Aubrey Williams (British Army officer)
Aubrey Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 May 1888 |
| Died | 25 March 1977 (aged 88) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1907–1940 1941–1944 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Service number | 4098 |
| Unit | South Wales Borderers |
| Commands held | 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers 160th Infantry Brigade 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order & Bar Military Cross Mentioned in despatches (5) |
Major General Aubrey Ellis Williams CBE, DSO & Bar, MC (19 May 1888 – 25 March 1977) was a senior British Army officer who served in both the First World War and Second World War.
Military career[]
The son of a British Army officer, Lieutenant Colonel D. E. Williams, Aubrey Williams was born on 19 May 1888 and was educated at Monmouth Grammar School.[1] He later entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the South Wales Borderers on 9 October 1907.[2][1] He was promoted to lieutenant on 9 June 1909.[3]
Williams fought in the First World War and received a promotion to the rank of captain on 22 October 1914.[4][1]
After seeing action in the Gallipoli campaign,[5] he served as a staff officer with the 30th Division on the Western Front, earning recognition with his appointment as a companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[6][7] He was wounded twice and was also mentioned in despatches five times during the First World War.[1]
Williams also saw action during the Waziristan campaign in late 1937 earning him a bar to his DSO in August 1938.[8][5]
He became commander of the 160th Infantry Brigade, part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, in February 1939[9] and, in April 1940, seven months after the outbreak of the Second World War, went with his brigade to Northern Ireland where the brigade was mainly involved in anti-invasion duties and exercises training to repel a potential German invasion of Northern Ireland.[10] He became General Officer Commanding 38th (Welsh) Division in the United Kingdom in May 1940 before retired in October.[9]
In retirement he was local President of the Royal British Legion on the Isle of Wight.[5]
References[]
- ^ a b c d Smart, p. 335
- ^ "No. 28067". The London Gazette. 8 October 1907. p. 6747.
- ^ "No. 28282". The London Gazette. 24 August 1909. p. 6448.
- ^ "No. 28968". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 November 1914. p. 9112.
- ^ a b c "Aubrey Williams". Isle of Wight Historical Society. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ "No. 31183". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 February 1919. p. 2365.
- ^ "No. 31480". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 July 1919. p. 9683.
- ^ "No. 34542". The London Gazette. 16 August 1938. p. 5286.
- ^ a b "Williams, Aubrey Ellis". Generals.dk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ "2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment". Wartime NI. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
Bibliography[]
- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.
- 1888 births
- 1977 deaths
- British Army generals of World War II
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
- Graduates of the Staff College, Quetta
- People educated at Monmouth School
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- South Wales Borderers officers