Frederick Stopford

Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick William Stopford, (2 February 1854 – 4 May 1929) was a British Army officer, best remembered for commanding the landing at Suvla Bay in August 1915, during the Gallipoli Campaign, where he failed to order an aggressive exploitation of the initially successful landings.

Early life Stopford was a younger son of James Stopford, 4th Earl of Courtown, and his second wife Dora Pennefather, daughter of Edward Pennefather, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

Military career Stopford was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards on 28 October 1871. He was appointed aide-de-camp to Sir John Adye, chief of staff for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, and took part in the Battle of Tel el-Kebir in 1882. He went on to be aide-de-camp to Major General Arthur Fremantle, commander of the Suakin expedition in 1885. After his return to Britain, he was appointed deputy adjutant general at Aldershot in 1901, and chief staff officer for I Corps with the temporary rank of brigadier general, on 1 April 1902. Two years later, he was appointed director of military training at Horseguards in 1904. he was major-general commanding the Brigade of Guards and general officer commanding (GOC) of the London District from 1906. and promoted to lieutenant general in September.

In October 1912 he was made lieutenant of the Tower of London, taking over the post from General Sir Henry Grant.

On 5 August 1914, a day after the British entry into the First World War, he was appointed GOC First Army, part of Home Forces, a position he held until he took command of IX Corps the following year.

As GOC of IX Corps, Stopford was blamed for the failure to attack following the landing at Suvla Bay in August 1915, during the Gallipoli campaign. Stopford had chosen to command the landing from , anchored offshore, but slept as the landing was in progress. He was quickly replaced on 15 August by Major-General Sir Julian Byng.

After almost 50 years of military service, Stopford retired from the army in 1920.