Page 29 – Memorial At Peninsula

Duke of Wellington (title)

Articles Comments Off

Jan 012015

As its the bicentenary year of the Battle of Waterloo,

Memorial at Peninsula have added this page for historical reading on the

Duke of Wellington (title)

The Title, Duke of Wellington is a hereditary title and the senior rank in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It derived from Wellington in Somerset, and was created for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington (born The Hon. Arthur Wesley) (1769–1852), the Anglo-Irish Army leader and twice British Prime Minister. Unclear references to “the Duke of Wellington” generally refer to the 1st Duke of Wellington unless the context suggests a later date. He led the decisive victory with Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher over Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces at Waterloo in Brabant (now Walloon Brabant, Belgium).

The first duke’s father was created the 1st Earl of Mornington and their male-line ancestors were wealthy agricultural and urban landowners in both countries, among the Anglo-Irish Protestant Ascendancy.

The dukedom has descended to heirs male of the body with 11 other titles in various jurisdictions (including Portugal) and most of these are courtesy titles, save for Earl of Mornington which came to the second duke and his descendants

History
The titles of Duke of Wellington and Marquess of Douro were bestowed upon Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington, on 11 May 1814 after he returned home a hero following Napoleon’s abdication. He fought some 60 battles in his military career, and never lost a single one. He was considered ‘the conquerer of Napoleon’. Along with the 1st Duke of Marlborough, he stands as one of the finest two soldiers Britain has ever produced.

The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Wellington are: Marquess of Wellington (1812), Marquess of Douro (1814), Earl of Mornington (1760 – but only inherited by the Dukes of Wellington in 1863), Earl of Wellington (1812), Viscount Wellesley (1760 – inherited in 1863), Viscount Wellington (1809), Baron Mornington (1746 – also inherited in 1863), and Baron Douro (1809). The Viscountcy of Wellesley and the Barony and Earldom of Mornington are in the Peerage of Ireland; the rest are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

Apart from the British titles the Dukes of Wellington also hold the titles of Prince of Waterloo (Prins van Waterloo, 1815) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, 1812) of the Kingdom of Spain, and Duke of Victoria (Duque da Vitória, 1812), with the subsidiary titles Marquess of Torres Vedras (Marquês de Torres Vedras, 1812) and Count of Vimeiro (Conde de Vimeiro, 1811) of the Kingdom of Portugal. These were granted to the first Duke as victory titles for his distinguished services as victorious commanding general in the Peninsular War (in Spain and Portugal) and at the Battle of Waterloo (in what is now Belgium).

The family seat is Stratfield Saye House, near Basingstoke, Hampshire. Apsley House, in London, is now owned by English Heritage, although the family retain an apartment there.

This chart below by the Prince Regent (on behalf of George III)

1/ Name-Arthur Wellesley (born Wesley) (1769–1852),

Period-1814–1852,

Dutchess-Hon. Catherine Pakenham,

Notes-British Army officer and statesman who defeated Napoleon I at Waterloo,

Other Titles-Prince of Waterloo, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, Duke of Victoria, Marquess of Wellington, Marquess of Douro, Marquis of Torres Vedras, Count of Vimeiro, Viscount Wellington, Baron Douro.

2/ Name-Arthur Richard Wellesley (1807–1884),

Period-1852–1884,

Duchess-Lady Elizabeth Hay,

Notes-Son of the preceding,

Other Titles-Prince of Waterloo, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, Duke of Victoria, Marquess of Wellington, Marquess of Douro, Marquis of Torres Vedras, Count of Vimeiro, Earl of Mornington, Viscount Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, Baron Douro, Baron of Mornington.

3/ Name-Henry Wellesley (1846–1900),

Period-1884–1900,

Duchess-Evelyn Williams,

Notes-Nephew of the preceding,

4/ Name-Arthur Richard Wellesley (1849–1934),

Period-1900–1934,

Duchess-Kathleen Williams,

Notes-Brother of the preceding,

Other Titles, Prince of Waterloo, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, Duke of Victoria, Marquess of Wellington, Marquess of Douro, Marquis of Torres Vedras, Count of Vimeiro, Earl of Mornington, Viscount Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, Baron Douro, Baron of Mornington.

5/ Name-Arthur Charles Wellesley (1876–1941),

Period-1934–1941,

Duchess-Hon. Lilian Coats,

Notes-Son of the preceding,

6/ Name-Henry Wellesley (1912–1943),

Period-1941–1943,

Duchess-(None) unmarried,

Notes-Son of the preceding,

7/ Name-Gerald Wellesley (1885–1972),

Period-1943–1972,

Duchess-Dorothy Ashton,

Notes-Uncle of the preceding,

8/ Name-Arthur Valerian Wellesley (1915–2014),

Period-1972–2014,

Duchess-Diana McConnel,

Notes-Son of the preceding,

9/ Name-Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington (born 1945),

Period-2014–present,

Duchess-Princess Antonia, Duchess of Wellington,

Notes-Son of the preceding,

Line of succession
1/ Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (born 1978) (eldest son of the present Duke)

2/ Arthur Darcy Wellesley, Earl of Mornington (born 2010) (elder son of Lord Douro)

3/ Lord Alfred Wellesley (born 2014) (younger son of Lord Douro)

4/ Lord Frederick Charles Wellesley (born 1992) (second and younger son of the present Duke)

5 / Lord Richard Gerald Wellesley (born 1949) (second son of the 8th Duke)

6/ Lord John Henry Wellesley (born 1954) (third son of the 8th Duke)

7/ Gerald Valerian Wellesley (born 1981) (only son of Lord John)

8/ Lord James Christopher Douglas Wellesley (born 1965) (fourth and youngest son of the 8th Duke)

9/ Oliver Valerian Wellesley (born 2005) (only son of Lord James)

10/ Thomas Richard Henry Wellesley (born 2000) (great-grandson of Lord George Wellesley, fourth and youngest son of the 4th Duke)

For more reading please search the www for ….

