Hubert Essame

Hubert Essame
Born	(1896-12-24)24 December 1896
Died	2 March 1976(1976-03-02) (aged 79) West Wittering, West Sussex
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1915–1949
Rank	Major-General
Unit	Northamptonshire Regiment
Commands held	1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment 214th Infantry Brigade 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mentioned in dispatches

Major-General Hubert Essame, CBE, DSO, MC (24 December 1896 – 2 March 1976) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II, where he commanded the 214th Infantry Brigade, part of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, throughout the campaign in Northwest Europe from June 1944 until the German surrender in May 1945. He was also a military lecturer, historian and broadcaster.

Early life

Essame was the son of Ernest H. Essame of Wokingham and educated at Nottingham High School.

Military career

Essame joined the British Army during World War I as a volunteer in 1915, and joined the 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment. He first saw active service on the Western Front in May 1916, and on 2 October 1916 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Northamptonshire Regiment. He was wounded twice over the course of the First World War, mentioned in dispatches in December 1917 and awarded the Military Cross in July 1918.

In November 1924, Essame was promoted to captain. Between 1926 and 1929 he served as Adjutant in the Auxiliary Forces in India, before attending the Staff College, Quetta. He then served as a staff officer at the War Office and with Territorial Army units. In 1941 Essame became Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment. He was promoted to brigadier in 1942 and became commander of the 214th Infantry Brigade, leading the brigade in fighting in northern Europe. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in October 1944. In June 1945 he briefly served as commander of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. Essame became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in October 1945.

Between 1946 and 1949, Essame was President of the Regular Commissions Board, before retiring from the army with the rank of major-general on 24 June 1949.

Other work

Following his retirement from the army, Essame worked as a military historian. He was a lecturer in military history at King's College London, and published several books and articles. He was an advisor to television producers for military programmes.

Publications

• The 43rd Wessex Division at War (1952)
• The North West Europe campaign, 1944-1945 (1962)
• The Battle for Normandy (1965)
• The Battle for Germany (1969)
• Normandy Bridgehead (1971)
• Battle for Europe, 1918 (1972)
• Patton the Commander (1974)
• Corps Commander (1977)