A. M. S. Elsmie

Who is A. M. S. Elsmie?

Major-General Alexander Montagu Spears Elsmie CB CMG was a British Indian Army officer.

Elsmie was the second son of George Robert Elsmie, administrator in India and author, and his wife Elizabeth. He was educated at Clifton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from which he was commissioned second lieutenant in the Border Regiment in January 1889. In May 1890 he transferred to the Indian Army and joined the 2nd Punjab Infantry. He was promoted lieutenant in July 1891. He served in the Miranzai expeditions in 1891, the Waziristan campaign in 1894–1895, and on the North-West Frontier in 1897–1898, for which he was twice mentioned in despatches while serving as regimental adjutant, a position he had held since October 1896. He later served with the Tirah Field Force. He was promoted captain in January 1900 and attended the Staff College, Camberley in England in 1902. In January 1907 he was promoted major and appointed brigade major at Jullundur and the following year he became a Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General at the Indian Army's headquarters at Simla, serving in the Intelligence Branch of the Military Operations Directorate. In September 1909 he was appointed a professor at the Indian Staff College at Quetta, where he served until 1911, with the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel. He returned to regimental duty in January 1912 and in December 1912 he was promoted brevet lieutenant-colonel and the following year he took command of his regiment. In September 1913 he was promoted substantive lieutenant-colonel.