Catherine Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1773–1831), wife of the 1st Duke

Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1820–1904), wife of the 2nd Duke

Dorothy Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1889–1956), wife of the 7th Duke

Diana Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1922–2010), wife of the 8th Duke

Extant dukedoms in the peerages of Britain and Ireland,

Cornwall, Norfolk, Somerset, Richmond, Grafton Beaufort, St Albans, Bedford, Devonshire, Marlborough ,Rutland, Rothesay, Hamilton, Buccleuch, Lennox, Queensberry, Argyll, Atholl, Montrose, Roxburghe, Brandon, Manchester, Northumberland, Leinster, Wellington, Sutherland, Abercorn, Westminster, Gordon, Fife, Gloucester, Kent, Edinburgh, York, Cambridge.

Sourced from Wikipedia

The RGJA Branch Formation

Articles Comments Off

Dec 302014

The RGJA Branch Formation

Find a RGJA Branch near you;

Australasian

No branch info

Aylesbury

The Branch meet at 12.00 noon on the 2nd Sunday of month between

September and April inclusive at the Aylesbury Railway Club.

Band and Bugles

This branch meet Annually, on the 2nd Sat in October in Winchester

Central England

This branch Meet monthly at various, pre-designated venues across the West Midlands.

East Midlands

This Branch now meet at William IV ( Top House ) on Stockwell Gate Mansfield NG18 5QE

Dates are sporadic, please ring William IV for information on meeting Dates 01623 232481

(THE BRANCH OF SHAME)

Chairman Len Dooley and Roy Harrison

Verbally and Physically assaulted a fellow member on a Remembrance Day Parade

This branch meet at 12 noon on the last Sunday of the month

Branch Chairman Len Dooley and Branch member Roy Harrison of the EAST MIDLANDS BRANCH RGJA did physically and verbally assaulted a fellow Royal Green Jacket on a Remembrance Day Parade in Sutton in Ashfield on 12th Nov 2017…. This branch also upheld a Kangaroo Court in The Gas Works Social Club expelling a branch member, who was accused without any evidence and on hearsay, the branch member was not allowed any third party representation in this Kangaroo Court held by the Branch Chairman. The member did not attend this Kangaroo Court on orders from a fellow Director and his legal representative.

London

No branch info

Milton Keynes

This branch meet on the 1st Tuesday in March, June, September and December

at 2000hrs at Blakelands TAC, Milton Keynes

North East

This branch hold meetings at their AGM and 2 other meetings at The Royal British Legion 6 Grange Crescent, Sunderland

the dates are published a month in advance.

North West

No Branch info

Oxfordshire

This branch meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 20:00 in the Volunteers Bar, Edward Brooks Bks.

South East Kent

This branch meet on the Last Thursday of: Jan (AGM), March, June, September and November.

Suffolk

No branch info

Wiltshire

This branch meet at the Warminster Conservative Club 19:30 for 20:00

on the 1st April, 3rd June, 2nd September, 2nd December.

Winchester & District

This branch meet every 2nd Tues of the month at Sir John Moore Bks, ATR Winchester

Yorkshire

This branch meet at the Wakefield TAC at 19:30 for 20:00 on the 4th Tuesday every month

except December, January and Febuary

To contact any of the above go to this link and click on Branches:
http://www.royalgreenjackets.co.uk/rgjra_live/frontend/newhome.asp?mode=normal

Bloody Gun Battle for the Bakery

Articles Comments Off

Sep 102014

Bloody Gun Battle for the Bakery

By Micheal Cuerden and James Standfield

The Bloody gun battle for the bakery began in Belfast at 0350 yesterday 9th Aug 1971.
That is when the army moved in to `The Markets` to flush out a gang of gunmen who had expelled the night shift at gun point.
Dawn was in the sky, but for the previous five hours soldiers had already engaged snipers from the fringes of the catholic area near the City Centre.

Around the Inglish Bakery, the largest in Northern Ireland, terrorist where believed to be waiting and the Army Command where convinced that an ambush was being set up. Last May they lost Corporal Robert Bankier, killed when his platoon was lured into the same area. So the four platoons 100 men of the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets, waited until dawn.

Savage

Then they executed a`back door` pincer movement, it was just as well, as Eliza Street, the main approach to the Bakery , was sprayed with automatic fire from both ends as the soldiers began their approach. The encircled the narrow streets among the meanest of the City’s ghettos. From Lagan Street, Cromac Street and Stewart Street they gave covering fire while their main attack was spearheaded along McAuley Street.

The terrorist raked the streets with a Thompson sub-machine gun, 303 rifles and .22 small-arms fire, the fighting was SAVAGE.

0450 As the soldiers moved from doorway to doorway, one gunman was killed near the barricades of Market Street and Eliza Court.

0515 The soldiers had reached Bond Street. Two of the gang, one still armed, had been captured. But six terrorist where thought to be on the roof.

0550 The troops where outside the Bakery, but the doors where locked. As the smashed through them they where met with a spray of bullets.

Warren

Inside the building they where engaged in savage fighting with two men, believed to be fighting a rear guard action while the rest escaped. One is believed to have been hit.

An Officer said :`The place was like a rabbit warren, with hiding places everywhere,`

0615 The last shots where fired. Soldiers began the hazardous operation of searching the three floors.

Six people in the Bakery where handed to the police for questioning, five who where employees where later released.

0800 The building had been combed, the troops moved to the nearby houses. They had seen men running into the back door, out through the front and down the alley`s between the streets during the battle.

The search produced a 303 rifle from a drain and ammunition found on an outhouse roof.

0900 The army began to bulldoze the barricades. Five men where in police custody. All that remained where streets littered with debris, a 2 foot pile of bread and a pool of blood in Eliza Street.

” The Bakery “

Pipes and Ovens, Rollers to” What a place to Fight your way through”.
The smell of warm rotting bread,
A Walk-in the Park the Boss man said.
See a Gunman take a shot, Back it came just as Hot,was it a ricochet…I think not.
Moving forward bit by bit…Jesus Christ this place is Shit.
Along a Gantry,Down some stairs….Made it through…I’ll say some Prayers.

By fellow Rifleman
P. Pickford

General Sir Robert Alan Pascoe KCB MBE

Articles Comments Off

Sep 032014

General Sir Robert Alan Pascoe KCB MBE

General Sir Robert Alan Pascoe KCB MBE ( was born on the 21st Feb 1932 ) is a former Adjutant – General to the armed Forces.

