Quick Facts
Biography
General Sir John Francis Stanhope Duke Coleridge GCB CMG DSO (25 April 1878 – 3 November 1951) was a senior British Indian Army officer who went on to be Military Secretary to the India Office.
Military career
Coleridge was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Indian Staff Corps in 1898, transferred to the 8th Gurkhas in July 1900 and was sent on a mission to Tibet in 1903.
Coleridge served on the Abor expedition on the north east frontier of India in 1911-12 and was mentioned in despatches. He served in World War I and in 1916 was on the General Staff of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. He served as Commander of 189th Brigade from October 1917 and then 188th Brigade from December 1917 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George and a bar to his Distinguished Service Order.
After the War he returned to India as a General Staff Officer and carried out a review the new Indian Defence Force and the internal security measures there.
He served as Assistant Commandant at the Quetta Staff College from 1923 to 1925, Military Secretary Army Headquarters, India from 1926 to 1930 and became commander of the Kohat District in 1930.
During the North West Frontier operations of 1930-31 he commanded, as a Major-General, the Peshawar District. He was Military Secretary to the India Office from 1933 to 1936 and General Officer Commanding Northern Command, India from 1936 to 1940 for which he was mentioned in despatches twice, retiring shortly afterwards.
He was a Companion of the Order of the Bath, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. He was also Aide de Camp General to the King from 1936 to 1940.
He was appointed Colonel of the 8th Gurkha Rifles from January 1926, Colonel of the 2nd battalion 1st Punjab Regiment from November 1932 and honorary Colonel 87th Anti-Tank regiment, Royal Artillery (Devons) from 1941.