Robert Arkwright
Major-General Robert Harry Bertram Arkwright CB, DSO & Bar (30 July 1903 – 14 November 1971) was a British Army officer who served in the Second World War and later commanded the 2nd Infantry Division.[1]
Robert Arkwright | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 July 1903 Bickley, Kent, England |
| Died | 14 November 1971 (aged 68) Swindon, Wiltshire |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1924–1951 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands held | 23rd Armoured Brigade 2nd Infantry Division 56th (London) Armoured Division 7th Armoured Division |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order & Bar |
Arkwright was born in Bickley, Kent, England, the son of Bertram Harry Godfrey Arkwright (1879–1949) and his wife Grace Emma Julia Hurt. Francis Arkwright was his younger brother.[2]
Military career
Arkwright was commissioned into the 12th Royal Lancers in 1924.[3] He served in the Second World War as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for 1st Armoured Division in France, as a General Staff Officer with 8th Armoured Division and as Brigadier responsible for Armoured Fighting Vehicles in the British Eighth Army before being made Commander of 23rd Armoured Brigade in 1943.[3] As Commander of the 23rd Armoured Brigade he took part in the Sicily landings, the Italy landings, both part of the Italian Campaign, and later the Civil War in Greece.[4] After the war he became General Officer Commanding 2nd Infantry Division in 1946, Director of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1947 and General Officer Commanding 56th (London) Armoured Division in 1948.[3] His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding 7th Armoured Division from 1949 until his retirement in 1951.[3]
He lived at Pen y Bryn Hall in Montgomery.[5]
Family
In 1927 he married Kathleen Gladys Hanbury.[6]
References
- "Obituary: Maj-Gen R. H. B. Arkwright". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 15 November 1971. p. 14.
- Howard, Joseph Jackson (1908). Visitation of England and Wales. Priv. print. p. 79. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
Robert Harry Bertram Arkwright.
- "Arkwright, Robert". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- Major-General Robert Harry Bertram Arkwright
- A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Volume 14, By Philip H. Highfill, Kalman A. Burnim, Edward A. Langhans, p.60
- Kemble Family
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cameron Nicholson |
General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division 1946–1947 |
Succeeded by John Churcher |
| Preceded by Gerald Lloyd-Verney |
GOC 56th (London) Armoured Division 1948–1949 |
Succeeded by Harold Pyman |
| Preceded by Vacant (next held by George Roberts) |
GOC 7th Armoured Division 1949–1951 |
Succeeded by Charles Jones |