Guy Dawnay (British Army officer)

Major General Guy Payan Dawnay, CB, CMG, DSO, MVO (23 March 1878 – 19 January 1952) was a British Army officer and merchant banker. He was the nephew of Guy Dawnay, a politician.

Guy Dawnay
Born(1878-03-23)23 March 1878
St James's Palace, London
Died19 January 1952(1952-01-19) (aged 73)
Longparish, Hampshire
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1895–1933
RankMajor General
Battles/warsSecond Boer War
First World War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order
Member of the Royal Victorian Order
Mentioned in Despatches (11)
Legion of Honour (France)
Order of St. Anna (Russia)
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Italy)
Army Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
RelationsThe Hon. Lewis Payn Dawnay (father)

Career

Dawnay was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards on 20 May 1899, and promoted to lieutenant on 10 July 1900. He served in South Africa during the Second Boer War, where he was a staff officer as Aide-de-camp to Major-General Bruce Hamilton, in command in Eastern Transvaal. Following the end of hostilities, he left Cape Town with Hamilton on board the SS Walmer Castle in late June 1902,[1] and arrived at Southampton the following month. For his service in the war, he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in the October 1902 South African honours list.[2]

During the First World War Dawnay was assigned to the General Staff of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and fought at the Gallipoli Campaign during the First World War.[3] Following the withdrawal from Gallipoli he was shifted to the headquarters of the newly formed Egyptian Expeditionary Force. When the corp-sized Eastern Force was created under Lieutenant-General Charles Dobell in September 1916 to command operations in the Sinai, Dawnay was assigned as Chief of Staff (Brigadier General, General Staff). He continued as Chief of Staff to Dobell's successor Philip Chetwode until August 1917 when he became Deputy Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, still with the rank of the Brigadier-General.

Following the Battle of Jerusalem Dawnay was transferred to the General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force in France with a promotion to Major General. As head of the Staff Duties Section of the General Staff he was responsible for training, organization, anti-aircraft defence, and censorship and publicity.

In 1909 whilst a student at the Army Staff College at Camberley he co-founded the Chatham Dining Club with Rupert Ommanney.[4] In 1928 he founded Dawnay Day, an investment company together with Julian Day.[5]

References
  1. "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning home". The Times (36811). London. 4 July 1902. p. 9.
  2. "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6900.
  3. MacKenzie, Compton (1929). Gallipoli Memories. Cassell. ISBN 9781443740579. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
  4. "Chatham Dining Club Website". Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  5. Davey, Jenny (10 December 2005). "Dawnay, Day's bullish refusal to follow the herd". The Times. London. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
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