Michael Rimington

Michael Frederic Rimington
A caricature of Rimington published in Vanity Fair, 1898. The original caption read "Descended from Edward Longshanks".
Nickname(s)	Mike
Born	(1858-05-23)23 May 1858
Died	19 December 1928(1928-12-19) (aged 70)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1881–1919
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Indian Cavalry Corps 1st Indian Cavalry Division 3rd Cavalry Brigade 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons Rimington's Guides
Battles/wars	Second Boer War First World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Mentioned in Despatches Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)

Lieutenant General Sir Michael Frederic Rimington, KCB, CVO (23 May 1858 – 19 December 1928) was a British Army officer who commanded cavalry forces in the Second Boer War and First World War. After early service with the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, "Mike" Rimington was given command of an irregular cavalry force in South Africa, known as "Rimington's Guides". He commanded them for a year before taking command of his regular regiment, and later a cavalry brigade. In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, he commanded the 1st Indian Cavalry Division and then the Indian Cavalry Corps on the Western Front, before retiring to home-service duties in 1916. He had one son, Reginald, who followed his father into the 6th Dragoons; he rose to command an armoured brigade in 1941, and was killed in North Africa.

Born in Penrith, Rimington attended Highgate School in London and then studied at Keble College, Oxford. He graduated in 1881, and joined the army as a lieutenant in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons that October. The regiment was stationed in South Africa, and Rimington's first active service was the Warren Expedition in 1884 to recapture the United States of Stellaland. He later served in the campaign against Dinizulu in 1888, as the regimental adjutant. He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 26 October 1887.