Lieutenant General Sir William Wyndham Green KBE CB DSO MC DL (15 May 1887 – 12 November 1979) was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Anti-Aircraft Command.
Sir William Green | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 May 1887 South Kensington, London, England[1] |
| Died | 12 November 1979 (aged 92) New Romney |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1907–1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Service number | 690 |
| Unit | Royal Artillery |
| Commands | Anti-Aircraft Command |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross and bar |
Military career
editEducated at Malvern College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Green was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1907.[2][3]
He served in World War I latterly as a brigade major in France.[2] He was awarded the Military Cross for correcting gunfire from the top of a haystack 200 yards from the enemy front line in December 1914,[4] and a bar to the MC, the citation for which reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During an enemy retirement he went forward to high ground, which afforded good observation, to ascertain the situation, and remained exposed to shell fire all the morning, until wounded by a shell. His fearlessness and initiative enabled him to secure valuable information by means of personal reconnaissances during operations, and on one occasion he displayed the utmost gallantry in extinguishing a burning gun-pit under heavy and accurate shell fire.[5]
He also received the Distinguished Service Order at Ploegsteert in April the following year.[6] The DSO's citation reads:[7]
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Under cover of a heavy morning mist, the enemy came up unperceived close to the battery of which this officer was in command. He armed the Lewis gunners of the Battery with rifles, and by skilful dispositions held off the enemy until the guns had been blown up and the detachments withdrawn. On another occasion he helped to cover the removal of a heavy howitzer battery, delaying the advance of the enemy with the fire of his Lewis guns and rifles and inflicting heavy casualties. He fought all day on foot, until the line had been established. His behaviour throughout was marked by great coolness under difficult circumstances and unconcerned courage.
After attending the Staff College, Camberley, from 1919 to 1920, in 1926 he became an instructor in Gunnery at the School of Artillery.[2] In 1929 he went to India and served on the North West Frontier, before returning to the School of Artillery in 1937 as Chief Instructor for Equipment.[2] In 1938 he was appointed Commandant at the Royal Military College of Science.[2][6]
He served in World War II initially as Brigadier Royal Artillery at Northern Command and then, from March 1941 to October 1941, as Second in Command City and Garrison of Gibraltar.[2] In 1942 he became Commander of 3rd Anti-Aircraft Division and in 1943 he was made Commander of 5th and 6th Anti-Aircraft Groups.[2][8]
After the War he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Anti-Aircraft Command; he retired in 1946.[2][8] He was also a Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery from 1947 to 1952.[2]
The family home was at Little Gables in New Romney in Kent.[9] He was a Deputy Lieutenant for the county in 1949.[6]
Family
editIn January 1916 he married Madge Alexandra Bellairs and had one daughter, then in 1924 he married Aline Hope Primrose Cobbold and they went on to have one son and a daughter.[10]
Bibliography
edit- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.
References
edit- ^ "Biographies | William Wyndham GREEN (#406) - The Cobbold Family History Trust". family-tree.cobboldfht.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sir William Wyndham Green Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ^ Smart, p. 129
- ^ "No. 29438". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 September 1916. p. 578.
- ^ "No. 30287". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 September 1917. p. 9559.
- ^ a b c Smart, p. 130
- ^ "No. 30901". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 September 1918. p. 10866.
- ^ a b Robert Palmer, A Concise History of Anti-Aircraft Command (History and Personnel) at British Military History.
- ^ "No. 38789". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 December 1949. p. 6036.
- ^ "Tree - The Cobbold Family History Trust". family-tree.cobboldfht.com.