Berthold Wells Key
Encyclopedia
Major-General
Berthold Wells 'Billy' Key CB
, DSO
, MC
, ADC
(19 December 1895 – 26 September 1986) was a British Indian Army
officer.
in London
and commissioned onto the Army unattached list on 1 October 1914. In December 1914 he joined the Indian Army
.
in 1918 and received the Military Cross
. His citation for the Military Cross reads;
In 1917 he married Aileen Leslie (died 1951), daughter of Colonel E.L. Dunsterville RE, with whom he had a son and two daughters. His son was killed in action in Italy
during the Second World War.
and, with the 3/11th Bn, Sikh Regiment, on the North West Frontier. In 1935 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and from 1936 he commanded the 2/11th Sikh Regiment. In 1937 he received the Distinguished Service Order
while serving in Waziristan
.
. Key's Brigade were the first British troops to face the Japan
ese when they invaded Malaya
in December 1941. When Major-General Murray-Lyon
was dismissed from command of the Indian 11th Infantry Division Key replaced Brigadier Paris
as commander of the division. He proved an able commander but the situation in Malaya
was at this point beyond salvaging and the British Army
under Percival surrendered at Singapore
on the 15 February 1942 to a numerically smaller Japan
ese force.
Key spent the remainder of the war as a Prisoner of War
in Japan.
to King George VI followed by district commands in India
. He retired in January 1949. Major General Billy Key died in Sandwich
, Kent
, on the 26 September 1986.
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
Berthold Wells 'Billy' Key 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...
, 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....
, ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
(19 December 1895 – 26 September 1986) was a British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
officer.
History
Born on 19 December 1895, he was the son of Dr J.M. Key. Key was educated at Dulwich CollegeDulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and commissioned onto the Army unattached list on 1 October 1914. In December 1914 he joined the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
.
First World War
Key served with the 45th Rattray's Sikhs during the First World War, reaching the rank of captain by 1918. He was wounded in MesopotamiaMesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
in 1918 and 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....
. His citation for the Military Cross reads;
In 1917 he married Aileen Leslie (died 1951), daughter of Colonel E.L. Dunsterville RE, with whom he had a son and two daughters. His son was killed in action in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the Second World War.
Between the Wars
After the First World War Key served in AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and, with the 3/11th Bn, Sikh Regiment, on the North West Frontier. In 1935 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and from 1936 he commanded the 2/11th Sikh Regiment. In 1937 he received 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...
while serving in Waziristan
Waziristan
Waziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
.
Second World War
From 1940 to 13 January 1942 he commanded the Indian 8th Infantry Brigade in MalayaBritish Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
. Key's Brigade were the first British troops to face the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese when they invaded Malaya
Japanese Invasion of Malaya
The Japanese Invasion of Malaya, or Battle of Kota Bharu, began just after midnight on 8 December 1941 before the attack on Pearl Harbor...
in December 1941. When Major-General Murray-Lyon
David Murray-Lyon
Major-General David Murrey Murray-Lyon, DSO & Bar, MC, was an officer in the Indian Army. His final appointment was as the commanding officer of Indian 11th Infantry Division in Malaya until sacked by General Percival...
was dismissed from command of the Indian 11th Infantry Division Key replaced Brigadier Paris
Archibald Paris
Brigadier Archibald Charles Melvill Paris DSO MC was a British Army officer.He was the son of Major-General Archibald Paris, KCB a Royal Marine officer who commanded the 63rd Division during the First World War, and of Lady Paris...
as commander of the division. He proved an able commander but the situation in Malaya
Battle of Malaya
The Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army...
was at this point beyond salvaging and the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
under Percival surrendered at Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on the 15 February 1942 to a numerically smaller Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese force.
Key spent the remainder of the war as a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in Japan.
Post War
On his release Key became ADCAide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King George VI followed by district commands 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...
. He retired in January 1949. Major General Billy Key died in Sandwich
Sandwich, Kent
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, on the 26 September 1986.