Alexander Cameron (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Maurice Cameron KBE
CB
MC
(30 May 1898 - 25 December 1986) was General Officer Commanding
East Africa Command
.
in 1916. He served in World War I
in France
and Belgium
taking part in the Battle of Passchendaele for which he received the Military Cross
.
After the War he was deployed to South Persia and then took part in operations in Kurdistan. He became a Brigade Major in India
in 1934 and then a General Staff Officer in the Anti-Aircraft Corps in 1936.
He served in World War II
initially as a General Staff Officer with Anti-Aircraft Command
and then as Commander of the Anti-Aircraft Brigade from 1942. He was on the staff of Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force from 1944 to 1945. At this time he started constructing an Allied version of the V2 rocket.
After the War he became Commander of the Special Project Operations Group which took control of the German
guided missile installations. He then became Deputy Quartermaster General for the Royal Engineers
in 1945 and Major-General in charge of Administration for Middle East Land Forces in Egypt
in 1948.
He was appointed General Officer Commanding
East Africa Command
in 1951 and, following the Mau Mau Uprising
in 1952, was replaced General Sir George Erskine
, becoming Erskine's Second in Command in 1953; he retired in 1954.
He was Director of Civil Defence for South East Region in the UK from 1955 to 1960.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(30 May 1898 - 25 December 1986) was General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
East Africa Command
East Africa Command
-History:The formation was essentially an expansion of the East Africa Force which came into being in August 1940. It was reformed as a Command in September 1941 by General Sir William Platt and covered North East Africa, East Africa and British Central Africa. It established its own intelligence...
.
Military career
Cameron was commissioned into the Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in 1916. He served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
taking part in the Battle of Passchendaele for which he received the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
.
After the War he was deployed to South Persia and then took part in operations in Kurdistan. He became a Brigade Major in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1934 and then a General Staff Officer in the Anti-Aircraft Corps in 1936.
He served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
initially as a General Staff Officer with Anti-Aircraft Command
Anti-Aircraft Command
Anti-Aircraft Command was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the anti-aircraft artillery units of the British Isles.-History:...
and then as Commander of the Anti-Aircraft Brigade from 1942. He was on the staff of Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force from 1944 to 1945. At this time he started constructing an Allied version of the V2 rocket.
After the War he became Commander of the Special Project Operations Group which took control of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
guided missile installations. He then became Deputy Quartermaster General for the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in 1945 and Major-General in charge of Administration for Middle East Land Forces in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1948.
He was appointed General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
East Africa Command
East Africa Command
-History:The formation was essentially an expansion of the East Africa Force which came into being in August 1940. It was reformed as a Command in September 1941 by General Sir William Platt and covered North East Africa, East Africa and British Central Africa. It established its own intelligence...
in 1951 and, following the Mau Mau Uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
in 1952, was replaced General Sir George Erskine
George Erskine
General Sir George Watkin Eben James Erskine GCB, KBE, DSO was a senior British Army officer during World War II-Background:...
, becoming Erskine's Second in Command in 1953; he retired in 1954.
He was Director of Civil Defence for South East Region in the UK from 1955 to 1960.