James Bowes-Lyon

Major General Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon, KCVO, CB, OBE, MC & Bar (19 September 1917 – 18 December 1977) was a senior British Army officer who served as Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1968 to 1970.[1]

Sir James Bowes-Lyon
Birth name	Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon
Born	19 September 1917 Chelsea, London
Died	18 December 1977 (aged 60) Northumberland, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1938–73
Rank	Major General
Commands held	London District Household Division British Forces in Berlin 52nd Lowland Division District 157th Lowland Brigade 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross & Bar

Early life and education

Bowes-Lyon was born in Chelsea, London, the son of Capt. Geoffrey Francis Bowes-Lyon, grandson of 13th Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. He was thus a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. His mother was Edith Katherine Selby-Bigge, daughter of Sir Amherst Selby-Bigge, 1st Baronet.[2] He was educated at Eton College and Sandhurst.[1]

Military career

Bowes-Lyon was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1938,[3] and served in the Guards Armoured Division during the Second World War.[3]

In 1955 he became Commandant at the Guards Depot and in 1957 he was made Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards.[3] He was appointed Military Assistant to Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, in 1960 and Commander of 157th Lowland Brigade in 1963.[3]

He went on to be General Officer Commanding 52nd Lowland Division District in 1966 and Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin in 1968.[3] In 1971 he was appointed Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District.[3] He retired in 1973.[3]

Personal life

Bowes-Lyon married Mary de Trafford, daughter of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet. The couple had three children, two sons, John and David, and a daughter, Fiona. The family lived at Sennicotts in West Sussex.[4]

A descendant of the 13th Earl of Strathmore, he was a Gentleman Usher to the Royal Household[5] and a paternal first cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.[6]

References

1. "Obituary: Maj-Gen Sir James Bowes-Lyon". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 22 December 1977. p. 12.
2. Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
3. "Bowes-Lyon, Sir Francis James Cecil". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
4. "History". Sennicotts. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
5. "No. 46197". The London Gazette. 1 February 1974. p. 1395.
6. Roots.web