John Metcalfe (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major-General
John Francis Metcalfe CB
CBE
(30 June 1908 - 11 June 1975) was General Officer Commanding
Aldershot District
.
and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
, Metcalfe was commissioned into the Queen's Royal Regiment
in 1928.
He served in World War II
becoming an Instructor at the Staff College in Quetta
in 1942. He was appointed Commanding Officer
of 2 Bn Queen's Royal Regiment in 1944 and Brigadier responsible for maintenance at Headquarters Allied Land Forces in South East Asia in 1945.
After the War he became Colonel in charge of administration for South Wales District from 1946 and then an Instructor at the Joint Services Staff College
from 1947. He was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Bn East Surrey Regiment
in 1949 and then became a Brigadier on the General Staff at Western Command
in 1951. He was made Commander
of the 2nd Federation Infantry Brigade in Malaya
during the Malayan Emergency
in 1955 and Director of Personnel Administration at the War Office
in 1958. He was appointed General Officer Commanding
Aldershot District
in 1961 and retired in 1963.
He was also Colonel of the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment from 1959 to 1964.
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...
John Francis Metcalfe 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...
CBE
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...
(30 June 1908 - 11 June 1975) was 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...
Aldershot District
Aldershot Command
-History:After the success of the Chobham Manoeuvres of 1853, a permanent training camp was established at Aldershot in 1854 on the recommendation of the Commander-in-Chief, Viscount Hardinge...
.
Military career
Educated at Radley CollegeRadley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, Metcalfe was commissioned into the Queen's Royal Regiment
Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
The Queen's Royal Regiment was a regiment of the English and later British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Army line infantry order of precedence...
in 1928.
He 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...
becoming an Instructor at the Staff College in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
in 1942. He was appointed 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 2 Bn Queen's Royal Regiment in 1944 and Brigadier responsible for maintenance at Headquarters Allied Land Forces in South East Asia in 1945.
After the War he became Colonel in charge of administration for South Wales District from 1946 and then an Instructor at the Joint Services Staff College
Joint Service Defence College
The Joint Service Defence College was a training academy for British military personnel in the period from 1983 to 1997. It has now been amalgamated into the Joint Services Command and Staff College.-History:...
from 1947. He was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Bn East Surrey Regiment
East Surrey Regiment
The East Surrey Regiment was a regiment in the British Army formed in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 31st Regiment of Foot and the 70th Regiment of Foot...
in 1949 and then became a Brigadier on the General Staff at Western Command
Western Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 and was originally called the Welsh & Midland Command before changing its name in 1906. In 1907 Western Command relocated to Watergate House in Chester...
in 1951. He was made 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 2nd Federation Infantry Brigade in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
in 1955 and Director of Personnel Administration 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 1958. 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...
Aldershot District
Aldershot Command
-History:After the success of the Chobham Manoeuvres of 1853, a permanent training camp was established at Aldershot in 1854 on the recommendation of the Commander-in-Chief, Viscount Hardinge...
in 1961 and retired in 1963.
He was also Colonel of the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment from 1959 to 1964.