George Willis (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
General
Sir George Harry Smith Willis GCB
(11 November 1823 - 29 November 1900) was a British Army
General who achieved high office in the 1880s.
in 1841. He served in the Crimean War
and at the Battle of Inkerman
he led the charge of a Grenadier company. He returned to England in 1857 to become Commanding Officer
of 2nd Bn 6th (Warwickshire) Regiment. He was appointed Assistant Quartermaster-General at the War Office
in 1873 and then General Officer Commanding
Northern District
later that year.
In 1882 he was despatched to Egypt
and commanded troops at Al-Magfar and Tell al-Mahuta. He was involved in the capture of Mahsama and the Second battle of Qassassin
.
In 1884 he was appointed GOC Southern District
and in 1890 he retired.
He is buried at the St Michael & All Angels Church in Sopley
.
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 George Harry Smith Willis 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...
(11 November 1823 - 29 November 1900) 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...
General who achieved high office in the 1880s.
Military career
Willis was commissioned into the 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
The 77th Regiment of Foot was a line regiment of the British Army . In 1881 it was united with the 57th Regiment of Foot to form The Middlesex Regiment ....
in 1841. He served in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and at the Battle of Inkerman
Battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
he led the charge of a Grenadier company. He returned to England in 1857 to become Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of 2nd Bn 6th (Warwickshire) Regiment. He was appointed Assistant Quartermaster-General 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...
in 1873 and then 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...
Northern District
Northern Command (United Kingdom)
-Nineteenth century:The District Commands of the British Army in Great Britain and Ireland first appear in print in 1840, at which time Northern Command was held by Maj-Gen Charles James Napier, appointed in 1838. During his time the troops stationed within Northern Command were frequently deployed...
later that year.
In 1882 he was despatched to 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...
and commanded troops at Al-Magfar and Tell al-Mahuta. He was involved in the capture of Mahsama and the Second battle of Qassassin
Kassassin
Kassassin is a village of Lower Egypt by rail, west of Ismailia on the Suez Canal. At this place, on 28 August and again on 9 September 1882 the British force operating against Urabi Pasha was attacked by the Egyptians. Both attacks were repulsed....
.
In 1884 he was appointed GOC Southern District
Southern Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 from the Second Army Corps and was initially based at Tidworth but in 1949 moved to Fugglestone Farm near Wilton in Wiltshire....
and in 1890 he retired.
He is buried at the St Michael & All Angels Church in Sopley
Sopley
Sopley is a village and civil parish situated in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. It lies on the old main road from Christchurch to Ringwood, on the east bank of the River Avon. The Parish extends east as far as Thorny Hill and borders the parishes of Bransgore and Burton to the...
.