Walter Kirke
| Sir Walter Kirke | |
|---|---|
 Gen. Sir Walter Kirke |
|
| Born | 19 January 1877 |
| Died | 2 September 1949 (aged 72) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  British Army |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | 5th Division Western Command British Home Forces |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order |
General Sir Walter Mervyn St George Kirke GCB CMG DSO (19 January 1877 - 2 September 1949) was the Commander in Chief of the British Home Forces during the Second World War.
[edit] Military career
Born the second son of Colonel St.George Mervyn Kirke RE and his wife Sarah, Walter Kirke was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1896.[1] He served in Waziristan on the North West Frontier of India between 1901 and 1902.[1]
He served in World War I as a General Staff Officer at GHQ in France and Belgium.[1] In 1918 he became Deputy Director of Military Operations at the War Office and was then moved to Aldershot in 1922.[1] In 1924 he was appointed Head of the British Military Mission to Finland and in 1925 President of Inter-Allied Commission of Investigation for Hungary.[1]
Then in 1926 he became Deputy Chief of the General Staff for India moving on to be General Officer Commanding 5th Division in 1929.[1] In 1933 he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Western Command and in 1936 he became Director-General of the Territorial Army.[1]
He served in World War II initially as Inspector-General of Home Defence and then as Commander in Chief of the British Home Forces:[2] in that role he always thought that the threat of a German invasion was exaggerated.[3] He retired in 1940.[1]
He was also an Aide-de-Camp to the King from 1937 to 1940.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Liddell Hart Centtre for Military Archives
- ^ World War II: Great Britain at War Daily Telegraph, 4 September 1939
- ^ The home guard: a military and political history By S. P. Mackenzie, Page 19 Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0198205777
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Division Reformed (Post last held by Hugh Jeudwine) |
General Officer Commanding the 5th Division 1929–1931 |
Succeeded by Thomas Humphreys |
| Preceded by Sir Cyril Deverell |
GOC-in-C Western Command 1933–1936 |
Succeeded by Sir Henry Jackson |
