| Biography | Henry Andrew Micklem was born at Farnborough on 29 June 1872, the eldest son of Major General Edward Micklem and Eva, daughter of T M Weguelin, MP. He was educated at Winchester College, and joined the Royal Engineers on 1 August 1891, becoming a Lieutenant on 1 August 1894.
He was employed with the Egyptian Army from 25 June 1897 to 3 October 1899, and served in the Nile Expedition of 1897 , for which he was awarded the Egyptian Medal. In the Nile Expedition of 1898 he was slightly wounded at the Battle of Khartoum; was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 30 September 1898]; received the Fourth Class Medjidie Medal , and a clasp to the Egyptian Medal. He was also created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 15 November 1898]. He served in the South African (Boer) War from 1 January 1900 to 30 June 1902. He was severely wounded; was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 10 September 1901]; was given the Brevet of Major, 2 August 1902; received the Queen's Medal with three clasps, and the King's Medal with two clasps.
He was employed on the Central South African Railways 1 July to 1902 to 18 April 1903, and seconded to the Chinese Mining and Engineering Company in Tientsin, China (16 June 1904) as general mamanger as the largest coal mining and engineering concern in the Far East. His predecessor in the job was Hubert Hoover, later to become President of the USA. This appointment ended when the Japanese invaded China and took control of the mines.
Henry Micklem returned to England to take up an important post in The War Office during the First World War and took over as Chairman or Director of several important public companies (see above) including The Investment Trust, and The Gaumont British Film Company (later the Rank organisation in 1941). These were companies that had been started by his father, as well as two Southern Spanish railways and Greenwood & Batley, a large engineering company in Leeds.
He retired from the Royal Engineers 2 June 1909. He served in the European War from 1914 to 1918; was Major, Reserve of Officers, 27 August 1918; was given the Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel; created a CMG in 1918, and a CBE in 1919. |