Army career

Educated at Tavistock Grammar School and at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Pascoe was commissioned into the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1952. He served with the 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets in the UK and Malaysia from the years 1964 to 1966 and was mentioned in despatches when serving in Borneo in 1966. He was awarded the MBE in 1968. when commanding a company of 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets in the UNFICYP Force in Cyprus.

He commanded the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets in BAOR and on two tours in Northern Ireland from the years 1971 to 1974 and was mentioned in despatches in Northern Ireland in 1974. He went on to command 5 Field Force in BAOR from the years 1976 to 1979.

While attending the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1979 he was sent to Northern Ireland to work on special duty with Sir Maurice Oldfield( former Head of MI 6). He was appointed Assistant Chief of the General Staff in 1980, Chief of Staff UKLF at Wilton, in 1983, General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland in 1985 and became a KCB that same year. He was promoted to General in 1988 on appointment to the role of Adjutant General from which post he retired in 1990.

His honorary posts included being Colonel Commandant of the 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets from the years 1986 to 1991 and ADC General to HM The Queen from the years 1989 to 1991.

Later career

Pascoe was involved with several charities, including the Regular Forces Employment Association,and the Retired Officers Association and he was Vice President of The Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation which provided assistance to widows and orphans of members of the armed forces. He successfully arranged for this charity to be taken over by SSAFA in 2011.

He is currently President of The Veterans Charity, a charity initially set up in 2008 as Project 65 to mark the 65th Anniversary of D-Day with a memorial to the men of the coup de main force under Major John Howard of the 2nd Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry who captured the two bridges later named “Pegasus” and “Horsa” on the left flank of the British landing zone.

The memorial was unveiled on D-Day 2009 by General Sir Richard Dannatt, then Chief of the General Staff and four Veterans of the operation. The Veterans Charity now provides support to Veterans and organizes The Forces March every year to raise funds.

Personal life

Pascoe married Pauline Myers on 28 December 1955 in Tavistock. They had four children: a son, Richard, and three daughters, Philippa, Hilary, Joanna. Lady Pascoe died on the 8th of March in the year 2013.

Sourced from Wikipedia

Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing

Articles Comments Off

Aug 312014

Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing, GCB, KBE, DSO, DL

Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing, GCB, KBE, DSO, DL (28th August 1902 – 3rd August 1976), called 菲士挺 in Chinese, was a field marshal in the British Army. His most important posts were as Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong (1945–1946 and 1949), General Officer Commanding British Troops in Egypt (1952), General Officer Commanding Eastern Command (1954), Commander-in-Chief Far East Land Forces (1956), and Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1958–1961). He also saw active service in the Second World War, taking a prominent role in Operation Ironclad (the Battle of Madagascar) and the Arakan offensive of the Burma Campaign, and later advised the British Government on ending conscription and reducing the size of the Army by fifteen battalions.

Army career

Born the son of Brigadier-General Francis Leycester Festing and Charlotte Katherine Grindall Festing (née Festing)and educated at Winchester College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Festing was commissioned into 3rd Battalion the Rifle Brigade on 23rd December 1921.He was promoted to lieutenant on 23rd December 1923 and became Aide-de-Camp to General Sir John Burnett-Stuart in 1926.He went on to be Air Liaison Officer for Eastern Command on 1 February 1936 and, having been promoted to captain on 1 September 1936,joined the staff at the War Office on 15th February 1938 before being promoted to major on 23rd December 1938.

In the Second World War Festing was air liaison officer for the expedition to Norway of 1940, then, having been promoted to acting lieutenant colonel in April 1940, as a staff officer in the Operations Directorate at the War Office from May 1940.In September 1940 he became Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment and then in April 1942 he became Commander of 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group which was the landing force of Force 121 for Operation Ironclad, the seizure of Vichy French ports and airfields in the Indian Ocean, notably Diego Suárez,Majunga and Tamatave in Madagascar.He was awarded the DSO for his services in this campaign.

In the November of 1942 he took command of 36th Indian Division and at the beginning of 1944 led it in the final stages of the Arakan offensive of the Burma Campaign. In mid-1944 the division moved to Northern Burma as part of the US led Northern Combat Area Command before rejoining 14th Army. Festing had a reputation as a front line soldier as illustrated by one quote of an event on 29th October 1944:

“Myitkyina – To the growing Festing legend was added another dramatic chapter this week-end when Major-General Francis Wogan Festing personally led the advance platoon of the 36th British Division into Mawlu. The leader of the platoon was killed, leaving the unit in charge of a sergeant. Festing, who is generally at the front, took over, and, probably the highest ranking officer ever to command a platoon, led it into Mawlu.”

He was mentioned in despatches on 5th April 1945,appointed CBE on 5th July 1945 and appointed CB on 6th June 1946 all in recognition of his services in Burma and awarded the Legion of Merit in the Degree of Commander by the President of the United States for his conduct throughout the War on 8th November 1945.

He was appointed Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong from August 1945 and, then having been promoted to major-general on 17th August 1946,he returned to the UK to be Director of Weapons and Development at the War Office in February 1947 where he remained until 26th June 1949 and then returned to Hong Kong.After recovering from a blood clot on the brain,he was appointed President of the Regular Commissions Board on 1st October 1950 and became Assistant Chief of Staff (Organisation and Training) at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe on 1st April 1951.He took part in the funeral procession on 11th February 1952 following the death of King George VI and was appointed KBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 1952.

Promoted to lieutenant general on 6th February 1952,he became General Officer Commanding British Troops in Egypt in April 1952 and then General Officer Commanding Eastern Command on 1st July 1954 and, having been advanced to KCB in the New Year Honours 1956, he became Commander-in-Chief Far East Land Forces in August 1956.Promoted to full general on 29th November 1956, advanced to GCB in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 1957 and having been appointed ADC to the Queen on 26th June 1958,he became Chief of the Imperial General Staff on 29th September 1958.In this capacity he advised the British Government on ending conscription and reducing the size of the Army by fifteen battalions. Having been promoted to field marshal on 1st September 1960,he retired on 1st November 1961.

