , following the death of her first husband from Cholera , Colonel Andrew Gammell of the 12th Lancers , in 1869 . The family lived in London and also had property in Manaccan , Cornwall . Captain Montague Bates was married in Canada in 1910 to Gladys Thomas of Plymouth . They had one son , Patrick Montague Bates born in 1914 , who , after education at Wellington College on a scholarship , joined Imperial Airways . He was a member of the RAFVR , called up in late 1939 , trained as a pilot officer in 1940 and was shot down by a Messerschmidt 109 and killed in action in early 1941 piloting a Blenheim IV , whilst returning from a mission bombing a viaduct during the invasion of Crete by German Forces Francis Stewart Montague Bates was educated at Appuldurcombe College on the Isle of Wight . Military career . Boer War . During the Second Boer War Montague - Bates was in Rangoon , Burma and was accepted on 12 February 1900 and served for a few months ( 135 days ) as a corporal in B Section in Lumsden ' s Horse , a mounted infantry unit raised by Colonel Lumsden and supported by Sir Giles Playfair . The Unit was mainly composed of volunteers from regiments of the Indian Volunteer Force . On 4 August 1900 he was commissioned as a Second lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion East Surrey Regiment , which was serving elsewhere in the South African theatre , and for a while he commanded a section of a composite mounted infantry company formed from 2nd East Surreys and 1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry . After the Boer War , Montague - Bates was seconded for four years to the South African Constabulary organised by Major - General Robert Baden - Powell , the founder of the Scout Movement . ( In 1913 Montague - Bates published a book on infantry scouting . ) He was promoted to Captain in 1909 and again seconded , from 1910 to 1912 , to the Canadian Forces . When World War I broke out in August 1914 , Montague - Bates was serving as Adjutant of the 6th Battalion East Surreys , a Territorial Force unit based at Kingston upon Thames . Western Front . In November 1914 he was sent to the Western Front with a draft of reinforcements to join the 2nd Bn Queen ' s ( Royal West Surrey ) Regiment , which had suffered badly in the 1st Battle of Ypres . As the senior officer present he took command of the battalion , becoming a Temporary Major in December . Holding the line in the Ypres Salient , 2nd Queens ' were actively engaged in trench raids during this period . A major attack was ordered for the afternoon of 18 December , when the 7th Division attacked Well Farm near La Boutillerie . The attack was led by 2nd Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment , with two companies of 2nd Queen ' s in support . The preliminary bombardment had done little damage to the German defences , and the Warwicks were halted in the wire just short of the enemy trench . Going forward , the Queen ' s could do no more than reach the wire and reinforce the Warwicks in the dusk . Realising that the attack had failed , Montague - Bates decided not to renew it , but issued orders for the survivors to get back as best they could . Casualties were heavy in the barely reformed battalions , but senior commanders testified to the gallantry and devotion they had shown in attempting an impossible task . When a more senior officer of the Queen ' s arrived at the end of the year , Montague - Bates reverted to his previous rank of captain and became adjutant of the battalion until after the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 , when he was posted to fill the same appointment with the Warwicks . In the summer of 1915 he returned to 1st Battalion of his own regiment , which was serving in 5th Division , succeeding to command of the battalion ( with promotion to Major and Temporary Lieutenant - Colonel ) in August when the Commanding Officer was invalided home . Salonika . At the end of 1915 , Montague - Bates was sent to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force and then to the Salonika Front , where in January 1916 he took command of 12th Bn Cheshire Regiment , a ' Kitchener Army ' battalion serving in 66th Brigade of 22nd Division . At first the British Salonika Army was restricted to digging into its bridgehead around the port ( nicknamed ' The Birdcage ' ) , but in April , 66th Bde led the way inland towards the Bulgarian frontier . On 27 August 1916 Montague - Bates was promoted to Temporary Brigadier - General to take temporary command of 77th Brigade in the neighbouring 26th Division , then moved on 25 September to 83rd Brigade in 28th Division . Finally , on 15 November 1916 , he returned to 22nd Division to assume command of 66th Brigade , which position he held until the demobilisation of the division in Turkey in March 1919 . He was in charge of the brigade during the heavy fighting of the Battles of Doiran of 1917 and 1918 . In September 1919 he once more took over 83rd Brigade in 28th Division , which was then forming part of the British Army of Occupation in Turkey . Turkey . Following the Occupation of Constantinople , 83rd Bde was garrisoning the Dardanelles forts , but in November 1919 it was moved to the Izmit area to guard the Anatolian Railway . In March 1920 it moved back to Constantinople , but a new independent brigade ( 242nd Brigade ) was formed at Izmit under Montague - Bates . This consisted of British and Indian infantry battalions , with supporting troops . During August Montague - Bates authorised a sortie over the River Sarkaria to protect his perimeter against attacks by Nationalist Turks . He was reprimanded by Major - General Edmund Ironside who had just taken over command of the Izmit area . One of Montague - Bates ' staff reported that the two generals ' had heated words ' and ' When Brigadier Bates came out of the meeting he was white with rage , said good - bye , and having collected his belongings left with hardly a word ' . Montague - Bates returned to Constantinople and was sent home . The staff officer wrongly believed that Montague - Bates had resigned his commission , and wrote that ' Monty ' was ' a great loss to the army , for though not liked by many , was a first - class soldier ' . Ireland . On return to the United Kingdom Montague - Bates had to relinquish his temporary rank of Brigadier - General and reverted to the Brevet lieutenant - colonelcy he had been awarded in June 1916 . He rejoined the 2nd Bn East Surreys and in June 1921 he became Officer Commanding Troops at Dublin Castle during the peak of the violence during the Anglo - Irish War . Regimental service . In August 1922 Montague - Bates returned from Northern Ireland to the 1st Bn East Surreys stationed in Egypt . He commanded the battalion from December 1923 to December 1927 , in Hong Kong and India . During this period , Montague - Bates was promoted to Brevet - Colonel , and in March 1928 after his term of regimental command expired , he was appointed Brigade Commander of 141st ( 5th London ) Brigade of the Territorial Army , based at the Duke of York ' s Headquarters in Chelsea . He retired from the army in 1932 , but served again in Cornwall , commanding the Home Guard unit for the Helford Estuary with its headquarters in Gweek . Home Guard during the World War II invasion scare of 1940 – 41 . Frank Montague - Bates died on 21 June 1954 at his home at Manaccan . His funeral was held on 30 June at Kensal Green Cemetery . Awards . During his career Montague - Bates received the following awards and honours :