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Aubrey Williams (British Army officer)

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Aubrey Williams
Born19 May 1888
Died25 March 1977 (aged 88)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1907–1940
1941–1944
RankMajor General
Service number4098
UnitSouth Wales Borderers
Commands1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers
160th Infantry Brigade
38th (Welsh) Infantry Division
Battles / warsFirst World War
Second World War
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order & Bar
Military Cross
Mentioned in despatches (5)

Major General Aubrey Ellis Williams CBE, DSO & Bar, MC (19 May 1888 – 25 March 1977) was a senior British Army officer who served in both the First World War and Second World War.

Military career

The son of a British Army officer, Lieutenant Colonel D. E. Williams, Aubrey Williams was born on 19 May 1888 and was educated at Monmouth School for Boys.[1] He later entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the South Wales Borderers on 9 October 1907.[2][1] He was promoted to lieutenant on 9 June 1909.[3]

Williams fought in the First World War and received a promotion to the rank of captain on 22 October 1914.[4][1] After seeing action in the Gallipoli campaign,[5] and after being awarded the Military Cross (MC) in 1916,[6] he served as a staff officer with the 30th Division on the Western Front, earning recognition with his appointment as a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[7] The citation for his DSO reads:[8]

At Menin, on October 14th, 1918, he made a very bold reconnaissance of the river crossings in face of considerable shell and machine-gun fire and forward of all our infantry posts, thus enabling a bridge to be thrown over at the earliest opportunity. Though badly concussed by a 5-9 inch bursting within a few feet of him, he still continued at duty. His fearlessness at all times was a fine example to all ranks.

He was wounded twice and was also mentioned in despatches five times during his service in the First World War.[1]

Williams also saw action during the Waziristan campaign in late 1937 earning him a bar to his DSO in August 1938.[9][5]

He became commander of the 160th Infantry Brigade, part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, in February 1939[10] and, in April 1940, seven months after the outbreak of the Second World War, went with his brigade to Northern Ireland where it was mainly involved in anti-invasion duties and exercises training to repel a potential German invasion of Northern Ireland.[11] After being promoted to the permanent rank of major general on 10 May (with his seniority dating back to 23 July 1938)[12] he became General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 38th (Welsh) Division in the United Kingdom that same day before retiring from the army in October.[10]

In retirement he was local President of the Royal British Legion on the Isle of Wight.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Smart 2005, p. 335.
  2. ^ "No. 28067". The London Gazette. 8 October 1907. p. 6747.
  3. ^ "No. 28282". The London Gazette. 24 August 1909. p. 6448.
  4. ^ "No. 28968". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 November 1914. p. 9112.
  5. ^ a b c "Aubrey Williams". Isle of Wight Historical Society. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. ^ "No. 29460". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 February 1916. p. 1337.
  7. ^ "No. 31183". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 February 1919. p. 2365.
  8. ^ "No. 31480". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 July 1919. p. 9683.
  9. ^ "No. 34542". The London Gazette. 16 August 1938. p. 5286.
  10. ^ a b "Williams, Aubrey Ellis". Generals.dk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  11. ^ "2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment". Wartime NI. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  12. ^ "No. 34886". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 June 1940. p. 4003.

Bibliography

Military offices
Preceded by GOC 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division
May–October 1940 		Succeeded by
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