Louis Bols

First World War

At the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 Bols, having been promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general in February, held the command of the 84th Infantry Brigade, part of the 28th Division. That same month saw him made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. while in June his permanent rank was advanced to brevet colonel. In late September he moved to the newly created XII Corps to serve as its brigadier general, general staff.

In October that year he was promoted again, now to temporary major general, and served as major general, general staff (MGGS) of the Third Army of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), commanded briefly by General Sir Charles Monro before he was replaced by General Sir Edmund Allenby. Bols was to serve with Allenby, both on the Western Front in 1916 and in 1917, and later in 1917–18 in Palestine.

From January to June 1920 Bols, who had been promoted in January 1917 to substantive major general, served as the Chief Administrator of Palestine, and signed over power to Herbert Samuel, the first British High Commissioner of Palestine, who confirmed in an often-quoted document:

Received from Major-General Sir Louis J. Bols K.C.B.—One Palestine, complete.

Post-war and final years

Bols went on to become GOC of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division of the Territorial Army in September 1920, taking over from Major General Sir Charles Hull. In July 1925 he was promoted to lieutenant general. and from 1927 to his death he was Governor and General Officer Commanding of the army garrison of the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda. He also served as colonel of the Devonshire Regiment from 1921 to his death.

Bols died in his 63rd year on 13 September 1930 in a nursing home in the city of Bath, Somerset, while on leave from Bermuda.

Personal life

Bols married Augusta Blanche Strickland and had two sons, Major-General Eric Bols, and Major Kenneth Bols (killed in action in Italy in the Second World War).