Bernard Paget
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Bernard Charles Tolver Paget GCB
, DSO
, MC
(15 September 1887 – 16 February 1961) was a British
officer who served in both the First
and Second World Wars
.
, the son of the Right Reverend Francis Paget
, second son of Sir James Paget, 1st Baronet, and was educated at Shrewsbury School
and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst from 1905 to 1907. He was commissioned into the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
in November 1907 and was promoted to lieutenant
in 1910. On the outbreak of the First World War he was appointed adjutant of the new 5th (Service) Battalion with which he went to France
in May 1915. He was awarded the Military Cross
in November 1915 and the Distinguished Service Order
in January 1918. He was four times mentioned in dispatches
. He was promoted to major in 1924 and brevet lieutenant-colonel in 1925. He was promoted to colonel
in 1929 and became Commander of the depot at Cowley Barracks, Oxford
in 1930. He was Chief Instructor at the Staff College, at Quetta
, India
, from 1932 to 1934. Paget commanded the 4th Quetta Infantry Brigade
from 1936 to 1937. He was promoted to major-general in December 1937 and was Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley
between 1938 and 1939.
In November 1939 Paget took over command of the 18th Infantry Division for the first two years of the war. He commanded British forces in the withdrawal at Åndalsnes
in Norway in 1940 during the Norwegian campaign
. He was promoted to lieutenant general
and made General Officer Commanding
-in-Chief South-Eastern Command
in 1941. He was knighted (KCB
) at the end of the year. He went on to be GOC
of GHQ Home Forces in December 1941. He was promoted to general
in July 1943. He commanded 21st Army Group prior to Bernard Montgomery
taking over. In January 1944 he became Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command
until October 1946, when he retired from the army. In December 1944 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the Polish government.
He was Colonel Commandant of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
from October 1946 to September 1955 and Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
from 1949 to 1956. He died in 1961 at his home in Petersfield, Hampshire
.
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General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir Bernard Charles Tolver Paget GCB
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...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, 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....
(15 September 1887 – 16 February 1961) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officer who served in both the First
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...
and Second World Wars
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...
.
Military career
Paget was born in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, the son of the Right Reverend Francis Paget
Francis Paget
The Right Reverend Francis Paget was the 33rd Bishop of Oxford from 1901 until his death. He was the second son of the noted surgeon Sir James Paget, 1st Baronet, and brother of Luke Paget, Bishop of Chester. He was educated at St Marylebone Grammar School,Shrewsbury and Christ Church, Oxford...
, second son of Sir James Paget, 1st Baronet, and was educated at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst from 1905 to 1907. He was commissioned into the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st...
in November 1907 and was promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1910. On the outbreak of the First World War he was appointed adjutant of the new 5th (Service) Battalion with which he went to 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...
in May 1915. He was awarded 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....
in November 1915 and the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in January 1918. He was four times mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
. He was promoted to major in 1924 and brevet lieutenant-colonel in 1925. He was promoted to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in 1929 and became Commander of the depot at Cowley Barracks, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1930. He was Chief Instructor at the Staff College, at Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, 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...
, from 1932 to 1934. Paget commanded the 4th Quetta Infantry Brigade
4th Indian Infantry Brigade
The 4th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939, as the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade and renumbered 4th in June 1940,...
from 1936 to 1937. He was promoted to major-general in December 1937 and was Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
between 1938 and 1939.
In November 1939 Paget took over command of the 18th Infantry Division for the first two years of the war. He commanded British forces in the withdrawal at Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes
is a town in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma. The town has a population of 2,207...
in Norway in 1940 during the Norwegian campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
. He was promoted to lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
and made 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...
-in-Chief South-Eastern Command
Aldershot Command
-History:After the success of the Chobham Manoeuvres of 1853, a permanent training camp was established at Aldershot in 1854 on the recommendation of the Commander-in-Chief, Viscount Hardinge...
in 1941. He was knighted (KCB
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...
) at the end of the year. He went on to be GOC
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...
of GHQ Home Forces in December 1941. He was promoted to general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in July 1943. He commanded 21st Army Group prior to Bernard Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
taking over. In January 1944 he became Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command
Middle East Command
The Middle East Command was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to defend British interests in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region.The...
until October 1946, when he retired from the army. In December 1944 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the Polish government.
He was Colonel Commandant of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st...
from October 1946 to September 1955 and Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
from 1949 to 1956. He died in 1961 at his home in Petersfield, Hampshire
Petersfield, Hampshire
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth, on the A3 road. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. The town is situated on the...
.
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