He was also Honorary Colonel of the 50th (Northumberland) Machine Gun Battalion of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers from 1st February 1948, Colonel Commandant of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers from 12th March 1953, Colonel Commandant of the 3rd Green Jackets, The Rifle Brigade from 7th November 1958 and Colonel Commandant of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets from 15th June 1968.

In retirement he became a Deputy Lieutenant of Northumberland. His interests included early firearms and Japanese Swords; he was also a practising Roman Catholic.He died at his home at Tarset near Hexham in Northumberland on the 3rd of August 1976.

Family
In 1937 Francis Festing married Mary Cecilia, née Riddell (elder daughter of Cuthbert David Giffard Riddell, of Swinburne Castle, Northumberland),from an old recusant family.The couple had four sons: Fra’ Matthew Festing (Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta),John Festing (former High Sheriff of Northumberland),Major Michael Festing and Andrew Festing (former President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters).

Sourced from Wilipedia

Edward Jones (British Army Officer)

Articles Comments Off

Aug 312014

Edward Jones (British Army officer)
General Sir Charles Edward Webb Jones, KCB, CVO, CBE (25th September 1936 – 14th May 2007) was a senior officer in the British Army. He served as Quartermaster-General and as Britain’s military representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). He retired from the Army in 1995 to become Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod (or simply Black Rod) in the British Parliament’s House of Lords, serving in that office until 2001.

Early life and education

Jones was born in Altrincham in Cheshire. His father was General Sir Charles Phibbs Jones. Uniquely, he and his father were the only father and son to be members of the Army Board during the 20th century. He was educated at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen. He went up to Pembroke College, Cambridge, intending to pursue a career in the Diplomatic Service, but left after only 10 days to join the Army instead.

Career
He attended Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he won the Infantry Sword of Honour, and was commissioned as an officer in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1956.[1] He served in operations against EOKA in Cyprus, and in Malaysia, countering incursions by Indonesia into northern Borneo, in the early 1960`s. His regiment became the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) in 1958, and was merged into The Royal Green Jackets in 1966, becoming its 1st Battalion.

Jones married Suzanne Leschallas in 1965. They had two sons and a daughter together.

He took command of the 1st Battalion for a tour in South Armagh in 1975, and was mentioned in dispatches. During his period of command, the internal operations of his battalion were exposed to public scrutiny in Edward Mirzoeff’s film, The Regiment. He also served with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus in 1976.

In the late 1970s, he was the colonel in charge of MO4, the office at the Ministry of Defence responsible for Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles, when Airey Neave was murdered by a bomb at the House of Commons car park, and Provisional Irish Republican Army detainees undertook hunger strikes.

Jones attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1980, and was promoted to brigadier in 1981 to take command of the 6th Armoured Brigade in Germany, his first duty with the British Army of the Rhine. He then took command of a British military team in Zimbabwe in 1983, establishing a working workmanlike relationship with Robert Mugabe in the years after Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, for which he was appointed CBE.

He was promoted to major-general in 1985, and became Director-General of the Territorial Army at the Ministry of Defence. He then took command of the 3rd Armoured Division in Germany in 1987. He received the KCB in 1988 when he was promoted to lieutenant-general, when he returned to London to become Quartermaster-General to the Forces. He was tasked with re-modelling the Army’s logistics after the end of the Cold War, and continued in that position through the 1991 Gulf War. He was also Colonel Commandant of the Royal Army Education Corps from the years of 1986 to 1992, and of the Royal Green Jackets from the years of 1988 to 1995.

He was promoted a full general in 1992, and became the UK Military Representative to NATO in Brussels, where he was able to make use of his fluent French.

Retirement

He retired from the Army in 1995 to become Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod (and ex officio Serjeant-at-Arms in the House of Lords, and Secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain). The House of Lords Act 1999 was passed during his period of service, ending the right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords. He served as Black Rod from 9th May 1995 to 8th May 2001, and became a CVO when he retired in 2001.

He was a commissioner of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea and chairman of the Council of Territorial Army, Volunteers and Reserves Associations from the years of 1995 to 2001. He was also a vice-patron of St Dunstan’s, a governor of Wellington College from the years of 1997 to 2007, and chairman of the governors of Eagle House from the years of 1999 to 2007.

He then retired to a village in Wiltshire. He died while fishing on the River Findhorn in Inverness-shire. He was survived by his wife and their three children.

Sourced from Wikipedia

General Sir Frank Edward Kitson

Articles Comments Off

Aug 302014

Picture credited and sourced from the RGJA.

General Sir Frank Edward Kitson GBE KCB MC & Bar DL was born in London 1926 and educated at Stowe. His father, Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kitson has Captained the battle ship Rodney, and choosing to go into the Army rather than the Navy, Frank broke a father to son tradition of more than 200 years, Frank was a retired British Army Officer and author on Military subjects; notably low intensity operations. Kitson published; Gangs and Counter-gangs (1960) Low intensity operations: Subversion, Insurgency and Peace keeping (1971), Bunch of Five (1977), Prince Rupert: Admiral and General-at-sea (1998) and Old Ironside: The Military Biography of Oliver Cromwell (2004).

He rose to be Commander-in-Chief UK Land Forces from the years 1982 to 1985 and was Aide-de-Camp General to Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom from the years 1983 to 1985.

Army career

Kitson joined the Army as a Second Lieutenant on an emergency commission in the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own), he was appointed to a regular commission as a Lieutenant on 10th April 1948 (with seniority from 15th December 1946), and promoted to Captain on 15th of December 1953. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) on 1st January 1955 for service in the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya; was awarded a Bar to it on 23 May 1958, for service in the Malayan emergency the previous year, the citation for the bar read:

The War Office, 23rd May, 1958.

The QUEEN has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Malaya for the period 31st August to 31st December, 1957:—
Bar to the Military Cross.

Captain (none substantive Major) Frank Edward Kitson, M.C. The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own).
For exceptional skill and leadership as a Company Commander during jungle operations. By his devotion to duty he attained the virtual elimination of two communist party branches in a difficult area.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1959 Queen’s Birthday Honours. He was promoted Major on 15th December 1960, and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel on 1st July 1964, and to the substantive rank on 31st December 1966. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1968 New Year Honours. He was promoted Colonel on 31st December 1969 (with seniority from 30th June 1969), and Brigadier on 30th June 1970.

