Philip Balfour
Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Maxwell Balfour KBE CB MC* (10 March 1898 – 4 February 1977) was a senior British Army officer who achieved high office in the 1950s.
Sir Philip Balfour | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 March 1898 |
| Died | 4 February 1977 (aged 77) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1915−1953 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Service number | 11645 |
| Unit | Royal Artillery |
| Commands held | 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division 2nd Division Northern Command |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Military Cross |
Military career
Philip Balfour was born on 10 March 1898 and was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Artillery on 28 July 1915, alongside Cameron Nicholson and John Kennedy of the Royal Garrison Artillery.[1][2] He served in the First World War being deployed to France and Belgium.[2] He attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1929 to 1930, alongside Neil Ritchie, Herbert Lumsden, George Erskine, John Edwards, John Winterton, Hugh Russell, Ivor Hughes and several other future brigadiers and general officers.[3]
He also served in the Second World War, initially as a GSO2 before being made Commander, Royal Artillery (CRA) of the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division. From 1944 he was serving as Brigadier General Staff (BGS) of John Crocker's I Corps throughout the North West Europe Campaign, and was awarded the CBE for 'gallant and distinguished services in Normandy' as a temporary brigadier.[4]
After the War he joined the Control Commission in Germany in 1945 and then became Director of Civil Affairs for the Military Government, British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in 1946.[2] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division later in 1946 and then GOC 2nd Division in 1947.[2] Finally he became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command in 1949; in that role he was critical of the standard of shooting in the British Army.[5] He retired in 1953.[2]
References
- "No. 29242". The London Gazette. 27 July 1915. p. 7335.
- "Balfour, Philip". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- "No. 33459". The London Gazette. 22 January 1929. p. 543.
- "No. 36720". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 September 1944. p. 4473.
- Shooting Standard Hansard, 3 February 1953
External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Richards |
GOC 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division 1946−1947 |
Succeeded by Christopher Woolner |
| Preceded by John Churcher |
GOC 2nd Division 1947−1949 |
Succeeded by Colin Callander |
| Preceded by Sir Montagu Stopford |
GOC-in-C Northern Command 1949−1953 |
Succeeded by Sir Geoffrey Evans |