General Sir Clive Gerard Liddell, KCB, CMG, CBE, DSO (1 May 1883 – 9 September 1956) was a senior British Army officer who served as Adjutant-General to the Forces from 1937 to 1939. He was Governor of Gibraltar from 1939 to 1941 during the early stages of the Second World War.[1]

General

Sir Clive Liddell

KCB, CMG, CBE, DSO
Nickname(s)"Jock"[1]
Born(1883-05-01)1 May 1883
Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England
Died9 September 1956(1956-09-09) (aged 73)[2]
Chelsea, London, England[3]
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1902–1943
RankGeneral
Service number12844
UnitLeicestershire Regiment
CommandsGibraltar (1939–41)
4th Division (1935–37)
47th (2nd London) Division (1935)
8th Infantry Brigade (1931–34)
1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (1926–28)
Battles / warsFirst World War
Second World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches (6)
Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy

Military career

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Liddell attended Uppingham School before enrolling at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[2] He was commissioned into the British Army as a second lieutenant in the Leicestershire Regiment on 22 October 1902.[4][3] He was an Adjutant from 1908 to 1911 and then became Staff Captain at 6th District of Northern Command in 1912.[5] He served in the First World War as Assistant Adjutant & Quartermaster General at the War Office.[5][1]

After the war Liddell became an Instructor at the Staff College.[5][3] He then went to the Imperial Defence College in 1927.[5] He became a General Staff Officer at the War Office in 1928 and then Commander 8th Infantry Brigade in 1931.[5] He became General Officer Commanding (GOC) 47th (2nd London) Division in January 1935 and then GOC 4th Division in November 1935 before becoming Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1937.[5] He was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar in 1939, a post he held until 1941.[5] During his tenure of this post he organised the evacuation of all families of British service personnel and civilians from Gibraltar.[6] He served as Inspector General for Training from 1941 to 1942; he retired in 1943.[5]

Liddell was also Colonel of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment from 1943 to 1948[5] and Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1943 to 1949.[7][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Smart 2005, p. 190.
  2. ^ a b "Gen. Sir Clive Liddell: Commander and Staff Officer". The Times. 11 September 1956. p. 11.
  3. ^ a b c d "British Army officer histories". Unit Histories. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  4. ^ "No. 27486". The London Gazette. 21 October 1902. p. 6653.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Liddell, Sir Clive Gerard". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. ^ Cadiz News Archived 2009-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "No. 38742". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 October 1949. p. 5065.

Bibliography

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Military offices
Preceded by GOC 47th (2nd London) Division
January–November 1935
Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC 4th Infantry Division
1935–1937
Succeeded by
Preceded by Adjutant General
1937–1939
Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Governor of Gibraltar
1939–1941
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea
1943–1949
Succeeded by
Preceded by Colonel of the Leicestershire Regiment
1943–1948
Succeeded by