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 |
| 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 |
Major General Aubrey Ellis Williams CBE, DSO & Bar, MC (19 May 1888 – 25 March 1977) was a senior British Army officer.
Military career
The son of a British Army officer, Williams was educated at Monmouth Grammar School. 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.[1] He was promoted to lieutenant on 9 June 1909 .[2]
He fought in the First World War and, after seeing action in the Gallipoli campaign,[3] he served as a general staff officer with 30th Division on the Western Front earning recognition with his appointment as a companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[4][5]
Williams also saw action during the Waziristan campaign in late 1937 earning him a bar to his DSO in August 1938.[6][3]
He became commander of the 160th Infantry Brigade, part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, in February 1939[7] 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.[8] He became General Officer Commanding 38th (Welsh) Division in the United Kingdom in May 1940 before retired in October.[7]
In retirement he was local President of the Royal British Legion on the Isle of Wight.[3]
References
- ^ "No. 28067". The London Gazette. 8 October 1907. p. 6747.
- ^ "No. 28282". The London Gazette. 24 August 1909. p. 6448.
- ^ 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.
- 1888 births
- 1977 deaths
- South Wales Borderers officers
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- British Army generals of World War II
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
- People educated at Monmouth School