William Nicholls (Royal Marines officer)

Sir William Nicholls
Sir William Nicholls
Birth name	William Charles Nicholls
Born	25 February 1854; Greenwich, London
Died	1 December 1935 (aged 81); East Dean, Wiltshire, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	Royal Marines
Years of service	1872–1916
Rank	General
Commands	Adjutant-General Royal Marines
Battles / wars	Anglo-Zulu War; First World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

General Sir William Charles Nicholls, KCB (25 February 1854 – 1 December 1935) was a Royal Marines officer who served as Adjutant-General Royal Marines.

Military career

Educated at Cheltenham College, Nicholls was commissioned into the Royal Marine Artillery on 15 July 1872.^[2] He saw action in South Africa in 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War.^[3] He became Deputy Adjutant-General at Headquarters, Royal Marine Forces in June 1911.^[4] At that time the Deputy Adjutant-General was the professional head of the Royal Marines.^[5] His post was redesignated Adjutant-General Royal Marines in early 1914^[6]^[7] shortly before the Gallipoli landings, in which the Royal Marine Forces took a prominent role, in June 1915 during the First World War.^[8] He retired in June 1916.^[9]

^ "Obituary". The Times. 3 December 1935. p. 21.
^ "No. 24033". The London Gazette. 11 November 1873. p. 4902.
^ "Officers Of The Royal Marines Battalion 1879". 1879 Zulu War. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
^ "No. 28508". The London Gazette. 27 June 1911. p. 4771.
^ "Navy List". December 1913. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
^ "British Admiralty". Naval History. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
^ "Punch, or the London Charivari". 11 February 1914. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
^ Field, Cyril (2014). The British Navy Book. Create Space. ISBN 9781502428912.
^ "Senior Royal Navy appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 20 May 2016.

Military offices
Preceded by Sir William Adair	Deputy Adjutant-General Royal Marines 1911–1914	Post renamed
New title	Adjutant-General Royal Marines 1914–1916	Succeeded by Sir David Mercer