James Renton
Encyclopedia
Major-General James Malcolm Leslie Renton CB
DSO
OBE
(1898–1972) was a British Army
officer who commanded 7th Armoured Division during World War II
.
. He was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for the Iraq Levies in 1922. He also served in World War II
as Commander of 2nd Bn the Rifle Brigade from 1940 (leading it and losing an arm at the Battle of Sidi Saleh in 1941) and as Commander of the Support Group of 7th Motor Brigade from 1942 (leading it at the Battle of Gazala
). He was appointed General Officer Commanding
7th Armoured Division later that year. He went on to serve at the Senior Officers' School
from 1943 before becoming Head of the British Military Mission and Inspector General of the Iraqi Army
in 1944 and retiring in 1948.
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...
OBE
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...
(1898–1972) 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 commanded 7th Armoured Division during 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...
.
Military career
Renton was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1916 and served in World War IWorld 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...
. He was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for the Iraq Levies in 1922. He also 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...
as Commander of 2nd Bn the Rifle Brigade from 1940 (leading it and losing an arm at the Battle of Sidi Saleh in 1941) and as Commander of the Support Group of 7th Motor Brigade from 1942 (leading it at the Battle of Gazala
Battle of Gazala
The Battle of Gazala was an important battle of the Second World War Western Desert Campaign, fought around the port of Tobruk in Libya from 26 May-21 June 1942...
). 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...
7th Armoured Division later that year. He went on to serve at the Senior Officers' School
Senior Officers' School
The Senior Officers' School is a British military establishment established in 1920 for the training of Commonwealth senior officers of all services in inter-service cooperation...
from 1943 before becoming Head of the British Military Mission and Inspector General of the Iraqi Army
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
in 1944 and retiring in 1948.