Victor Fortune
Encyclopedia
Major-General
Sir Victor Morven Fortune KBE
, CB
, DSO
(21 August 1883 – 2 January 1949) was a British Army
officer. He saw service in both World Wars. He commanded the 51st (Highland) Division during the Battle of France
and was subsequently trapped and obliged to surrender to the Germans on 12 June 1940.
in 1903 and served in World War I
as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion The Black Watch from 1916 and Commander of 46th Brigade
from 1918.
He became commanding Officer of 1st Batallion the Seaforth Highlanders
in 1927 and Commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade in 1930. He became General Officer Commanding
52nd (Lowland) Division in 1935 and General Officer Commanding the 51st Highland Division in 1937.
The 51st Division remained in France after the general evacuation from Dunkirk
, having been assigned to the French X Corps. After naval evacuation proved impossible and supplies of ammunition had been exhausted, Major General Fortune was forced to surrender the greater part of the Highland Division at St Valery en Caux. One brigade had earlier withdrawn to Le Havre
and avoided capture. General Fortune spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war
. As senior British officer in captivity in Germany, he worked to improve the conditions of the men under his command. He suffered a stroke
in 1944 but refused repatriation
. He was finally liberated in April 1945 and made KBE shortly after.
Several writers have questioned the decision to remain with the French during the battle. However, General Charles de Gaulle
stated, 'For my part, I can say that the comradeship of arms, sealed on the battlefield of Abbeville in May–June 1940, between the French armoured division, which I had the honour to command, and the gallant 51st Scottish Division under General Fortune, played its part in the decision which I made to continue the fight at the side of the Allies, to the end, come what may'. And he concluded by quoting the old motto of the Compagnie Ecossaise: 'omni modo fidelis' - 'faithful in every way'.
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...
Sir Victor Morven Fortune KBE
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...
, 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...
(21 August 1883 – 2 January 1949) 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. He saw service in both World Wars. He commanded the 51st (Highland) Division during the Battle of 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...
and was subsequently trapped and obliged to surrender to the Germans on 12 June 1940.
Military career
Fortune was commissioned into The Black watchBlack Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
in 1903 and served in World War I
World 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...
as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion The Black Watch from 1916 and Commander of 46th Brigade
46th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
-WWII formation:46th Brigade:*9th Cameronians *2nd Glasgow Highlanders*7th Seaforth Highlanders-46th Brigade:...
from 1918.
He became commanding Officer of 1st Batallion the Seaforth Highlanders
Seaforth Highlanders
The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the Great War...
in 1927 and Commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade in 1930. He became 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...
52nd (Lowland) Division in 1935 and General Officer Commanding the 51st Highland Division in 1937.
The 51st Division remained in France after the general evacuation from Dunkirk
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
, having been assigned to the French X Corps. After naval evacuation proved impossible and supplies of ammunition had been exhausted, Major General Fortune was forced to surrender the greater part of the Highland Division at St Valery en Caux. One brigade had earlier withdrawn to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and avoided capture. General Fortune spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. As senior British officer in captivity in Germany, he worked to improve the conditions of the men under his command. He suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1944 but refused repatriation
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
. He was finally liberated in April 1945 and made KBE shortly after.
Several writers have questioned the decision to remain with the French during the battle. However, General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
stated, 'For my part, I can say that the comradeship of arms, sealed on the battlefield of Abbeville in May–June 1940, between the French armoured division, which I had the honour to command, and the gallant 51st Scottish Division under General Fortune, played its part in the decision which I made to continue the fight at the side of the Allies, to the end, come what may'. And he concluded by quoting the old motto of the Compagnie Ecossaise: 'omni modo fidelis' - 'faithful in every way'.
Honours and awards
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 19 April 1945 ("in recognition of valuable services in the interests of British Prisoners of War in Germany")
- Companion of the Order of the Bath 23 June 1936
- 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...
3 June 1916 - Mentioned in Despatches 17 February 1915, 1 January 1916, 15 June 1916, 21 December 1917, 20 December 1918, 11 October 1945 ("for gallant and distinguished services in the field")
- Officier, Legion d'Honneur (France) 21 July 1919 (Chevalier 1 May 1917)
- Grand Officer, Royal Order of the Phoenix (Greece) 23 July 1948 ("in recognition of distinguished services in the cause of the Allies")