Bevil Wilson
Bevil Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 December 1885 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 31 October 1975 (aged 89) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1905–1941 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Service number | 3312 |
| Unit | Royal Engineers |
| Commands | Lahore Brigade Nowshera Brigade 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division |
| Battles / wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in dispatches (3) |
Major-General Bevil Thomson Wilson CB, DSO (12 December 1885 – 30 October 1975) was a British Army officer.
Military career
[edit]Born in Canada as the son of Alexander Wilson and Mary Louise Rhynold-Barker,[1] Wilson was, after being educated at Clifton College and then the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, commissioned into the Royal Engineers of the British Army on 12 August 1905.[2] The early years of his military career were spent in India and later with the Egyptian Army. By 1914 he was a captain.[3]
He served on the Western Front, the Italian front and in the Gallipoli campaign in the First World War for which he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). The citation for his DSO reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He reached some canal bridges with the leading waves of infantry, and destroyed the charges of explosives before the bridges could be blown up. During an enemy counter-attack he collected what men he could and drove the enemy back, spending the rest of the day and night in organising a defensive flank under heavy fire. During the withdrawal across the canal he remained behind until orders were received for the destruction of the bridges. He showed splendid courage and initiative.[4][3]
Attending the Staff College, Camberley from 1920−1921, he then served at the War Office for the next three years, until 1925.[3] He became commander of the Lahore Brigade in October 1935, commander of the Nowshera Brigade in India in January 1938 and General Officer Commanding the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division in Northern Ireland in June 1939 before retiring in July 1941.[5] In August 1941 he presided over the court-martial of Josef Jakobs at the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea.[1]
Family
[edit]In June 1918, he married Florence Erica Starkey; they had a son (Lieutenant-General Sir James Wilson)[6] and a daughter.[1][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Josef Jakobs - 1898-1941". 8 May 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "No. 27830". The London Gazette. 25 August 1905. p. 5842.
- ^ a b c d Smart 2005, p. 337.
- ^ "No. 30780". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 July 1918. p. 7890.
- ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Lt-Gen Sir James Wilson". The Daily Telegraph. 31 December 2004. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
Bibliography
[edit]- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.
External links
[edit]- 1885 births
- 1975 deaths
- Military personnel from Toronto
- British Army major generals
- British Army generals of World War II
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Royal Engineers officers
- Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
- People from Old Toronto
- British Army personnel of World War I
- People educated at Clifton College
- Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley
- Italian front (World War I)