James Whitehead

Who was James Whitehead?

Brigadier James Whitehead, CB, CMG, CBE, DSO, OStJ, ADC was a British Indian Army officer who later became a senior officer in the London Metropolitan Police.

Whitehead was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Edmund Whitehead, an officer in the Black Watch. He was educated at Dulwich College and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant into the Royal West Kent Regiment on 12 August 1899, but on 29 October 1901 transferred to the Indian Staff Corps in the Indian Army. He was promoted Lieutenant on 12 November 1901 and Captain on 12 August 1908, by which time he was serving with the 1st Brahmans. In 1907 he married Winifred Fanny Fell; they had four sons and one daughter. He attended the Staff College from 1911 to 1912.

By the beginning of 1914, Whitehead was serving as a cadet company commander at Sandhurst and on 4 February 1914 he was granted the temporary rank of Major, as was normal for this post. On 14 October 1914, having reverted to Captain, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General and on 27 February 1916 he was advanced to Assistant Adjutant-General with the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.