From September 1970 Kitson commanded 39 Airportable Brigade; which comprised 8 (frequently changing) Battalions, on short four month tours. A further Brigade was usually attached as Brigade reserve, but this could be employed elsewhere as required.

On the 15th February 1972 he was promoted Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his operational service in Northern Ireland the previous year. On 22nd January 1976 he became General Officer Commanding 2 Division, with the acting rank of Major-General, with substantive promotion following on 5th April 1976 (and seniority from 2nd June 1974), and leading its re-designation as an Armoured Division in Germany before stepping down on 28th February 1978. He was then Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley, 5th March 1978 – 18th January 1980. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), in the 1980 New Year Honours. On 17th March 1980 he was appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief UK Land Forces and Inspector General Territorial Army, with substantive promotion to Lieutenant-General (with seniority backdated to 17th August 1979). He held those appointments until 30th May 1982, and then became Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces on 1st July 1982 with local rank of General.

As is traditional for senior Officers of the British Army, Kitson held a number of more honorary positions, Colonel Commandant of 2nd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets 1st of January 1979 – 1st of January 1987; honorary Colonel to the University of Oxford Officer Training Corps 21st July 1982 – 21st July 1987; Aide-de-Camp General to the Queen 14th of February 1983–1985.

In 1985 he was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE). He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Devon on 19th June 1989

In retirement he has given evidence to the Saville Inquiry, into Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland.

General Sir Frank Kitson was one of the most senior Army Officers to serve in Northern Ireland during the Troubles that included Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy. He was also in Command when internment, which was a process of holding people without trial was introduced. Frank was heavily in counter insurgency methods, and established the Military Reaction Force (MRF) a undercover Army unit which was disbanded after 18 months. Counter-intelligence and counter terrorist operations were highly controversial in the 1970`s and was always left at Kitsons door.

Sir Frank was a highly decorated Officer winning the Military Cross twice for his service in Kenya and Malaya and much to the annoyance of the Irish Republicans was awarded a CBE for his gallantry for his time in Northern Ireland.

noteworthy; Sir Frank over saw operations of the 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment ( nick named Kitsons private Army ) in Londonderry in 1972; known as Bloody Sunday.

Sir Frank became a visceral hate figure to the Irish Republican Army; his finger prints remain indelibly imprinted on these organisations.

In 2015 Sir Frank and the Ministy of Defense (MOD) where accused of complicity in an attack in February 1973 in which a 47 year old man was killed, because of negligence and misfeasance in office. This was the first time a retired senior soldier has been personally sued over alleged actions during the Troubles.

No General in recent times has provoked more intense and sustained controversy. General Sir Frank Kitson died aged 97 on 2nd January 2024.

He is survived by his wife Elisabeth Spencer 1962, with their three daughters.

Main body of text sourced from Wikipedia.

Colonel Robin Evelegh

Articles Comments Off

Aug 302014

Colonel Robin Evelegh

Colonel Robin Evelegh (23rd of November 1932 – 15th of May 2010) was a British Army officer who was author of Peace-Keeping in a Democratic Society-The Lessons of Northern Ireland (1978) which was based on his experiences as an infantry battalion commander in Belfast and which influenced later peacekeeping operations.

John Robin Garnet Nial Evelegh was born in Madras, India. He was educated at Rugby School and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he took a degree in modern history.

Evelegh was commissioned into the 1st Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 43rd and 52nd in 1952. He served with the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) in Penang and during the insurgency in Brunei in 1962. He later served in Borneo during the confrontation with Indonesia. He served in Cyprus and Berlin. He was ADC to the Commander 1st (British) Corps with BAOR.

He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1970 and became military assistant to the Master-General of the Ordnance.
Evelegh was appointed to command and reform the 3rd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets in 1971. He commanded the battalion in an emergency tour of duty in the Upper Falls area of Belfast in 1972. He later commanded the battalion in a second tour of duty in the same area of Belfast in 1973-74 for which he was mentioned in despatches.

He undertook a defence fellowship study at Oxford in 1974 where he studied the problems of the constitutional and legal framework that the military operated in whilst peace-keeping in a Democratic Society. Evelegh was promoted to Colonel in 1976 and was appointed head of the department of the Ministry of Defence for defence related matters in the Middle East. He retired from the Army in 1977.

His influential book Peace-Keeping in a Democratic Society-The Lessons of Northern Ireland was published in 1978. He helped found and became Managing Director of Ridgeway International in 1977. Evelegh represented his former regiment from 1999 in the project to create the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum.

He married Gabrielle Ritson in 1958 with whom he was to have two sons and one daughter.
Colonel Robin Evelegh died on the 15th of May in 2010.

Sourced from Wikipedia

Ox and Bucks Memorial Flight

Articles Comments Off

Aug 292014

Ox and Bucks Memorial Flight Project

By Mike Colton

The Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove has been created at the
National Memorial Arboretum
by the
Allied Special Forces Association
Registered Charity No. 1156925
07929-118598 ~ mikecolton@hotmail.com

“The Grove is a living memorial, in harmony with nature and growing in stature.”

The Charity’s Objects are: –

(a) to develop and maintain the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove as an independently funded amenity, garden area and open space situated within the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire DE13 7AR. The gardens will be a place for remembrance, commemoration, education and quiet contemplation, in harmony with nature, and include memorials to the men and women who served with or assisted the Allied Special Forces during world war two and in conflicts since.

(b) to educate the public, veterans and armed forces about the civilian and military commemorations in the Grove without infringing on personal or national security.

___________________________

[jwplayer mediaid=”8079″] (Regimental March LI (Please Play Me)

In 1941 the 2nd Battalion re-roled as an airborne, specifically an Air Landing, unit, joining the 1st Airborne Division and in 1943 the 6th Airlanding Brigade, 6th Airborne Division. As part of Operation Deadstick just before the landings on D-Day 6 June 1944, D Company, 2nd Ox & Bucks Commanded by Maj. John Howard as well as Royal Engineers and men of the Glider Pilot Regiment (totalling 181 men), were to land via 6 Horsa gliders to capture the vital Pegasus Bridge over the Caen Canal and the bridge over the Orne River (known as Horsa Bridge and east of Pegasus). This was intended to secure the eastern flank to prevent German armour from reaching the British 3rd Infantry Division that was landing on Sword Beach.

