James Warwick
The Earl of Northport | |
|---|---|
 Warwick in Satavia, 1927 (Colourised) | |
| Born | October 14, 1899 Northport, Orange Province, Dominion of Satavia |
| Died | March 3, 1961 (aged 61) Spálgleann, Caldia |
| Allegiance | Satavia |
| Branch | Satavian Army |
| Years of Service | 1917-1939 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Royal Satavian Light Infantry |
| Commands held | Allied Administrator for the City and Port of Philipsbaai GOC Satavia 1st Military District 3rd Satavian Infantry Division Royal Satavian Light Infantry C Company, Royal Satavian Light Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Great War |
| Spouse(s) | Lucy O'Connell |
| Children | Charlie Warwick Arthur Warwick |
| Relations | Sir Sydney Warwick (Father) |
Lieutenant General James Sydney Arthur Warwick, 6th Earl of Northport, MC GWM (14 October 1899 - 3 March 1961) was a senior Satavian Army officer who served during the Great War. Warwick served as Commander of the 1st Military District which encompassed the entirety of the historical Hope Province from 1926 until it's abolition in 1928 following the fall of Satavia, and as GOC Satavia from 1931 until 1936. In April 1928, Warwick was taken prisoner by Nuvanian Forces following the Battle of Port Hope. Warwick and General Harrison later escaped captivity in August 1929 in what would become one of the most high profile escapes of the Great War. Both arrived in Caldia in November 1929 aboard the Satavian Navy destroyer HMSS Elliot.
Warwick was born in 1899 in the Holt Estate near Northport, Orange Province. Warwick's father was Sydney Warwick, at the time of his birth the Shadow Secretary for Agriculture and Industry, who would later become Prime Minister and then Governor-General. Warwick followed in his father's footsteps, attending the prestigious Wyndsom College in Estmere. Warwick did not attend University, instead joining the Army at age 18. Because of his position as the Earl of the Orange, and his father who by now was Prime Minister, Warwick joined the army as a Major. Warwick, like his uncle before him, proved to be a very capable commander and strategist - and later that year, he was appointed Commanding Officer of C Company, Royal Satavian Light Infantry. Within just six months, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and made Commanding Officer of the Royal Satavian Light Infantry. In 1922, he was once again promoted to Colonel. In 1923, he was promoted again to Brigadier. He was promoted to Major General in 1926 and assigned the 3rd Satavian Infantry Division until 1927, when he was appointed Commander of the 1st Military District, which encompassed Port Hope and the entirety of the historical Hope Province, in addition to the East River Province. In January 1928, he was made a Lieutenant General, and in April 1928 fought against a Nuvanian Invasion of Satavia during the Defence of Port Hope. The fighting lasted for a week, with the majority of Satavian Forces wiped out. Warwick's commanding officer, the GOC Satavia, General Harrison, was forced to surrender after just one week of fighting.
Both Warwick and Harrison were taken prisoner and, due to their high-profile nature, were sent to an officer's prison camp near Pietersburg. In August 1929, with assistance from the Federal Police Special Branch, Warwick and Harrison escaped along with three other officers held in the Camp. They were picked up by an Estmerish midget submarine, HMS Ardent, twenty miles away from the Camp. They sailed to a small abandoned port in the Orange Province. In November They travelled to Caldia aboard a Satavian Destroyer, HMSS Elliot. Warwick later described his time in the camp as "the worst in my life. Not because of the conditions, because of that idiot Harrison".
Warwick was promoted to GOC Satavia in 1931, a position he would serve until 1936. Warwick took part in and planned Operation Blind Summit, the Liberation of Satavia. Warwick remained as GOC Satavia until 1934; when he was made Allied Administrator for the City and Port of Philipsbaai. Warwick was given near complete power of the city and a small area of countryside, which he would control until 1937, when the city was returned to Nuvania. Warwick decided to retire from the military that year; and he was made Ambasador from Satavia to Caldia; whilst in Caldia, the February Coup meant that Warwick was declared an 'illegal person' by his former Commanding Officer and arch-rival; Oscar Harrison - many biographers put this down due to their rivalry and disputes and describe it purely as a petty act.
