Sir Alexander Stanhope Cobbe

From the mountains of Chitral to the battlefields of Ashanti, Somaliland, France and Mesopotamia, General Sir Alexander Stanhope Cobbe built one of the most varied campaigning careers of his generation. Born at Naini Tal in the Bengal Presidency on 5 June 1870, he was the son of Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Hugh Cobbe and Emily Barbara Cobbe, née Jones. Educated at Eagle House School and Wellington College, he followed his elder brother Henry Hercules Cobbe to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the South Wales Borderers on 21 September 1889, before moving into the Indian Staff Corps in 1892 and serving with the 32nd Punjab Pioneers. His subsequent career was principally in the British Indian Army.

Cobbe first saw significant active service with the Chitral Relief Force in 1895, where he was mentioned in despatches. His participation brought entitlement to the India Medal 1895-1902 with the clasp Relief of Chitral 1895. His African service began earlier than some secondary biographies suggest. On 13 May 1898 he was seconded for service with the Central African forces, serving in the South Angoniland operations that year and in the expedition against Nkwamba in 1899, where he was again mentioned in despatches. This period of service accounts for the early African campaign awards in his medal group, including the Central Africa Medal with clasp Central Africa 1894-98, the East and West Africa Medal, and later the Africa General Service Medal with the B.C.A. 1899-1900 clasp.

The War of the Golden Stool in Ashanti in 1900 brought Cobbe into heavier fighting. Holding local rank as a major and commanding troops of the Central African force, he led a column of approximately 300 men during operations around Kumasi. On 6 August 1900 his column encountered strongly defended stockades in dense bush. Cobbe manoeuvred against the position and was severely wounded during the fighting, but subsequently returned to operations. A later despatch described him as an officer who could be thoroughly trusted and noted his consistently effective conduct in action. His Ashanti service brought further mentions in despatches, the Distinguished Service Order, and the Ashanti Medal with the Kumassi clasp. The DSO was announced in the London Gazette of 26 April 1901 for his services during the operations in Ashanti.

Cobbe's most celebrated action came during the Somaliland Campaign. Serving with the 1st (Central Africa) Battalion of the King's African Rifles and holding local rank as lieutenant colonel, he fought at Erego on 6 October 1902. During the battle several companies fell back, leaving Cobbe forward of the main line with a Maxim gun. He brought the weapon in without assistance and worked it at a critical moment, then went back into the exposed ground under heavy fire to recover a wounded orderly. His conduct was witnessed by the force commander and resulted in the award of the Victoria Cross, announced in the London Gazette on 20 January 1903. The decoration was presented at Obbia on 22 February 1903. Further Somaliland service included operations associated with Gumburu and the battle of Jidballi on 10 January 1904. His Africa General Service Medal ultimately carried the clasps B.C.A. 1899-1900, Somaliland 1902-04 and Jidballi.

Returning to staff and regimental duties, Cobbe became a substantive major in September 1907 and received brevet lieutenant-colonel rank immediately afterwards. He later served as a General Staff Officer in India and was promoted colonel with seniority from December 1911. He also served as an Aide-de-Camp to King George V from December 1911. On 1 October 1910 he had married Winifred Ada Bowen, daughter of Sir Albert Edward Bowen, 1st Baronet.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Cobbe went to France with the Indian forces and served as a senior staff officer with the Lahore Division and the Indian Army Corps. In 1915 he became a temporary brigadier general and Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General of the Indian Army Corps, and later Brigadier General, General Staff, of I Corps. He was repeatedly mentioned in despatches and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1915. In June 1916 he was promoted major general for distinguished service in the field. His Western Front service qualified him for the 1914 Star with the clasp "5th Aug.-22nd Nov. 1914", represented on the undress ribbon by a silver rose, together with the British War Medal and Victory Medal. His repeated mentions in despatches are represented on the Victory Medal ribbon by the bronze oak-leaf emblem.

Cobbe moved to Mesopotamia in 1916, first taking command of the 7th Indian Division and then briefly commanding III Indian Corps. From November 1916 he commanded I Indian Corps, a distinction worth making because some accounts incorrectly describe III Corps as his command for the remainder of the campaign. Under the wider Mesopotamian offensive his corps took part in operations leading to the recapture of Kut-al-Amara in February 1917 and the capture of Baghdad the following month, followed by further fighting at Samarrah and Ramadi. In October 1918 his forces fought at Sharqat, one of the final major actions of the Mesopotamian campaign, before British forces entered Mosul in November. King's College London's military archive confirms his successive commands of the 7th Indian Division, III Indian Corps in 1916, and I Indian Corps from 1916 to 1919.

His wartime service brought steadily higher distinctions. Cobbe was advanced from CB to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1917, became a Companion of the Order of the Star of India in 1918, and was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India in 1919 for services connected with the military operations in Mesopotamia. France appointed him a Commander of the Légion d'Honneur, while Italy appointed him a Commander of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. The Italian Commander's grade is explicitly confirmed in the London Gazette.

After the war Cobbe served as Military Secretary to the India Office from 1920 to 1926. He reached the substantive rank of General in 1924, with the VCGCA chronology giving 14 February 1924, and in May 1926 became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, India, a post he held until 1930. He had been appointed Colonel of the South Wales Borderers in 1922. In the 1928 New Year Honours he was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and later served as Aide-de-Camp General to King George V. After returning to Britain in 1930 he again became Military Secretary to the India Office and was also appointed Colonel of the Sikh Pioneers.

General Sir Alexander Stanhope Cobbe died at Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, on 29 June 1931, aged sixty-one, and was buried in St Peter's Churchyard there. His honours and medal group reflected more than three decades of active service: the Victoria Cross; Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath; Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India; Distinguished Service Order; campaign medals for Chitral, Central and West Africa, Ashanti, Somaliland and the First World War; the 1911 Coronation Medal; and the foreign Commander grades of the French Légion d'Honneur and Italian Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. His First World War Victory Medal ribbon properly carried the bronze Mention in Despatches oak leaf.