Pegasus Bridge

The Ox and Bucks landed very close to their objectives at 16 minutes past midnight—the first Allied unit to land in France—they poured out of their battered gliders, completely surprising the German defenders, and taking the bridges within 10 minutes, losing two men—Lieutenant Den Brotheridge and Lance-Corporal Greenhalgh—in the process. One Glider assigned to the capture of Horsa Bridge was landed at the bridge over the River Dives, some 7 miles from where they were meant to land. They, in spite of this, captured the River Dives bridge, advanced through German lines towards the village of Ranville where they eventually rejoined the British forces. The Ox & Bucks were reinforced half an hour after the landings by 7 Para, with further units arriving shortly afterwards. The Germans launched many attempts to re-capture the bridges, all being repulsed. Later in the day, at about 1:00pm, Lord Lovat and elements of his 1st Special Service Brigade arrived to relieve the exhausted defenders, followed by the British 3rd Infantry Division. The operation was immortalised in the film The Longest Day.

Below are stories of some of the brave individuals who were involved in the Pegasus Bridge landings or Operation Deadstick

Major Howard DSO, aged 31:
Company Commander.
After 6 six of service in the ranks of the KSLI and a spell with the Oxford City Police, he re-enlisted in 1939 and was commissioned into the Ox & Bucks LI (52nd) in 1940.
Quickly promoted to Major.
Landed at Pegasus Bridge within 15 yards of the bridge defences.
Wounded twice during fighting in Normandy.
Badly injured in 1944 in a vehicle accident and was invalided out of the army.
Passed away in 1999.
The actor Richard Todd played Maj John Howard in the film The Longest Day made in 1962.

Lieutenant Brotheridge, aged 29
Platoon Commander, No 25 Platoon.
Outstanding footballer (Amateur player for Aston Villa).
Joined the Army in 1939 and was posted to 2 Ox & Bucks (52nd) in 1942.
Killed leading his platoon over Pegasus Bridge (first allied officer to be killed on D-Day).
Recommended for posthumous MC, awarded Mention in Despatches.
Brotheridge was the inspiration behind the sculpture commissioned by the D-Day Story Museum and created by Welsh artist Alfie Bradley to mark the 75th anniversary year of D-Day and as a tribute to those who lost their lives.

Lieutenant (later Major) Smith, MC, aged 22
Outstanding cricketer.
Commissioned in 1942 and posted to 2 Ox & Bucks LI (52nd).
Wounded during the assault on Pegasus Bridge and evacuated to the UK.
Awarded the MC.
Re-joined the 52nd and took part in an air assault on the Rhine Crossings in 1945.
Promoted to Major.
Passed away in 1993.

Lieutenant (later Colonel) Wood, MBE, aged 20
Commissioned in 1942 and posted to 2 Ox & Bucks LI (52nd).
Severely wounded during the assault on Pegasus Bridge and evacuated to the UK.
Pursued an active military career until retirement as Colonel in 1978.
Awarded MBE in 1961 and French Legion of Honour in 2004.
Passed away in 2009.

Lieutenant (later Colonel) Sweeney, MC, aged 25
Commissioned in 1941 and posted to 2 Ox & Bucks LI (52nd).
Took part in the capture of the bridge over the River Orne.
Awarded the MC for gallantry the following day.
Engaged in air assault on Rhine Crossings in 1945.
Served operations in Palestine, Cyprus, Brunei and Borneo.
Twice mentioned in despatches.
Retired in 1974 to run Battersea Dogs Home.
Passed away in 2001.

Sourced from and credited to RGJ Museum Facebook. (unknown author)

As the first day of the landings closed, more reinforcements arrived as part of Operation Mallard, they included the rest of the 2nd Ox & Bucks. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Darell-Brown DSO replaced Lieutenant Colonel Michael Roberts who had been injured during the landings and remained in command of the Battalion during the defence of the Ardennes and on the Rhine landing. On 7 June the Battalion captured the small village of Herouvillette and then headed for the village of Escoville where they met some extremely determined resistance. Having experienced intense fighting with German troops supported by armour and unable to successfully dig in and hold the village, the Battalion withdrew, moving back to Herouvillette where they took part in its defence. The Battalion subsequently held the line at Chateau St Come on Bréville ridge until August, then taking part in the British breakout and advance to the Seine that began in August, known as Operation Paddle. The Battalion crossed the River Touques and the advance continued through St Philibert, La Correspondance, Pretreville and Malbortie. On 25 August the Battalion was ordered to attack and capture the village of Manneville La Raoult, where a German Garrison was based. After heavy fighting, during which the enemy used mortar and artillery fire, by nightfall the Battalion had occupied the village and had captured a number of prisoners and transport. Lieutenant Freddie Scott was awarded a Military Cross for action which drove the enemy from a position from where his platoon had come under heavy attack by machine-gun fire and grenades. The battle for Manneville La Raoult was to be the last battle the Battalion fought in France. The following day, the Battalion moved to Foulbec. The 2nd Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of 6th Airborne, was withdrawn to the UK in early September to recuperate and reorganise. By then, of the original 181 men that had taken part in the Pegasus and Horsa operation, just 40 remained fit for active duty. The 2nd Ox and Bucks and the rest of the 6th Airborne were then rushed back to Belgium, by sea and land, to take part in the defence of the Ardennes, after the German invasion on 16 December. By the time the Battalion arrived in the Ardennes the German offensive had lost its momentum. One of its companies was involved in heavy fighting whilst in support of 13 Parachute Battalion in the village of Bure. The 2nd Ox and Bucks remained in the Ardennes until 24 January. The Battalion then moved 200 miles north to the River Maas, near Venlo, in Holland to defend the position there, before returning to the UK in late February.

