caption serviceyears branch commands death_date death_place birth_place allegiance unit image_size awards battles birth_date rank image article_title name
sir edwin alderson , 1915 1878 -- 1920 united kingdom canadian corps 1st canadian division 14 december 1927 lowestoft , england capel st mary , england united kingdom royal west kent regiment 165 knight in despatches legion of honour -lrb- france -rrb- commander of the order of the bath mentioned first boer war anglo-egyptian war 08 april 1859 lieutenant general edwin alderson.jpg edwin alderson
 sir edwin alderson
edwin alderson

lieutenant general sir edwin alfred hervey alderson kcb -lrb- 8 april 1859 -- 14 december 1927 -rrb- was a senior british army officer who served in several campaigns of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries .
during the first world war he was placed in command of the canadian expeditionary force during the first half of the war but made enemies amongst the canadian political and military elite and suffered disastrous casualties during operations in 1915/16 which forced his sidelining and eventual retirement from service .
despite the opposition he faced , alderson transformed the ill-trained and poorly prepared canadian recruits into tough , veteran soldiers and laid the foundations for later victories at vimy ridge and in other operations .
an accomplished sportsman , alderson wrote several books and was a keen proponent of hunting and yachting , pastimes he believed to be at risk from developments in motor sports .
