Frederick Alfred Pile
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Frederick Alfred Pile, 2nd Baronet GCB
DSO
MC
(14 September 1884 – 14 November 1976) was a British Army
officer who served in both World Wars. In the Second World War he was General Officer Commanding Anti-Aircraft Command
, one of the elements that protected Britain from aerial attack.
in 1904. He initially served in India
.
He served in World War I
and was involved in the retreat from Mons
and was a Staff Captain with 1st Division before becoming a Brigade Major with 40th Division in 1916. In the closing stages of the War he became a General Staff Officer with 22nd Corps in France
.
After the War he was appointed a Brigade Major at Brighton and Shoreham District. He transferred to the Royal Tank Corps in 1923. In 1928 he became Commander
of the 1st Experimental Mechanized Force and Assistant Director of Mechanisation at the War Office
. He went to Egypt in 1932 as Commander of the Canal Brigade Mechanized Force.
In 1937 he became General Officer Commanding 1st Anti Aircraft Division and in 1939, at the start of World War II
, he was made General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Anti-Aircraft Command
, a position he held throughout the War. He was to tell the story after the war, in his official dispatch and in his book Ack-Ack: Britain's Defence against Air Attack during the Second World War. His plan for "Engagement of Long Range Rockets with AA Gunfire" (gunfire into a radar-predicted airspace to intercept the V-2 rocket
) was ready on March 21, 1945 but the plan was not used due to the danger of shells falling on Greater London
.
After the War he became Director General of Housing with the Ministry of Works.
He was also Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery from 1945 to 1952.
In 1948 a locomotive of the Southern Railway
SR Battle of Britain Class was named after him at Waterloo station
in London
. This locomotive
has since been preserved and is under restoration at the Avon Valley Railway
in Bristol, United Kingdom
.
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir Frederick Alfred Pile, 2nd Baronet 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....
(14 September 1884 – 14 November 1976) was a 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...
officer who served in both World Wars. In the Second World War he was General Officer Commanding 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:...
, one of the elements that protected Britain from aerial attack.
Early life
Born in Dublin as the eldest son of Sir Thomas Devereux Pile, 1st Baronet and his wife, Caroline Maude Nicholson, Pile was commissioned into the Royal ArtilleryRoyal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in 1904. He initially served 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 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...
and was involved in the retreat from Mons
Great Retreat
The Great Retreat, also known as the Retreat from Mons, is the name given to the long, fighting retreat by Allied forces to the River Marne, on the Western Front early in World War I, after their holding action against the Imperial German Armies at the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914...
and was a Staff Captain with 1st Division before becoming a Brigade Major with 40th Division in 1916. In the closing stages of the War he became a General Staff Officer with 22nd Corps 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...
.
After the War he was appointed a Brigade Major at Brighton and Shoreham District. He transferred to the Royal Tank Corps in 1923. In 1928 he became Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the 1st Experimental Mechanized Force and Assistant Director of Mechanisation at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
. He went to Egypt in 1932 as Commander of the Canal Brigade Mechanized Force.
In 1937 he became General Officer Commanding 1st Anti Aircraft Division and in 1939, at the start of 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...
, he was made General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of 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:...
, a position he held throughout the War. He was to tell the story after the war, in his official dispatch and in his book Ack-Ack: Britain's Defence against Air Attack during the Second World War. His plan for "Engagement of Long Range Rockets with AA Gunfire" (gunfire into a radar-predicted airspace to intercept the V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
) was ready on March 21, 1945 but the plan was not used due to the danger of shells falling on Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
.
After the War he became Director General of Housing with the Ministry of Works.
He was also Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery from 1945 to 1952.
In 1948 a locomotive of the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
SR Battle of Britain Class was named after him at Waterloo station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
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...
. This locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
has since been preserved and is under restoration at the Avon Valley Railway
Avon Valley Railway
The Avon Valley Railway is a three-mile-long heritage railway based at Bitton station in South Gloucestershire, England, not far from Bristol and is run by a local group: The Avon Valley Railway Company Ltd. The railway follows the Avon Valley south-east from Oldland Common, through Bitton and...
in Bristol, United Kingdom
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...
.