Cecil Pereira
Major-General Sir Cecil Edward Pereira, KCB, CMG (24 July 1869 – 26 October 1942) was a British Army officer who commanded the 2nd Division during the First World War.
Sir Cecil Pereira | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 July 1869 |
| Died | 26 October 1942 (aged 73) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1890–1923 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands held | 56th (London) Infantry Division 2nd Division 1st Guards Brigade 85th Brigade 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Commander of the Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar[1] Commander of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)[2] Croix de guerre (France)[3] |
Military career
Educated at the Oratory School, Edgbaston, Pereira was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1890.[4] He served in Uganda from 1898 and was seconded for service in the Second Boer War in South Africa in March 1900, and attached to the Rhodesian Field Force.[5] He then served in the First World War and was appointed Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards in 1914, commander of 85th Brigade (which he led at the Battle of Loos) in 1915 and commander of 1st Guards Brigade in January 1916,[6] before being made General Officer Commanding 2nd Division in December 1916.[7] After the war he became General Officer Commanding 56th (London) Infantry Division from 1919 until his retirement in 1923.[7]
During the Second World War Pereira commanded the Local Defence Volunteers in London.[8]
Family
In 1903 Pereira married Helen Mary Josephine (Nellie) Lane Fox; they had three sons and two daughters.[4] His brothers were George Pereira, a soldier and explorer,[9] and Edward Pereira, a priest, schoolmaster and cricketer.[10] He settled after 1924 at Caversham Place, near Reading, a house designed for him by Clough Williams-Ellis.[11]
Correspondence
His letters were edited by his grandson, E.A. Pereira & others, as Catholic General: The Private Wartime Correspondence of Maj-Gen Sir Cecil Edward Pereira, 1914–19 (Helion, 2020).
References
- "No. 27092". The London Gazette. 23 June 1899. p. 3940.
- "No. 30631". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 April 1918. p. 4522.
- "No. 31514". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 August 1919. p. 10608.
- Lane Fox of Bramham Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- "The War - The Rhodesian Field Force". The Times (36091). London. 16 March 1900. p. 6.
- Orders of Battle
- Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Defence Forces Hansard, 3 July 1940
- "Pereira, Cecil Edward". Horniman. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- "Blois 24". Conqueror 100. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- "Pick of the Past: Caversham Place and Caversham Park Village". Get Reading. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Walker |
General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division 1916–1919 |
Succeeded by Richard Butler |
| Preceded by Charles Hull |
General Officer Commanding the 56th (1st London) Division 1919–1923 |
Succeeded by Sir Geoffrey Feilding |