major general sir december senior officer british_army late nineteenth early twentieth century served north west frontier south_africa world war instrumental development tank experienced engineer involved numerous building projects years india pioneered development britain helped establish command military training establishments britain involved large scale military planning pivotal establishing tank important feature british_army described possessing poor communication skills earning nickname stone age attitude ideas junior officers played vital role development deployment armoured vehicles british_army india burma south africa born india civil servant wife sarah december returning england early age education attended leaving enrolled went study chatham subsequently commissioned lieutenant capable engineering officer served india burma years career principally employed military public construction projects performed position promoted captain attached force dispatched campaign tasks supervise construction road wheeled vehicles pass campaign successful conclusion promoted major transferred south_africa wife son john returned england arriving south_africa outbreak second boer war deputy assistant director railways vital job given lengthy dangerous supply routes war fought received rank lieutenant colonel commanded locally raised units eventually commandant returned england june following end hostilities previous month october appointed companion order bath settled family appointed commander based command col james having briefly organisation commandant time split moved new site nearby retirement superintendent given rank colonel retained factory complete development britain military second purpose built shed supervised british_army activities took wider interest anticipation new took civilian sport flying competitions initially assistant later balloon wife assistant included man lifting war developed early work conducted fact finding visits usa wife befriended wright brothers involved protracted ultimately futile negotiations buy wright machine undertook successful flight british london went modify parodied punch second second smaller experimental called baby immediate success baby later modified long successful career oversaw army briefly flew secret trials scotland flight lasted seconds crashed wall sustaining cut head year flew british built earned title british_army ironic achievement command pinned personal hopes achieved autumn government conducted formal inquiry military aviation return early order present evidence argued strongly promising future forms especially army superiors committee form decided small scale experiments continue work stopped formally ceased contracts ran end march soon removed command army new civilian superintendent appointed remained command left friends offered support efforts new exhibited stating built order col transferred command chatham marking end career world war remained chatham september lack experienced officers forced transfer france early months world war brigadier general deputy inspector lines communication given post chief engineer corps july promoted major general chief engineer october following deaths senior officers battle including younger brother sir promoted overall command 24th division remained command division months including periods heavy fighting battle son john killed action serving division spent extensive periods time sections line gained extensive battle experience cost high casualties reward service command division presented commander french government recalled england initially run training centre july hold position director general newly formed operational command tanks hands commander heavy branch tanks introduced year design manufacture inadequate tactics deployment non existent job shape organisation unit efficient battlefield force improve mechanical reliability develop effective tactics role given nickname stone age subordinates considered unwilling accept new innovations tank tactics fact able worked general develop plan large scale armoured assault german lines known plan subordinates based rigid adherence military hierarchy consequent failure communicate ideas rank services director general knight commander retirement july left commanded took command number area france flanders september lieutenant governor took command island military installations held post years time colonel commandant july knight commander retiring remained associated governor associations retained second world war joined remained duty unit post war retired fully remained shortly death widowed died leaving daughter collected papers brother thompson instructor donated college london available researchers
John Capper