Warwick remained in Caldia with his wife and children - Warwick would never return to Satavia, dying on the estate his father had purchased during the Great War.
Family, Background & Early Life
Warwick was born on the Holt Estate, near Northport in the Orange Province (Satavia) on October 14th 1899.
Warwick came from a military family; his father, Sir Sydney had served in the Royal Satavian Navy, his uncle, Archibald, in the Satavian Army and his Grandfather, Sir John, before had also served in the military. At birth, Warwick was first in line to the title of Earl of Northport, because his uncle, Archibald Warwick, 5th Earl of Northport had not married and had no children. Warwick would inherit the title at the age of just one after his uncle was killed in a training accident on Nativity in 1900.
Warwick's father, Sir Sydney Warwick was a politician who would later become the 14th Prime Minister of Satavia, and 15th and last Governor-General. Sir Sydney became Prime Minister in 1915; when Warwick was only 14. Warwick never knew his Grandfather or Grandmother.
Warwick had one brother - Edward, who was two years younger than him. The two were very close and they both attended the same school. Edward went on to be a barrister.
Warwick's uncle, Archibald, died when Warwick was only a one year old - but as his heir, Warwick gained the title of Earl of Northport. Warwick was interested in the military, and wanted to join the Army from a young age - his father had initially hoped he would join the Navy, but was content with Warwick joining the army. Warwick attended Springbank School, a prestigious private school near Port Hope, like his father, from the age of eight, starting in 1907. The school's dining hall is named after Warwick and his father. Warwick, unlike his father, enjoyed his time there and when he left in 1912, he moved onto Wyndsom College, also like his father. Warwick spent another five years there, and in 1917 left the college to join the army. Despite not attending university, he was immediately recruited as a Major, in part due to his father's position as Prime Minister and his position as the Earl of Northport.
Military Career
Warwick was commissioned as a Major the day after his birthday, October 15. Warwick proved to be a very skilled strategist and commander, and so later that year was given his first command - C Company of the Royal Satavian Light Infantry. Just six months after taking command, however, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel - and given command of the Royal Satavian Light Infantry. Warwick was noted for his strategical genius, but also for his foul mouth and - by his admission - temper. Warwick was capable - that was undeniable - and so in 1922, he was promoted to Colonel, and later in 1923 Brigadier. In 1926, he was once again promoted, but this time to Major General - and he was given control of the 3rd Satavian Infantry Division. In 1927 he was appointed Commander of the 1st Military District.
As Commander of the 1st Military District, Warwick answered to General Harrison (then GOC Satavia), and had complete control of all military units stationed in the 1st Military district (which encompassed the Historical boundaries of the Hope Province, the East River Province and Port Hope). In addition to commanding all Satavian Units in the area, he commanded all Estmerish Units as well - and so when they were withdrawn from Satava at the outbreak of the Great War he was furious - and wrote to General Duncan Scott asking for the order to be reconsidered - Scott didn't reply. Only 800 Estmerish soldiers remained in Satavia, all stationed in Port Hope, and they were lead by Colonel Edgar William Rose. Warwick took the issue up with Harrison hoping that Harrison would agree with him - but Harrison refused to speak to Warwick.
Defence of Port Hope
Warwick was forced to spread his troops out thinly across the 1st Military District, leaving the vast majority of men in Port Hope. Warwick had predicted a naval invasion at the start of the war; and had even told his father, Prime Minister at the time, to raise the issue with the Prime Minister of Estmere - but his father's efforts were to no avail. On 3rd April 1928, Nuvanian troops landed just three and a half miles away from Port Hope, unopposed.
As soon as Warwick was made aware of the landings, he informed Harrison and the Prime Minister, who by now was Edward Limes. Harrison met Warwick at 06:30 that morning and took control of the 1st Military District - much to Warwick's annoyance. The first engagement occurred at 8:00 on King Charles Mound by Nuvanian Forces, who easily overran Satavian Troops.
