Robert Livesay

Robert O'Hara Livesay, DSO (27 June 1876 – 23 March 1946) was a British Army officer and English sportsman who played international rugby union for England and first-class cricket.

Sports

Livesay, a fly-half from Blackheath, played two Tests for England, both against Wales. They came in the 1898 Home Nations Championship and 1899 Home Nations Championship.^[1]

A right handed batsman, Livesay played 26 first-class cricket matches for Kent, all but one of which came in the County Championship. The other was a fixture against the touring South Africans, at Canterbury in 1904, when he made a career best 78 in the first innings, before being run out.^[2]

Military career

Livesay was commissioned as a second-lieutenant in the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment on 5 September 1896, and promoted to lieutenant on 18 May 1898. He fought in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1902, where he took part in the Relief of Ladysmith, including the battles of Colenso (15 December 1899), Spion Kop (20-24 January 1900), Vaal Krantz (5-7 February 1900), and the Tugela Heights and Pieter´s Hill (14-27 February 1900). In the following months he tok part in operations in Natal March to June, including action at Laing's Nek 6-9 June 1900.^[3] He was mentioned in despatches (dated 8 April 1902^[4]) and appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in the South Africa Honours list published on 26 June 1902.^[5]

During the First World War Livesay was attached to the New Zealand Division after their service at Armentières, and he served for 16 months as General Staff Officer 1 (GSO1), the officer responsible to the Divisional Commander Major General Sir Andrew Hamilton Russell for planning and directing training and the conduct of operations. The Division’s success during the Battle of the Somme was due in part to the outstanding work of Livesay and The New Zealand Division’s performance was recognised by the French with the award of the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the French Republic in May 1917. He was again conspicuous in his service at Messines and Passchendaele, before leaving the New Zealand Division to serve with the Americans and 61 Division. He was subsequently promoted to Brigadier and commanded 24 Infantry Brigade in the last few months of the War and 1 Infantry Brigade at Aldershot before retiring in 1920.^[6]

References