Major Maurice Hilliard Tomlin OBE (28 June 1868[1][2] – 10 August 1945)[3] was a British Army and police officer.
Tomlin was born in Brompton, London to John Leonard Tomlin and Frances Elizabeth Tomlin.[4] He was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Green Howards in February 1888.[5] He was promoted lieutenant and Adjutant in June 1891[6] and served with the West African Frontier Force on the Niger in 1897–1898, for which he was mentioned in despatches.[7] He was promoted captain in April 1900[8] and served with the mounted infantry in the closing stages of the Second Boer War in 1901,[9] being again mentioned in despatches for gallantry in June 1901[10] and taking command of a battalion as a Local Major in January 1902.[11] Following the end of the war, he received a brevet promotion as major in the South African Honours list published on 26 June 1902,[12] and returned to the United Kingdom on the SS Briton three months later.[13] He was appointed a company commander at Sandhurst in February 1904.[14][15] He was promoted to the substantive rank of major in March 1907[16] and retired in July 1907.[17] In April 1908, however, he became a brigade major in the Territorial Force,[18] serving until 1912.[19]
Tomlin was appointed a Chief Constable in the Metropolitan Police in December 1912.[20] He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1926 Birthday Honours.[21] In January 1932 he was appointed Assistant Commissioner "D", responsible for policy and planning.[22] He retired the following year.