He was killed in action in 1917, while commanding the 57th Division, having earlier been accused of lacking "fighting spirit" for his refusal to sacrifice his troops in attacks he considered to be hopeless.

Robert was the third son and child of Thomas Broadwood, of Holmbush Park, Surrey, and Mary Athlea Matthews.

In 1896, Broadwood served in the Dongola Expeditionary Force under Sir Herbert Kitchener and took part in the Battle of Firket and the operations at Hafir.

Broadwood saw active service again during the Second Boer War, commanding the 2nd Cavalry Brigade (with local rank of brigadier-general).

In March 1900, Broadwood's force was ambushed at Sanna's Post by the Boers, suffering 571 casualties and losing several guns, though he eventually managed to extricate his troops.

In December 1900, however, Broadwood was held responsible Lord Roberts for Major-General R. A. P. Clements' defeat at Nooitgedacht and was sent home to England.

For his services, Broadwood was mentioned in despatches twice, including by Lord Roberts, who described him as "commanding the 2nd Cavalry Brigade with exceptional ability and dash throughout the operations".

[6] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 29 November 1900,[7] but was not invested by King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace until 8 August 1902.

[11] Broadwood returned to active service after the outbreak of the First World War, first as the commanding officer of the 1st Mounted Division from 29 September 1914.

According to Colonel C. J. L. Allanson, the 57th Division's GSO1, Broadwood had been reported by his corps commander, Sir Alexander Godley, for "lack of fighting spirit" for refusing to launch attacks he considered hopeless and which he thought would needlessly sacrifice the lives of his best officers.