Field Marshal William Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside (b. Edinburgh, 6th May, 1880; d. London, 22nd September, 1959) was the second child of Surgeon-Major William Ironside, and was educated at Tonbridge School. He was a British military figure, who served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War II, but is noted for his important role as commander of British forces in Persia in 1920-1921. 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tonbridge School is a British independent all boys boarding school in Tonbridge, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde, under Letters Patent of King Edward VI. The Charter ordained that the Governors of the school after the death of the Founder were to be the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one... Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) was the title of the professional head of the British Army from 1908 to 1964. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air, August 9, 1945 after the Allied atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ... Persia and Persian can refer to: the Western name for Iran. ...

Ironside joined the British Army as a field artilleryman. In 1902 Ironside was sent to South Africa and during the Boer War worked as a spy. These experiences later resulted in him being used as the model for Richard Hannay, the character that appeared in the novels of John Buchan. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British military. ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Boer guerrillas during the Second Boer War There were two Boer wars, one from December 16, 1880-March 23, 1881 and the second from October 11, 1899-May 31, 1902 both between the British and the settlers of Dutch, French and German origin (called Boers, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South... Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... Richard Hannay is the fictional secret agent created by Scottish novelist, John Buchan. ... John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (August 26, 1875 - February 11, 1940), was a Scottish novelist and politician who served as Governor General of Canada. ...

In 1908 Ironside was promoted to captain and on the outbreak of the First World War was sent to France and served on the Western Front. He fought at Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele and in 1918 reaching the rank of colonel, was put in charge of the Machine Gun Corps. 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... See Western Front (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... The Battle of Vimy Ridge was one of the opening battles in a larger British campaign known as the Battle of Arras. ... Passchendaele village, before and after the Battle of Passchendaele The Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by British, ANZAC, and Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres (Ieper in Flemish) in West Flanders... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC were the first to use tanks in combat...

Ironside was sent to Archangel in north Russia in 1918, and placed in command of the Allied army fighting against the Bolsheviks. The Red Army managed to eventually gain a superior position in the Civil War and in autumn, 1919 he was forced the abandon the White Army to their fate. Archangel can mean several things: 1. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... Red Army flag The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya in Russian), the armed forces organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... White army may refer to: The military arm of the White movement, a loose coalition of anti-Bolshevik forces in the Russian Civil War The Saudi Arabian National Guard The National Guard of Kuwait This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share...

In 1920 Ironside served with the British forces in Izmit, Turkey. He commanded some 6000 British forces in Persia (NORPERFORCE) with headquarters in Qazvin from 4 October 1920 to 18 February 1921. Ironside's four and a half months in Persia were known primarily for two accounts. First, his role in the discharge of more than a hundred Russian officers and NCOs of the Cossack Division and their replacement by Persians under the command of Reza Khan, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty; and second, his encouragement of Reza Khan's coup d'e‚tat of 1921. On each occasion Ironside acted on his own responsibility without authority from London. He distrusted Russian loyalties after the 1917 Revolution and with the assistance of Herman Norman, the British Minister in Tehran, persuaded a Shah to dismiss the Cossack Division's commanding officer, and every Russian under him. It was also Ironside who selected Lt. Colonel Reza Khan as the Russian's successor. The appointment was based on the advice of a British officer friend, attached to the Cossacks for a short time, and after several visits to their camp near Qazvin where he was much impressed by the Persian contingent. Ironside's decision "to let the Cossacks go" was, according to his diary, because he wanted a strong military commander in the capital to save the country from the Bolsheviks and chaos and safeguard the imminent withdrawal of NORPERFORCE from Persia. In return, Reza Khan promised not to hinder British withdrawal or depose the Shah. 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... İzmit (also known as Kocaeli; previously known as Ismid or Isnikmid) is a city in the northwestern part of Anatolia, Turkey. ... Qazvin may refer to: Qazvin (city) Qazvin province Note: Qazvin province was created in 1996; older references to Qazvin are invariably to the city. ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Shah Reza Pahlavi Reza Pahlavi (Persian: رضا پهلوی), (March 16, 1877–July 26, 1944), called Reza Shah the Great after his death, was Shah of Persia (later Iran) from December 15, 1925 to September 16, 1941. ... The Pahlavi dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Iran from 1925 to 1979, from which two Shahs were drawn. ... Shah Reza Pahlavi Reza Pahlavi (Persian: رضا پهلوی), (March 16, 1877–July 26, 1944), called Reza Shah the Great after his death, was Shah of Persia (later Iran) from December 15, 1925 to September 16, 1941. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... St Stevens Tower - The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London (see also different names) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... The phrase Russian Revolution can refer to three specific events in the history of Imperial Russia. ... Tehran is a metropolis of 14 million situated at the foot of the towering Alborz range. ... Shah Reza Pahlavi Reza Pahlavi (Persian: رضا پهلوی), (March 16, 1877–July 26, 1944), called Reza Shah the Great after his death, was Shah of Persia (later Iran) from December 15, 1925 to September 16, 1941. ... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... Persia and Persian can refer to: the Western name for Iran. ... Shah Reza Pahlavi Reza Pahlavi (Persian: رضا پهلوی), (March 16, 1877–July 26, 1944), called Reza Shah the Great after his death, was Shah of Persia (later Iran) from December 15, 1925 to September 16, 1941. ...

In 1936 Ironside became a general and was appointed head of the Eastern Command and served as governor and commander in chief of Gibraltar (1938-39). Ironside became Chief of the Imperial General Staff in September 1939 when he replaced General Lord Gort who had been sent to France as head of the British Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of World War II. In May 1940, when a German invasion of Britain seemed imminent, Ironside was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Home Forces but was replaced in July that year. In 1941 he was raised to the peerage and retired from active service. Lord Ironside died on 22nd September 1959. 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) was the title of the professional head of the British Army from 1908 to 1964. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & 2 Bars, MVO, MC) (July 10, 1886 - March 1946), commonly known as Lord Gort, was a British soldier who served in both World War I and II, rising to the rank of Field Marshal and receiving the Victoria... The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British army sent to Belgium in World War I and British Forces in Europe from 1939 - 1940 during World War II. The BEF was established by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Boer War in case Britain ever needed to... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air, August 9, 1945 after the Allied atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & 2 Bars, MVO, MC) (July 10, 1886 - March 1946), commonly known as Lord Gort, was a British soldier who served in both World War I and II, rising to the rank of Field Marshal and receiving the Victoria... Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) was the title of the professional head of the British Army from 1908 to 1964. ... Field Marshall Sir John Greer Dill CMG DSO GCB (25 December 1888 - 4 November 1944) was a British commander in World War I and World War II who played a significant role in the formation of the special relationship. ...