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Colonel Sir Walter Coote Hedley (12 December 1865 – 27 December 1937) was a British Army officer who began his career in the Royal Engineers and later moved into military intelligence. He was also a gifted amateur sportsman who played first-class cricket for several County Championship sides as a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler. He also competed to a high level in rackets and golf. Hedley was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1884. He became a surveyor in the 1890s and was attached to the Ordnance Survey. This work was interrupted by service in South Africa throughout the Second Boer War, and from 1906–1908 by his appointment as an advisor to the Survey of India. In 1911 he was appointed to command MO4, also known as the Geographical Section of the General Staff. During the First World War this organisation was responsible for producing all the maps required by British Empire forces around the world, and in particular mapping the ever-changing trench system on the Western Front. Following the end of the war, he retired from the army in 1920. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and served on the society's council. Hedley's first-class cricket career began in 1888 with the Gentlemen of England and Kent County Cricket Club. The majority of his county matches were for Somerset County Cricket Club whom he first represented in 1886 in non-first-class games. His first County Championship games for them were in 1890, and he had a regular place in the side from 1892. He also made first-class appearances for I Zingari and Marylebone Cricket Club on various occasions. On his return he played minor counties cricket in 1902, but played no more high-level cricket until 1905 when he briefly returned to the County Championship, playing for Hampshire County Cricket Club in three matches. Hedley was also a useful rackets player—reaching the final of the amateur championships, held at the Queen's Club, in 1890. In later life he turned to golf, playing off a scratch handicap. ==Early life and army career== Hedley was born at Heathfield, Somerset on 12 December 1865. He was educated at Marlborough College, and then proceeded to Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned into the Royal Engineers (RE) as a lieutenant on 9 December 1884, and promoted captain on 17 January 1894. However, a report in ''The Times'' in 1890, on the final of the rackets amateur championship at Queen's Club already refers to him as "Captain W. C. Hedley". Also, a history of 20 Survey Company RE published by the Royal Engineers Museum lists him as captain and officer commanding from 1893. In October 1899 he briefly moved to 19 Survey Company. From 1895 he was attached to the Ordnance Survey. The outbreak of the Second Boer War then took Hedley to South Africa, one of the biggest problems facing the British was the lack of suitable maps, so his surveying experience was in demand.〔 Serving with 17 Field Company Royal Engineers, which went to South Africa in November 1899, he was present at the Relief of Ladysmith,〔 and was Mentioned in Despatches in a despatch dated 30 March 1900, though this was not gazetted until February 1901.〔 The same Gazette carried a further Mention in a despatch dated 9 November 1900. He had been hospitalised earlier in 1900, and was discharged to return to duty in the week ending 18 May 1900. He received a third Mention in September 1901 for service up to April 1901. On 9 July 1901 he left Port Natal on the transport ''City of Cambridge'' which was due to arrive at Southampton on 3 August. His obituary in ''The Times'' records that he served in the Boer War until 1902, so he must have returned at a later date.〔 In September 1901 it was gazetted that he had received brevet promotion to major for his South African service on 29 November 1900, substantive promotion to that rank came on 18 January 1902. He also received the Queen's South Africa Medal, with six clasps, for his service during the Boer War.〔 Hedley returned to 19 Company once the war was over, and remained with them until 1903,〔 and he continued in surveying duties with the Ordnance Survey until 1906.〔 He was then appointed as an advisor to the Survey of India in order to modernise the methods used to produce maps, following efforts by the previous Viceroy of India, George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, to reform the Survey. Though Hedley faced some resistance to the proposals he made, he was ultimately successful in achieving reform.〔 The Geodetic & Research Branch of the Survey of India still holds in its archives, ''Notes on the organization, methods and process of the photo-litho office, Calcutta'' by Major W.C Hedley.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Archived material )〕 He returned to the United Kingdom, and the Ordnance Survey, in 1908, now concentrating on new colour printing techniques.〔 He was promoted lieutenant-colonel on 27 May 1910. Hedley was appointed a General Staff Officer, Grade 1 at the War Office on 20 September 1911, and took command of the Geographical Section General Staff, also known as MO4.〔 The MO prefix stood for "Military Operations" and in 1916 would be changed to "Military Intelligence", thus give rise to the familiar abbreviations, MI5 and MI6. Hedley succeeded Charles Close who had been appointed Director General of the Ordnance Survey. The duties of the department were to provide to the British Army maps of all areas of the world—other than the United Kingdom, for which the Ordnance Survey was responsible, and India, which was the responsibility of the India Office, via the Survey of India. Its remit also extended to advising government departments on geographical matters, particular relating to international boundaries. Hedley later reached the rank of Colonel and was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Companion of the Order of the Bath and Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George. He headed up the geographical section of British Military Intelligence, designated MO4, leading a 24-man staff. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Coote Hedley」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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