Arthur Barrett (Indian Army officer)

Sir Arthur Barrett
Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Barrett c.1915
Born	3 June 1857 (1857-06-03) Carshalton, Surrey
Died	20 October 1926(1926-10-20) (aged 69) Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Indian Army
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	Northern Army, India
Battles/wars	Second Anglo-Afghan War Hunza-Nagar Campaign First World War Third Anglo-Afghan War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of India Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order

Field Marshal Sir Arthur Arnold Barrett GCB, GCSI, KCVO, ADC (3 June 1857 – 20 October 1926) was a British officer of the Indian Army. He saw action at the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment in December 1879 and at the Battle of Kandahar in September 1880 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War and went on to serve in the Hunza-Nagar Campaign in 1891. During the First World War he was General Officer Commanding the Poona Division which successfully took Basra in Mesopotamia in November 1914 and then Al-Qurnah in Mesopotamia in December 1914. He spent the rest of the War commanding the Northern Army in which role he took part in operations against the Mahsuds in Spring 1917. He saw action again as the senior British officer on the ground during the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919 before retiring in May 1920.

Born the son of Alfred Barrett (a clergyman) and Emma Barrett (née Collins), Barrett was commissioned sub-lieutenant in the 44th Regiment of Foot on 10 September 1875 and immediately sailed to join his regiment in Secunderabad, India. He was promoted to lieutenant in June 1878 with seniority backdated to the date of his commission. He transferred from the 44th Foot to the Indian Staff Corps on 17 January 1879 and was posted to the 3rd Sikhs, a regiment of the Punjab Frontier Force, and saw action at the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment in December 1879 and at the Battle of Kandahar in September 1880 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.