After Harrison attempted to take the hill back multiple times, his ordered Richard de Vit to take back the mound - during the assault de Vit was killed. Soon after, Colonel Rose was also killed leaving his men without a senior commander - and so Harrison, who was failing to micromanage the battle - gave the command to Warwick. Warwick attempted to advise Harrison on the positioning of his forces, but was rebuffed by Harrison who believed, as a senior officer, he knew more than Warwick.
In the next couple of days in the battle, every suggestion by Warwick, some which historians now view as the correct decision, were ignored by Harrison. Warwick was frustrated that he wasn't being allowed to help in a battle which they were losing. Harrison, however, wouldn't budge on his decisions - and Warwick didn't have enough troops to mount any kind of independent assault.
On April 7th, Warwick finally had a taste of battle when his forces were attacked by Nuvanian Forces advancing through Breybach Avenue. His forces performed excellently, rebuffing the Nuvanian assault.
On the morning of April 9th, Harrison consolidated his forces around Port Hope Castle, a 17th-century fortress, and mounted a desperate last stand. Satavian forces held out until they ran out of ammunition, where they were ordered to surrender by Harrison - an estimated 250 remaining troops disobeyed the order, and charged the Nuvanian forces with bayonets; all would die. The act of extreme bravery is memorialised not only by a national holiday (commonly called Defence Day or Memorial Day) but also by a now-infamous poem by Caldish poet Eoin Ó Scolaighe, called The Bravest of Men.
Harrison formally surrendered on the 9th April, with Warwick at his side. The defeat, whilst embarrassing for Warwick, was worse for Harrison who had on the record taken full command and responsibility away from Warwick to himself.
Captivity & Escape
Warwick and Harrison, along with four other officers who were captured alive, were taken from a holding area to a prison camp near Pietersburg for officers. The conditions at the camp were good - and the prisoners were treated well. In the camp, Warwick had an advantage over Harrison in that he could speak Asteriaans, coming from the Orange Province.
Warwick was still angry with Harrison - he believed that Harrison's handling of the situation had led directly to their defeat. In Warwick's engagement, he had proved that he was both a formidable commander but also a better strategist than Harrison - and Harrison was intensely jealous of Warwick. Warwick and Harrison put aside their disagreements, however, as both felt that they needed to escape the camp. One of the Nuvanian prison guards was being paid by the Federal Police Special Branch, and he would pass supplies and messages to Warwick, who could send messages back.
On the night of the 5th August 1929 - well over a year after their defeat and the fall of Satavia - Warwick and four others (Gen. Harrison, Col. David Buckley, Capt. George Worser and Capt. Alexander de Pfeller) escaped the prison camp under the cover of darkness. As part of their pre-arranged agreement with the FPSB, the group of officers walked nearly twenty miles to a small, isolated beach just south of Pietersburg, the Nuvanian capital. From there, they swam out to sea towards the midget submarine, which took them to a small abandoned settlement, called Denson, on the northern coast of Satavia. Denson had been abandoned since the 1880s and was not near any other major towns. The group of officers hid in Denson for nearly two months - none of them ever encountered a Nuvanian soldier.
On the 1st of November, a Satavian Destroyer, HMSS Elliot dropped anchor off the coast of Denson. A small boat was sent out and brought the group onto the ship. The destroyer took them to Caldia, where they arrived on the 21st of November.
Late War
Warwick stayed with his father - who had also been evacuated to Caldia - at an estate that they had purchased just north of the capital, Spálgleann. Warwick was not given a command upon return, much to his annoyance - and Harrison was re-instated as GOC Satavia, which Warwick believed Harrison did not deserve.
Warwick was transfered in January 1930 to the Imperial General Staff, where he worked in the Imperial Strategic Command. Warwick was frustrated - he wanted to be in the action, but was instead relegated to advising commanders from Werania and Caldia.