Ian Erskine

Major General Ian David Erskine CB CBE DSO (17 March 1898 – 27 July 1973) was a senior British Army officer.

Ian Erskine
Erskine (centre) with Bernard Montgomery (left) in Sfax.
Born	17 March 1898 London, England
Died	27 July 1973 (aged 75) Sandwich, Kent, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1917–1949
Rank	Major General
Unit	Scots Guards
Commands held	2nd Battalion, Scots Guards 22nd Guards Brigade
Battles/wars	First World War 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine Second World War
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, Mentioned in despatches

Early life

Erskine was born in London, the son of Alan David Erskine OBE and Enid Rate. He was the grandson of Sir Henry David Erskine and the great-grandson of Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford. Erskine was educated at Winchester College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1]

Military career

He commissioned into the Scots Guards on 1 May 1917, and in August 1917 he was deployed to the Western Front.[2] Erskine was injured in October 1917 but returned to the front in October 1918. He served as Adjutant at the Guards Depot between 1921 and 1923, before serving as Regimental Adjutant of the Scots Guards until July 1932. In September 1933 Erskine was promoted to major and between 1933 and 1935 undertook training at the Staff College, Camberley.[1]

Between 1935 and 1939, he was Brigade Major, 1st Guards Brigade, and served with the brigade in the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine.[1] Between 1939 and June 1940, Erskine was an instructor and then Commandant of the Tactical School Middle East, before becoming Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion Scots Guards. Between February and October 1941 he was commander of the 22nd Guards Brigade in Egypt, during which time he was Mentioned in Dispatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[3] In 1942 he was Major-General Commanding Troops & Commandant Sudan Defence Force, and he was promoted to acting major-general in April that year. From 1943 to 1945 Erskine was Brigade Commander, 148 Pre-OCTU Training Establishments.[1]

From 1945 and 1948 he was Provost Marshal of the Army at the War Office, and retired with the rank of major-general in May 1949. He was invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1947 and as a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1949.[4][5]

Personal life

He married Mariora Beatrice Evelyn Rochfort Alers-Hankey, daughter of Colonel Cecil George Herbert Alers-Hankey and Getrude Clare Fetherstonhaugh, on 1 March 1945.[1]

References

1. Houterman, Hans; Koppes, Jeroen (2016). "British Army Officers 1939–1945 (Eagger to Exham)". WWII Unit Histories & Officers. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
2. "No. 30040". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 April 1917. p. 4081.
3. "No. 35396". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1941. p. 7333.
4. "No. 37977". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1947. p. 2579.
5. "No. 38628". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 1949. p. 2795.

External links

• British Army Officers 1939–1945