The 2nd Ox and Bucks were once again involved in a gliderborne air assault landing, known as Operation Varsity, the objective of which was to cross the Rhine. Operation Varsity, which began on 24 March 1945, was the last major battle on the Western Front during the Second World War. The 2nd Ox and Bucks landed further east than any other British Army unit to capture bridges from the Germans. The Battalion, like many others during the assault, suffered heavily as the Germans met the landing gliders with ferocious fire in the air and on the ground, suffering hundreds of casualties. The 2nd Ox and Bucks casualties included 103 killed during the battle of the landing area. The Battalion had lost half its strength, companies were severely depleted and non commissioned officers were frequently required to act as platoon commanders. It saw very heavy fighting at Hamminkeln, where its objectives were the railway station and bridges over the River Issel between Hamminkeln and Ringenburg. Lieutenant Hugh Clark led a bayonet charge to take a road bridge for which he was awarded a Military Cross. CSM John Stevenson was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for defeating several enemy attacks with a platoon he commanded on the east bank of the River Issel. The 2nd Ox and Bucks captured and held all its objectives. The Germans launched a number of counter-attacks, all of which were repelled. The Battalion subsequently took a leading part in the 300 mile advance across Germany, mostly on foot, including taking part in the opposed crossing of the Weser and eventually linking up with the Russians near the Baltic port of Wismar on 3 May 1945. The Battalion was selected to represent the British Army in providing the Guard of Honour for the meeting between British commander Field Marshal Montgomery and his Russian counterpart, Rokossovsky, at Wismar on 7 May 1945. 1,408 officers and other ranks of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry lost their lives during the Second World War.

Sourced from Wikipedia and You Tube.

Neville Lyttelton

Articles Comments Off

Aug 282014

Neville Lyttelton

General Sir Neville Gerald Lyttelton GCB, GCVO, PC (28th of October 1845 – 6th of July 1931) he was a British Army officer who served against the Fenian Raids, and in the Anglo-Egyptian War, the Mahdist War and the Second Boer War. He was Chief of the General Staff at the time of the Haldane Reforms and then became Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.

Born the son of 4th Baron Lyttelton and Mary Lyttelton (née Glynne) and educated at Eton College, Lyttelton was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in January 1865. As a junior officer he was sent to Canada where he helped defeat the Fenian raids in 1866 and served as Secretary to the Oregon Boundary Commission in 1867. He was promoted to lieutenant on the 14th of July 1869, to captain on 13th of October 1877 and to major on 22st of February 1882. In 1880 he was made Private secretary to Hugh Childers, Secretary of State for War.

He took part in the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882 as an Aide-de-Camp to Sir John Adye, from 1 August 1882. He saw action at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir and was mentioned in despatches. He was promoted to bevet lieutenant colonel and awarded the Order of Osmanieh (4th Class) on the 17t November 1882.

He became Assistant Military Secretary to Lieutenant-General Sir John Adye in his role as Governor of Gibraltar on the 1st January 1883 and Military Secretary to Lord Reay, Governor of Bombay in 1885. He was promoted to brevet colonel on 18th of November 1886 and became second-in-command of the 3rd Battalion of his Regiment in 1890. Promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant colonel on 9 November 1892, he became Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of his Regiment in 1893 and went on to be Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion of his Regiment in Ireland.

He went on to be Assistant Adjutant-General at Headquarters in December 1894 and Assistant Military Secretary there in October 1897 and took part in the state funeral of Former Prime Minister William Gladstone in the May of 1898.

He was given command of 2nd Brigade with the temporary rank of brigadier-general on 13th of July 1898 and led his Brigade at the battle of Omdurman in September 1898 during the Mahdist War.

He returned to his role as Assistant Military Secretary at Headquarters on 21st of October 1898 and then, having become a supernumerary major-general for distinguished service in the field on 15 November 1898 and promoted to the substantive rank of major-general on 10th of February 1899, he briefly took back his old command at 2nd Brigade, now based at Aldershot Command, on the 1st of in September 1899.

Lyttelton served in the Second Boer War as Commander of the 4th Brigade in South Africa from 9th of October 1899. He became General Officer Commanding the 2nd and then 4th Division and was involved in the Battle of Spion Kop in the January of 1900, the Battle of Vaal Krantz in February 1900 and the Siege of Ladysmith which was relieved in February 1900. Promoted to lieutenant general for distinguished service in the field on 22nd of March 1900, Lord Roberts in his despatch referred to Lyttelton as an officer “with great coolness under fire, and considerable tactical knowledge and resource…an excellent commander in the field.” He became Commander-in-Chief, South Africa in 1902; in this role Lyttelton and his wife sought to repair relations with the Boer community.

On the 12th of February 1904 he was appointed Chief of the General Staff and a member of the newly formed Army Council. This new post was created following the abolition of the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces as recommended by Lord Esher in the Esher Report. Lyttelton was promoted to full general on the 9th of April 1906. This was the time of the Haldane Reforms which sought to implement both a new expeditionary force and a new territorial force, but according to Edward M Spiers, Lyttelton was not up to the task – he was “feckless, malleable, and failed to lead the Army Council”.

Lyttelton moved on to become Commander-in-Chief, Ireland on 10 May 1908. He took part both in the funeral procession following the death of King Edward VII in May 1910 and the coronation procession for King George V in the June of 1911. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 12th of July 1911 and retired on 10th of August in 1912.
In retirement he was a member of the Mesopotamia Commission which sat in 1916/17] as well as Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 10 August 1912 until his death there on 6th of July in 1931.

Family
In 1883 he married Katharine Sarah Stuart-Wortley; they had three daughters, the eldest being Lucy Blanche.

Sourced by Wikipedia

James Glover (British Army officer)

Articles Comments Off

Aug 282014

General Sir James Malcolm Glover, KCB, DL

General Sir James Malcolm Glover, KCB, DL (25th of March 1929 – 4th of June 2000) was a former Commander in Chief, UK Land Forces.

Army career

Educated at Wellington College, Jimmy Glover, as he was generally known, was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1949. He transferred to the Rifle Brigade in 1956 and served with the Brigade during the Malayan Emergency. He was Commanding Officer of 3rd Bn Royal Green Jackets from 1970 to 1971. He then went on to command 19 Air Portable Brigade from 1974 to 1975.

He was Commander of Land Forces in Northern Ireland from 1979 to 1980. He was then Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Intelligence) from 1981 to 1983 and Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1983 to 1985. He served as the Commander in Chief, UK Land Forces from 1985 to 1987 when he retired.

