Noel Irwin
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Noel Mackintosh Stuart Irwin CB
, DSO
& Two Bars
, MC
(1892 – 1972) was a British
soldier, who played a prominent role in the British Army
after the Dunkirk evacuation, and in the Burma Campaign
. He was also instrumental in some reforms to the training and equipment of British soldiers after the defeat in France
in 1940, intended to meet the demands of modern warfare.
, Bihar and Orissa
, India. He was educated at Marlborough College
, before entry into the Royal Military College Sandhurst.
He was married twice; first in 1918 to Margaret Maud Bavin who died in 1963, and in 1966 to Mrs Elizabeth Collier (née Fröhlich). He had one son by his first wife.
. During the later years of the First World War, Irwin saw action in France, serving as the commanding officer of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Lincolnshire Regiment and the 8th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment.
. Between 1920 and 1932, he served in regimental and depot duties. In 1933, he was appointed as Chief Instructor at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
serving for three years.
In 1937, he served briefly as General Staff Officer, Grade 1 (GSO1) for British troops stationed in China
.
.
Following the Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940, Irwin commanded the 38th Division
in Britain. From November 1941 he commanded the XI Corps
, which was based in East Anglia
and had substantial responsibilities for the defence of Britain in the event of a German invasion.
He was transferred to the Middle East in 1942, to command of the IV Corps in Iraq
. The Corps HQ was subsequently transferred to India
after the Japanese conquest of Burma. Irwin was promoted to command Eastern Army, part of the India Command. Eastern Army had wide responsibilities for defending eastern frontier of India against the Japanese, and maintaining security in large areas of India.
For the minor attack in Arakan late in 1942, Irwin and Eastern Army HQ bypassed XV Corps HQ after disagreements with the local commander, Bill Slim, and took command of the operation. The attack failed, with severe effects on Allied morale and prestige. On 6 April 1943, Irwin gave a press conference in which he criticised the equipment, training and motivation of the Allied armies in India. Although his observations were admitted to be largely correct, Irwin's refusal to admit that any blame attached to himself and his staff was resented. He was relieved of his appointment and returned to Britain on sick leave.
In 1944, he was appointed the General Officer commanding the East Scotland District in his substantive rank of major-general (a significant step-down from his previous three jobs), and remained in this post until the end of the war. After three years as commander-in-chief of British forces of the West Africa Command
, during which time he was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general, he retired to private life in 1948.
and the Distinguished Service Order
with two bars
. He was Mentioned in Despatches four times but significantly, he never received the knighthood which would normally be expected to accrue to an officer of substantive lieutenant-general rank.
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Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Noel Mackintosh Stuart Irwin 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...
, 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...
& Two Bars
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, 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....
(1892 – 1972) was a British
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...
soldier, who played a prominent role in 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...
after the Dunkirk evacuation, and in the Burma Campaign
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
. He was also instrumental in some reforms to the training and equipment of British soldiers after the defeat in France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in 1940, intended to meet the demands of modern warfare.
Early life and family
Noel Irwin was the eldest son of William Stuart Irwin of MotihariMotihari
Motihari is the headquarters of East Champaran district in the Indian state of Bihar.-History:In 1866 Champaran was made into a district with Motihari as its headquarters. On 1 December 1977 the Champaran district was divided into two districts, and Motihari became the headquarters of East...
, Bihar and Orissa
Bihar and Orissa
Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were part of the Bengal Presidency, the largest British province in India. Bihar and...
, India. He was educated at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, before entry into the Royal Military College Sandhurst.
He was married twice; first in 1918 to Margaret Maud Bavin who died in 1963, and in 1966 to Mrs Elizabeth Collier (née Fröhlich). He had one son by his first wife.
World War I
Irwin graduated from Sandhurst in 1912 and was appointed as a second lieutenant in the Essex RegimentEssex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
. During the later years of the First World War, Irwin saw action in France, serving as the commanding officer of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Lincolnshire Regiment and the 8th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment.
Inter-war period
Following the end of the war, Irwin attended the British Army Staff College, CamberleyStaff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
. Between 1920 and 1932, he served in regimental and depot duties. In 1933, he was appointed as Chief Instructor at 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...
serving for three years.
