John D'Arcy (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General John Conyers D'Arcy CBE
MC
(12 February 1894 – 1 February 1966) was a British Army
officer who commanded 9th Armoured Division during World War II
.
, D'Arcy was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery
in 1914. He fought in the First World War and while on leave saw active service with the British Army
during the Easter Rising
, leading the attack on the General Post Office, Dublin. He was wounded on the North-West Frontier
of India in 1931 and awarded the Military Cross
. He served again in the Second World War, commanded 9th Armoured Division in the UK from 1942, rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and became the Commander of British forces in Palestine
and Transjordan
from 1944. He retired in 1946.
He lived at Hyde Park in County Westmeath
in Ireland
.
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...
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....
(12 February 1894 – 1 February 1966) 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 9th 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
Born the son of the Most Reverend Charles D'ArcyCharles D'Arcy
Charles Frederick D'Arcy was a Church of Ireland clergyman, from 1903 Bishop of Clogher, in 1907 translated to become Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin and then Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, briefly Archbishop of Dublin, and finally from 1920 until his death Archbishop of Armagh...
, D'Arcy was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
in 1914. He fought in the First World War and while on leave saw active service with 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...
during the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
, leading the attack on the General Post Office, Dublin. He was wounded on the North-West Frontier
North-West Frontier (military history)
The North-West Frontier was the most difficult area, from a military point of view, of the former British India in the Indian sub-continent. It remains the frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the...
of India in 1931 and 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....
. He served again in the Second World War, commanded 9th Armoured Division in the UK from 1942, rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and became the Commander of British forces in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Transjordan
Transjordan
The Emirate of Transjordan was a former Ottoman territory in the Southern Levant that was part of the British Mandate of Palestine...
from 1944. He retired in 1946.
He lived at Hyde Park in County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.