Robert Porter

Major-General Sir Robert Porter (31 January 1858 – 27 February 1928) was a British Army officer and physician.

Early life and career Porter was born in County Donegal, Ireland, the son of Andrew Porter. He was promoted surgeon-major on 5 February 1893. He served in the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War of 1895–1896 and the Second Boer War of 1899–1902, He was promoted lieutenant-colonel while in South Africa on 4 February 1901, and colonel on 14 January 1910. He was placed on half-pay on 14 January 1914, but was restored to the establishment on 5 August 1914, the day after the outbreak of the First World War.

First World War During the First World War, Porter was mentioned in despatches six times. and from 1915 to 1917 he served as director of medical services of the Second Army. Belgium also appointed him Commander of the Order of the Crown in 1916 and awarded him the Croix de Guerre in 1918, as he had spent much of his wartime service in Belgium and had been responsible for dealing with the 1914–1915 civilian typhoid epidemic in the Second Army area. He retired on 31 January 1918. The rank of surgeon-general was redesignated major-general later in 1918. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1919 Birthday Honours and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1921 New Year Honours.

Personal life Porter married Mary Phillipa Johnstone in 1903; they had three sons. He died from pneumonia and pleurisy at his home at 27 The Avenue, Beckenham, Kent, at the age of 70.

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