Philip Gregson-Ellis
Philip Gregson-Ellis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 31 August 1898 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 20 October 1956 (aged 58) Kent, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1950 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Service number | 15399 |
| Unit | Grenadier Guards |
| Commands held | 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards 30th Armoured Brigade 1st Guards Brigade 5th Infantry Division Staff College, Camberley 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
Major-General Philip George Saxon Gregson-Ellis CB OBE (31 August 1898 – 20 October 1956) was a senior British Army officer who saw active service during both the First World War and the Second World War, where he commanded the 5th Infantry Division during the Italian Campaign in 1944.
Military career[]
Born in 1898, Philip Gregson-Ellis was educated Eton College and later entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and from there was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the British Army's Grenadier Guards in 1917, towards the end of the First World War.[1][2]
He remained in the army after the war, and, during the interwar period, attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1928 to 1929[2] and was appointed an instructor there in 1937.[3][2]
He served in the Second World War as a General Staff Officer (GSO) with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France before becoming Commanding Officer (CO) of the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards in 1940.[3] He continued his war service as a Brigadier on the staff in Northern Ireland from 1941 and as Deputy Chief of Staff for Home Forces in 1942 before taking command of the 30th Armoured Brigade in January 1943, and then the 1st Guards Brigade in July, which was then serving in North Africa.[3][2] He was appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) 5th Infantry Division in January 1944 and commanded the division in the Italian Campaign, leading it in the Battle of Anzio and Operation Diadem.[3][2]
After the war he returned to the Staff College, Camberley as Commandant and then went back to the 5th Division for a second tour as its commander.[3] He was appointed GOC 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division in 1947 and finally retired from the British Army in 1950.[3][2]
Family[]
In 1921 he married Joan Henllys Lloyd.[4][2]
References[]
- ^ "No. 30438". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 December 1917. p. 13335.
- ^ a b c d e f g Smart, p. 130
- ^ a b c d e f "Gregson-Ellis, Philip". Generals.dk. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ Bronwydd Estate Records
Bibliography[]
- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.
External links[]
- 1898 births
- 1956 deaths
- British Army generals of World War II
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Commandants of the Staff College, Camberley
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Deputy Lieutenants of Kent
- Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
- Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley
- Grenadier Guards officers
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- People educated at Eton College
- Military personnel from Edinburgh
- British Army generals
- Academics of the Staff College, Camberley