George Gordon-Lennox
Sir George Gordon-Lennox | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | George Charles Gordon-Lennox |
| Nickname(s) | Geordie |
| Born | 29 May 1908 Belgravia, London |
| Died | 11 May 1988 (aged 79) Fochabers, Moray, Scotland |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1928–1966 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Service number | 39276 |
| Unit | Grenadier Guards |
| Commands | Grenadier Guards 1st Guards Brigade 3rd Division Royal Military College, Sandhurst Scottish Command |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order Military Cross |
Lieutenant-General Sir George "Geordie" Charles Gordon-Lennox KBE CB CVO DSO (29 May 1908 – 11 May 1988) was a senior British Army officer who served during the Second World War.[1]
Military career
[edit]Gordon-Lennox was born at 30 Wilton Crescent, Belgravia,[2] the eldest son of Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox and a grandson of the 7th Duke of Richmond. His mother was Hon. Evelyn Loch, daughter of Henry Loch, 1st Baron Loch. His younger brother was Rear-Admiral Sir Sandy Gordon-Lennox. Their father was killed at the Second Battle of Ypres in 1914.[1]
He was educated at Eton and was a Page of Honour to George V from 1921–1924.[1]
After Eton, he trained at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1928.[3]
He fought with the Grenadier Guards in the Second World War, in which he was wounded at the Battle of Anzio in 1944. He was awarded the DSO and mentioned in despatches.[1]
In 1951, Gordon-Lennox was appointed Commanding Officer of the Grenadier Guards[3] and in 1952 he was awarded the CVO. In 1952, he also became Commander of 1st Guards Brigade.[3] He went on to be General Officer Commanding 3rd Division in 1959.[3] In 1960 he became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and then Director-General of Military Training at the War Office in 1963.[3] A year later, he was knighted and transferred to Scotland where he was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Scottish Command and Governor of Edinburgh Castle until 1966.[3]
In 1965, he became Colonel of the Gordon Highlanders and his last post was in retirement, as King of Arms of the Order of the British Empire from 1968 until 1983.[1]
Family
[edit]Gordon-Lennox married Nancy Brenda Darell, daughter of Sir Lionel Darell, 6th Baronet, and they went on together to have two sons (the eldest was Major-General Bernard Gordon Lennox).[1][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Lt-Gen Sir George Gordon-Lennox". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. 13 May 1988. p. 23. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Society". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 2 June 1908. p. 4. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ^ "George Gordon-Lennox". Moray Council's Local Heritage Centre. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- 1908 births
- 1988 deaths
- People from Belgravia
- Gordon-Lennox family
- British Army lieutenant generals
- Grenadier Guards officers
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Commandants of Sandhurst
- Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Pages of Honour
- Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
- People educated at Eton College