Alister Dallas

Major-General Alister Grant Dallas CB, CMG (10 June 1866 – 2 February 1931) was a British Army officer.

Military career

Born the son of Alexander Grant Dallas, JP, DL and Mabel Alice Brooke, Dallas was commissioned into the 16th The Queen's Lancers as a lieutenant on 23 August 1886.

He was promoted to captain on 7 March 1892, and in 1897 served in the campaign in the North West Frontier of India, first as orderly officer to Major-General Penn Symons, commanding 2nd brigade, Tochi Field Force, and then followed Symons as aide-de-camp when he commanded the 1st division in the Tirah campaign. During the latter, he was present at the capture of the Sampagha and Arhanga passes (October 1897), the reconnaisance of the Saran Sar, operations in the Waran an Mastura Valleys and forcing of the Sapri pass (November 1897). For his service in this expedition he was mentioned in despatches and received the India Medal with two clasps.

He served in the Second Boer War, where he was wounded. After this war, he became Commandant of the School of Musketry in South Africa in 1907 and then became chief of staff to Major General Henry Rawlinson, commanding IV Corps on the Western Front in October 1914, a few weeks after the start of the First World War. Rawlinson made staff changes in August 1915 and Dallas became commander of the 32nd Infantry Brigade in the Gallipoli campaign. After being evacuated from Gallipoli, Dallas was promoted to the temporary rank of major general in January 1916 and became general officer commanding (GOC) of the 53rd (Welsh) Division, at the time serving in Egypt. After having had his major general's rank made substantive in January 1917, he saw action with his division at the First and Second Battles of Gaza, in which his division suffered significant losses, in March and April 1917. He handed over command of his division in April 1917.