Launcelot Kiggell

Sir Launcelot Kiggell
Kiggell circa 1915
Born	(1862-10-02)2 October 1862 Ballingarry, County Limerick
Died	23 February 1954(1954-02-23) (aged 91) Felixstowe, Suffolk
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1882–1920
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Staff College, Camberley
Battles/wars	Second Boer War World War I
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

Lieutenant General Sir Launcelot Edward Kiggell, KCB, KCMG (2 October 1862 – 23 February 1954) was a British Army officer who was Chief of General Staff for the British Armies in France under Sir Douglas Haig from late 1915 to 1918.

Kiggell was born in County Limerick on 2 October 1862, son of Launcelot John Kiggell (1829-1911), a Justice of the Peace and Major in the Cork Light Militia. He attended the Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a lieutenant on 10 May 1882.

He was Adjutant of the 2nd battalion 1886-90 and was promoted captain on 3 April 1889. He attended Staff College, Camberley from 1893 until December 1894. He was then an instructor at Sandhurst from 1895 to 1897. From 1897 to 1899 he was Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General (DAAG) at South-Eastern District, and he was promoted to major on 6 April 1898.

He served in South Africa throughout the Second Boer War. From late 1899 he served on the staff of General Sir Redvers Buller, then spent six months on the staff at HQ at Pretoria. He was promoted to brevet lieutenant-colonel on 29 November 1900. He then served as Assistant Adjutant-General (AAG) for Harrissmith District, then held the same post in Natal after the end of the war. He was Mentioned in Despatches. After the war had ended, he returned to the United Kingdom in August 1902.