Charles Walter Allfrey
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Walter Allfrey, KBE
, CB
, DSO
, MC
(24 October 1895 – 2 November 1964) was a British Army
officer who served in both the First
and Second World War
s .
, Northamptonshire
, the son of Captain Henry Allfrey of the 60th Rifles and Kathleen Hankey. He joined the British Army in August 1914 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery
in October 1914. During the First World War he was wounded twice and was promoted to the rank of Captain in November 1917. Allfrey was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 for keeping his battery
in action for an extended period of time even though it was under direct machine-gun and artillery fire from the enemy.
Between the World Wars Allfrey's employment included just over three years seconded to the Iraqi Army in the rank of major, where he won the DSO, and three years instructing at the Staff College, Camberley
.
At the start of the Second World War Allfrey had just been promoted full colonel and held a senior staff job in the UK, continuing in this role in France and Belgium with the British Expeditionary Force. In February 1940 he returned to the UK to take up the post of Corps Commander Royal Artillery at II Corps in the rank of acting brigadier. In July, after a brief spell as CCRA at IV Corps, he was promoted to acting major-general to command Southwestern Area, Home Forces and then in February 1941 the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. In March 1942 he was promoted to acting lieutenant-general to take command of V Corps
. For nearly two and a half years he commanded V Corps in Operation Torch
, the Tunisia Campaign
and the Italian Campaign
. He was made Companion of the Bath (CB)
for his service in Tunisia. In August 1944 he was rested from field command to become General Officer Commanding
, British Troops in Egypt
. During his tenure, his rank of lieutenant-general was made permanent and he was knighted KBE. Egypt was his last posting and he retired from the army as a lieutenant-general in June 1948.
In addition to his United Kingdom awards he was made Commander of the Legion of Merit
by the United States Government in 1943 for his service in the Tunisian Campaign.
Allfrey married Geraldine Clare Lucas-Scudamore in 1935, they had a son and a daughter. Allfrey died on 2 November 1964 in Bristol
.
Companion of the Order of the Bath 5 August 1943
Distinguished Service Order
6 October 1933
Military Cross
1 January 1918; bar
16 September 1918
Chief Commander, Legion of Merit
(United States) 10 August 1943
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...
, 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....
(24 October 1895 – 2 November 1964) 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 who served in both the First
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...
and Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
s .
Military career
Allfrey was born on 24 October 1895 in SouthamSoutham
Southam is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, the son of Captain Henry Allfrey of the 60th Rifles and Kathleen Hankey. He joined the British Army in August 1914 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in October 1914. During the First World War he was wounded twice and was promoted to the rank of Captain in November 1917. Allfrey was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 for keeping his battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
in action for an extended period of time even though it was under direct machine-gun and artillery fire from the enemy.
Between the World Wars Allfrey's employment included just over three years seconded to the Iraqi Army in the rank of major, where he won the DSO, and three years instructing at the Staff College, Camberley
Staff 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:...
.
At the start of the Second World War Allfrey had just been promoted full colonel and held a senior staff job in the UK, continuing in this role in France and Belgium with the British Expeditionary Force. In February 1940 he returned to the UK to take up the post of Corps Commander Royal Artillery at II Corps in the rank of acting brigadier. In July, after a brief spell as CCRA at IV Corps, he was promoted to acting major-general to command Southwestern Area, Home Forces and then in February 1941 the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. In March 1942 he was promoted to acting lieutenant-general to take command of V Corps
V Corps (United Kingdom)
V Corps was an army corps of the British Army in both the First and Second World War. It was first organised in February 1915 and fought through World War I on the Western front...
. For nearly two and a half years he commanded V Corps in Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, the Tunisia Campaign
Tunisia Campaign
The Tunisia Campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including Polish and Greek contingents, with American and French corps...
and the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
. He was made Companion of the Bath (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...
for his service in Tunisia. In August 1944 he was rested from field command to become 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...
, British Troops in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. During his tenure, his rank of lieutenant-general was made permanent and he was knighted KBE. Egypt was his last posting and he retired from the army as a lieutenant-general in June 1948.
In addition to his United Kingdom awards he was made Commander of the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
by the United States Government in 1943 for his service in the Tunisian Campaign.
Allfrey married Geraldine Clare Lucas-Scudamore in 1935, they had a son and a daughter. Allfrey died on 2 November 1964 in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
Honours and awards
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 13 June 1946Companion of the Order of the Bath 5 August 1943
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...
6 October 1933
Military Cross
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....
1 January 1918; bar
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...
16 September 1918
Chief Commander, Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(United States) 10 August 1943