Lionel Finch
Lionel Finch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 July 1888 Murree, Punjab British India (now Punjab, Pakistan) |
| Died | 23 October 1982 (aged 94) Petworth, Chichester, Sussex, England[1] |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1908–1943 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Service number | 6925 |
| Unit | Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) Cheshire Regiment Lancashire Fusiliers |
| Commands | 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers 18th Infantry Division |
| Battles / wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
Major General Lionel Hugh Knightley Finch CB, DSO, OBE (5 July 1888 – 23 October 1982) was a senior British Army officer.
Military career
After being educated at Cheltenham College,[2] Finch was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion, the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment on 1 July 1908.[3] He served in the 2nd Battalion the Cheshire Regiment in the First World War and his capture and subsequent detention as a prisoner of war was recognised by his appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.[4] He was appointed a companion of the Distinguished Service Order in the 1917 New Year Honours[5] and went on to command the 13th (Service) Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment in the later stages of the war.[6]
After attending the Staff College, Camberley, from 1924 to 1925.[2] Finch became commanding officer of 1st Battalion the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1934.[7] He went on to be Assistant Adjutant-General at the War Office in 1936, Deputy Director of Recruiting and Organisation at the War Office in 1939 and Deputy Adjutant-General at the War Office in 1940.[7] After that he became General Officer Commanding 18th Infantry Division in June 1940 before retiring in July 1940.[7]
Finch was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 1 July 1941.[8] He retired to Sussex, where he died on 23 October 1982, at the age of 94.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Hugh Knightley Finch".
- ^ a b Smart, p. 102
- ^ "No. 28164". The London Gazette. 4 August 1908. p. 5733.
- ^ "No. 13558". The Edinburgh Gazette. 2 February 1920. p. 309.
- ^ "No. 29886". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1916. p. 22.
- ^ "Commanging Officers: the Cheshire Regiment". Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ a b c "Finch, Lionel Hugh Knightley". Generals.dk. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "No. 35204". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 July 1941. p. 3736.
External links
Bibliography
- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.
- 1888 births
- 1982 deaths
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Cheshire Regiment officers
- Lancashire Fusiliers officers
- British Army generals of World War II
- People from Murree
- British Army personnel of World War I
- British World War I prisoners of war
- Queen's Royal Regiment officers
- People educated at Cheltenham College
- War Office personnel in World War II
- Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley
- British Army major generals
- Military personnel of British India