In 1937, he served briefly as General Staff Officer, Grade 1 (GSO1) for British troops stationed in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
World War II
At the start of the Second World War, Irwin headed the British 6th Infantry Brigade, part of the 2nd Division. On 20 May 1940, he took command of the division during the retreat to Dunkirk in the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
.
Following the Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940, Irwin commanded the 38th Division
British 38th (Welsh) Division
The 38th Infantry Division was a British Army division. A 38th Division was in existence in both the First and Second World Wars, but not between the wars and there is no direct link between the two formations....
in Britain. From November 1941 he commanded the XI Corps
XI Corps (United Kingdom)
XI Corps was an army corps of the British Army in World War I that served on the Western Front and in Italy. It was recreated as part of Home Forces defending the United Kingdom during World War II.-Western Front:...
, which was based in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
and had substantial responsibilities for the defence of Britain in the event of a German invasion.
He was transferred to the Middle East in 1942, to command of the IV Corps in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The Corps HQ was subsequently transferred to 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...
after the Japanese conquest of Burma. Irwin was promoted to command Eastern Army, part of the India Command. Eastern Army had wide responsibilities for defending eastern frontier of India against the Japanese, and maintaining security in large areas of India.
For the minor attack in Arakan late in 1942, Irwin and Eastern Army HQ bypassed XV Corps HQ after disagreements with the local commander, Bill Slim, and took command of the operation. The attack failed, with severe effects on Allied morale and prestige. On 6 April 1943, Irwin gave a press conference in which he criticised the equipment, training and motivation of the Allied armies in India. Although his observations were admitted to be largely correct, Irwin's refusal to admit that any blame attached to himself and his staff was resented. He was relieved of his appointment and returned to Britain on sick leave.
In 1944, he was appointed the General Officer commanding the East Scotland District in his substantive rank of major-general (a significant step-down from his previous three jobs), and remained in this post until the end of the war. After three years as commander-in-chief of British forces of the West Africa Command
West Africa Command
-History:After the First World War, military forces in the four British West African colonies were under the control of the individual colonial governments. "The regiments of the four colonies were all under the umbrella of the Royal West African Frontier Force...
, during which time he was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general, he retired to private life in 1948.
Honours and awards
During his career, Irwin was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath, was awarded the Military CrossMilitary 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....
and the Distinguished Service Order
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...
with two bars
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
. He was Mentioned in Despatches four times but significantly, he never received the knighthood which would normally be expected to accrue to an officer of substantive lieutenant-general rank.
- Companion of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe 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 July 1940) - Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe 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...
(1 January 1918, 24 September 1918 For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When the whole of his battalion front was heavily attacked and all communications with his forward companies were cut, this officer personally organised his headquarters and stragglers, and formed a defensive flank so as to obtain touch with the brigade on the right. This flank he held for eight hours against all attacks, organising two counter-attacks against the enemy during this period, thus averting a critical situation. It was greatly due to his able conduct that the holding of their battle position by his brigade was possible throughout the day. His courage, energy and quick decision inspired the greatest confidence in his men, 1919) - Military CrossMilitary CrossThe 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....
(3 July 1915: On 2nd May, 1915, east of Ypres, when in reserve trenches with his company, seeing that the men in the front trenches were overcome by gas and were retiring, with great initiative and courage and under heavy fire, he at once advanced with his company and seized the front trenches before the Germans could occupy them, and drove back the enemy's attack. On 13th May in the counter-attack he handled his company with great skill and determination.) - Mention in Despatches (1 January 1916, 22 May 1917, 21 December 1917, 28 December 1918
- Croix de guerre 1914-1918 (France)
Further reading
- Latimer, Jon, Burma: The Forgotten War, London: John Murray, 2004. ISBN 978-0719565762
- Liddell Hart, Basil, and Constance Kritzberg, Henry, A History of the Second World War. New York: Putnam, 1971. ISBN 0-306-80912-5
- Malkasian, Carter. A History of Modern Wars of Attrition. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002. ISBN 0-275-97379-4
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