Later career

In retirement he was a Director of BP and Chairman of the Royal Armouries International plc. He died aged 71 in the year 2000.

Sourced from Wikipedia

Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode

Articles Comments Off

Aug 282014

Field Marshal Philip Walhouse Chetwode

Field Marshal Philip Walhouse Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode, 7th Baronet of Oakley, GCB OM GCSI KCMG DSO (21st of September 1869 – 6th of July 1950) he was a British Army officer. He saw action during the Second Boer War, during which he was present at the Siege of Ladysmith in December 1899. He saw action again during World War I on the Western Front, taking part in the First Battle of Ypres, and then in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign during which he led his corps at the First Battle of Gaza in the March of 1917, at the Battle of Beersheba in the October of 1917 and the Battle of Jerusalem in the November of 1917.

After the War he held a series of senior military appointments including Adjutant-General to the Forces and then Commander in Chief Aldershot Command. He went on to be Chief of the General Staff in India in 1928 and Commander in Chief in India in 1930 and was much concerned with the modernisation and “Indianisation” of the army in India.

Early life and education

Born the son of Sir George Chetwode, 6th Baronet and Alice Jane Bass (daughter of Michael Thomas Bass the brewer), Chetwode was educated at Eton, where he was an athlete of some distinction, and entered the army through the Militia with his first commission being in the 3rd battalion the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry on 11th of April 1888. He then received a regular commission with the 19th Hussars on 20th of November 1889.

War service

Promoted to lieutenant on 6th of August in 1890, Chetwode first saw active service in the Chin Hills expedition in Burma from 1892 to 1893 and was promoted to captain on 7th of February in 1897. He also served in the Second Boer War where he took part in the actions at Reitfontein in October 1899, Ladysmith in December 1899, Laing’s Nek in June 1900 and Belfast in August 1900: he was twice mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Promoted to major on the 21st of December 1901, he succeeded as 7th Baronet in 1905.

Philip Chetwode c. 1930s

In 1906, Chetwode became assistant military secretary to Sir John French and on 3 January 1908 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on appointment as commanding officer of the 19th HussarsHaving been placed on half-pay list from 3rd of January 1912, he was promoted to colonel on the 1st April in 1912 and appointed Commander of the London Mounted Brigade.

During the Curragh incident in the March of 1914 Chetwode was offered command of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade when Hubert Gough threatened to resign. He knew that he would be “looked upon by all his brother officers as a scab” but thought it “his duty as a soldier to do as he was ordered & not to meddle in politics”. In the event Gough kept his command and Chetwode remained with the London Mounted Brigade, but his willingness to replace Gough caused some ill feeling. Promoted to temporary brigadier-general on 15 May 1914, he was given command of the 5th Cavalry Brigade in August 1914.

In World War I, Chetwode served on the Western Front: his brigade helped cover the retreat from the frontier, and checked the pursuing Germans at Cerizy on 29th August 1914. After taking part in the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914, he was appointed General Officer Commanding 2nd Cavalry Division with promotion to temporary major-general on 15th July 1915 and to substantive major-general on 1st of January 1916. With the war in Europe become bogged down in trench warfare,Chetwode was lucky to be transferred to the Palestine where he was given command of the Desert Mounted Corps and promoted to temporary lieutenant general with effect from 22nd of November 1916. He led the corps at Rafa in January 1917 and at the First Battle of Gaza in March 1917. When Edmund Allenby took command of the Allied forces in Palestine in the June of 1917, Chetwode was promoted to command of XX Corps. He led his corps to military success at the Battle of Beersheba in the October of 1917 and at the Battle of Jerusalem in the November of 1917. During the Sinai and Palestine Campaign he was mentioned in despatches eight times.

Service in India and after

After the war, and following promotion to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general on 1 January 1919, Chetwode was appointed to a number of senior military appointments serving as Military Secretary from 1919, Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff from October 1920, Adjutant-General to the Forces from September 1922 and Commander in Chief Aldershot Command from early 1923. He was promoted to full general on the 1st of June 1926.

Chetwode became Chief of the General Staff in India in 1928 and Commander-in-Chief, India in November 1930. He was promoted to field marshal on 13th February 1933. In his tenure as Commander-in-Chief, India, Chetwode was an opponent of replacing horses with tanks; he “made the surprising pronouncement that the Army in India would be unlikely to adopt tanks for a very long time, and then only to keep up the momentum of horsed cavalry.” He was much concerned with the modernisation and “Indianisation” of the army in India. The main building and its central hall at the Indian Military Academy is named after him. The credo of the Academy, engraved on the entrance to the central hall, is a passage from his address delivered at the formal inauguration of the Academy in 1932 – “The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.” This is known as the “Chetwode Motto” and is the motto of the officers passing out from the Academy.

Chetwode returned from India in May 1934. He was Constable of the Tower from 1943 to 1948 and also President of the Royal Geographical Society as well as the recipient of an Honorary DCL from Oxford University. He was created Baron Chetwode of Chetwode in the County of Buckingham on the 10th of July 1945 and died in London on 6th of June in 1950.

Family

He married Hester (Star) Alice Camilla Stapleton Cotton and had a son and daughter.

Roger married Molly Berry, daughter of the 1st Viscount Camrose. He was killed on active service in 14th of August 1940 at age 34, leaving two sons: Philip, the 2nd Baron Chetwode, and Christopher.

Penelope married John Betjeman the poet (later Poet Laureate) and had a son Paul and daughter Candida Lycett Green. Chetwode’s sister Florence was married to General Noel Birch.

Honours and awards

British
DSO : Companion of the Distinguished Service Order – 20th of November 1900 – for services during the operations in South Africa (Second Boer War

KCMG : Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George – 4th of June 1917

GCB : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) – 3rd of June 1929

KCB : Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath – 11th of January 1918

CB : Companion of the Order of the Bath – 18th of February 1915

KJStJ : Knight of Justice of the Venerable Order of St. John – 23rd of December 1930

GCSI : Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India – 4thof June 1934

OM : Member of the Order of Merit – 1st of January 1936

Foreign

Croix de Guerre of France – 21st of May 1917

Order of the Nile, 2nd Class of the Kingdom of Egypt – 9th of November 1918

Sourced from Wikipedia

Older Entries Newer Entries