Sir William Thwaites
Born(1868-06-09)9 June 1868
Kensington, London, England
Died22 June 1947(1947-06-22) (aged 79)
Reading, Berkshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1887–1929
RankGeneral
Commands heldTerritorial Army
British Army of the Rhine
47th (2nd London) Division
46th (North Midland) Division
141st (5th London) Brigade
Battles/warsSecond Boer War
First World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

General Sir William Thwaites, KCB, KCMG (9 June 1868 – 22 June 1947) was a British Army officer who served as commander of the British Army of the Rhine.[1]

Early life and education

Thwaites was born in Kensington, the son of William Thwaites of Durham Villas. He was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire and at Heidelberg before passing into the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.[1][2]

Military career

Thwaites was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1887.[3] He was promoted to lieutenant on 16 February 1890 and to captain on 10 October 1897.[4] He served in the Second Boer War 1899–1900 as an Adjutant in 33rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery,[3] and took part in operations in Natal in late 1899, including engagements at Rietfontein and Lombard′s Knop and the defence of Ladysmith. For his service he was mentioned in despatches.[4] He was promoted to major on 20 August 1902.[5]

He served in the First World War on the Western Front in France and Belgium, becoming commander of the 141st (5th London) Brigade in 1915.[3] He was then made General Officer Commanding 46th (North Midland) Division in July 1916.[3]

After the war Thwaites became Director of Military Intelligence at the War Office from 1918, and then Director of Military Operations and Intelligence from 1922.[3] In 1923 he became General Officer Commanding 47th (2nd London) Division and in 1927 he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief British Army of the Rhine:[3] he was the last person to hold this post until after the Second World War.[6] He was Director General of the Territorial Army from 1931 to 1933,[3] and retired on 1 October 1933, when he was appointed an extra Aide-de-Camp General to King George V.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Obituary: Gen. Sir. W. Thwaites". The Times. 23 June 1947. p. 7.
  2. ^ Burke, Sir Bernard, ed. (1939). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (97th ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 2928.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Thwaites, Sir William". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b Hart′s Army list, 1904
  5. ^ "No. 27513". The London Gazette. 6 January 1903. p. 107.
  6. ^ World Statesmen
  7. ^ "No. 33983". The London Gazette. 3 October 1933. p. 6355.
Military offices Preceded byEdward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley GOC 46th (North Midland) Division 1916–1918 Succeeded byGerald Boyd Preceded byGeorge Macdonogh Director of Military Intelligence(Director of Military Operations and Intelligence from 1922) 1918–1923 Succeeded byJohn Burnett-Stuart Preceded bySir Nevill Smyth GOC 47th (2nd London) Division 1923–1927 Succeeded byLeopold Oldfield Preceded bySir John Du Cane Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine 1927–1929 Post disbanded
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