Bernard Paget

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Sir Bernard Paget
300px
General Sir Bernard Paget
Born 15 September 1887
Oxford
Died 16 February 1961 (aged 73)
Petersfield
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch Flag of the British Army.svg British Army
Rank General
Commands held 4th Quetta Infantry Brigade
Staff College, Camberley
18th Infantry Division
South-Eastern Command
GHQ Home Forces
21st Army Group
Middle East Command
Battles/wars First World War
Second World War
Awards GCB (1 Jan 1946)[1]
KCB (1 Jan 1942)
CB (11 July 1940)[2]
DSO (Jan 1918)
MC (18 Nov 1915)[3]
Legion of Merit Chief Commander (USA) (18 July 1947)[4]
The Silver Medal for Military Valour (Italy) (26 May 1917)[5]
Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (7 December 1944)
Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold with Palm (Belgium) (16 Jan 1947)[6]
Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm (Belgium) (16 Jan 1947)[6]
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of St Olav (Norway) (19 Mar 1948)[7]
Other work Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Southampton (March 1960)[8]

General Sir Bernard Charles Tolver Paget GCB DSO MC (15 September 1887 – 16 February 1961) was a senior British Army officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars. In the Second World War he commanded 21st Army Group from June 1943 to December 1943 and was Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Command from January 1944 to October 1946.

Military career

Paget was born in Oxford, the son of the Right Reverend Francis Paget, second son of Sir James Paget, 1st Baronet,[9] and was educated at Shrewsbury School and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst from 1905 to 1907. Paget was commissioned into the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in November 1907[10] and was promoted to lieutenant in 1910. On the outbreak of the First World War he was appointed adjutant of the new 5th (Service) Battalion with which he went to France in May 1915. Paget was awarded the Military Cross in November 1915 and the Distinguished Service Order in January 1918. He was four times mentioned in dispatches and wounded five times during the 1st World War. Having been made brevet major in 1917,[11] he was promoted to major in 1924 and brevet lieutenant-colonel in 1925. Paget was promoted to colonel in 1929 and became Commander of the depot at Cowley Barracks, Oxford in 1930. He was Chief Instructor at the Staff College, at Quetta, British India (now the Command and Staff College in Pakistan), from 1932 to 1934.[12] Paget commanded the 4th Quetta Infantry Brigade from 1936 to 1937.[12] He was promoted to major-general in December 1937 and was Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley between 1938 and 1939.[12]

In November 1939 Paget took over command of the 18th Infantry Division until 1940.[12] In the acting rank of lieutenant-general[13] he commanded British forces in the withdrawal at Åndalsnes in Norway[12] in 1940 during the Norwegian Campaign, and was subsequently appointed CB. He was promoted to lieutenant-general and made General Officer Commanding-in-Chief South-Eastern Command in 1941.[12] He was knighted (KCB) in the New Year's Honours' List at the end of the year.[14] He went on to be GOC of GHQ Home Forces in the acting rank of general[15] in December 1941. The rank of general was made permanent in July 1943. Paget commanded 21st Army Group from June 1943 to December 1943 prior to Bernard Montgomery taking over.[12] In January 1944 he became Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Command[12] until October 1946, when he retired from the army.[12] In December 1944 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the Polish government.[16] In 1946 he was advanced to GCB.

Paget was Colonel Commandant of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry from October 1946 to September 1955[17] and Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1949[18] to 1956.[19] He lived in Petersfield, Hampshire.

He married Winifred Nora Paget on 7 February 1918 with whom he was to have two sons. His younger son, Lieutenant Tony Paget died on 5 March 1945 from wounds received whilst serving with the 1st Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (the 43rd) during the Battle of the Reichswald, as part of 71st Brigade of 53rd (Welsh) Division. He received a posthumous Distinguished Service Order for his gallantry during the battle, which was just short of being awarded the Victoria Cross.

General Sir Bernard Paget GCB, DSO, MC died on 16 February 1961.

Notes

  1. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37407. p. 4. 28 December 1945. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34893. p. 4243. 11 July 1940. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29371. p. 11451. 16 November 16915. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38018. p. 3319. 15 July 1947. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30096. p. 5201. 25 May 1917. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37853. p. 324. 14 January 1947. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38240. p. 1919. 16 March 1948. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 42001. p. 2472. 5 April 1960. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  9. ↑ Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,[page needed]
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28079. p. 7582. 12 November 1907. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30111. p. 5466. 1 June 1917. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34869. p. 3505. 7 June 1940. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35399. p. 3. 30 December 1941. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35397. p. 7369. 26 December 1941. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36828. p. 5616. 5 December 1944. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40484. p. 2994. 20 May 1955. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  18. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38742. p. 5065. 25 October 1949. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  19. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40917. p. 6249. 2 November 1956. Retrieved 30 January 2010.

References

  • Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War, Nick Smart. ISBN 1-84415-049-6.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley
1938–1939		 Succeeded by
Robert Collins
Preceded by
New Post
 GOC-in-C South-Eastern Command
1941		 Succeeded by
Sir Bernard Montgomery
Preceded by C-in-C Middle East Command
January 1944–October 1946		 Succeeded by
Post Disbanded
Honorary titles
Preceded by Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea
1949–1956		 Succeeded by
Sir Cameron Nicholson
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