Ernest Down
Sir Ernest Down | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1902 |
| Died | 1980 (aged 78) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1923−1955 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Service number | 23809 |
| Unit | Dorset Regiment |
| Commands held | 2nd Parachute Brigade 1st Airborne Division 9th Indian Airborne Division 44th Indian Airborne Division 2nd Indian Airborne Division 4th Infantry Division 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division Southern Command |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Lieutenant-General Sir Ernest Edward Down KBE CB (1902–1980) was a senior officer of the British Army, who saw active service during the Second World War.
Military career[]
Ernest Down was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Dorset Regiment in February 1923.[1]
He served in the Second World War, being appointed Commander of the 2nd Parachute Brigade, then serving in North Africa in 1942.[2] He went on to be General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1st Airborne Division, taking over from Major-General George Hopkinson who had been killed in action, in September 1943, in the early stages of the Allied invasion of Italy.[2] He was then GOC of 9th Indian Airborne Division which itself became the 44th Indian Airborne Division in 1944 and GOC of 2nd Indian Airborne Division in 1945.[2]
After the war, on 26 September 1946, Down was appointed GOC of 4th Infantry Division in Greece. In 1947, after the division had been disbanded, he became GOC of all . Then in 1948, he became head of the British Military Mission to Greece.[3][4] Returning to the United Kingdom he was appointed District Officer Commanding Mid-West District and GOC 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division in 1950 and GOC-in Chief of Southern Command in 1952, a post from which he retired in 1955.[2]
He was also Colonel of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry from 1955 to 1957.[5]
References[]
- ^ "No. 32792". The London Gazette. 2 February 1923. p. 807.
- ^ a b c d "Down, Ernest". Generals.dk. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "No. 37746". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 October 1946. p. 4933.
- ^ "Obituary: Lieut-General Sir Ernest Down". The Times. 22 February 1980. p. 16. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Succession of Colonels 1755 - 1963". British Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
Bibliography[]
- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.
External links[]
- 1902 births
- 1980 deaths
- British Army generals of World War II
- Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Dorset Regiment officers
- British Army generals
- Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst