George Alexander Weir
Encyclopedia
General Sir George Alexander Weir KCB
, CMG
, DSO
(1 December 1876 - 15 November 1951) was a British Army
officer who served in the Second Boer War
and World War I
.
. He was educated at Harrow School
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. In 1917, He married Margaret Irene, daughter of Robert More of Bexhill
; the couple had a son and a daughter.
between 1899 and 1901 as a non-commissioned volunteer in the Worcestershire Yeomanry and was mentioned in despatches twice and awarded four clasps
to his Queen's Medal
. After about six months, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and transferred into the Regular Army
on 11 January 1902 as a Captain in the 3rd Dragoon Guards
.
By 1914, Weir had passed staff college and attained the rank of Major. He was a newly appointed Senior Tactical Instructor at the Cavalry School at the start of World War I, but he deployed with the 4th Cavalry Brigade
, as Staff Captain, to France in the British Expeditionary Force. Soon afterwards, in October 1914, he was appointed GSO2 of the newly formed 2nd (Cavalry) Division
and in June 1915, he became commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles and was slightly wounded in September.
In October 1915, Weir took command of 84th Brigade
(and was promoted to Brigadier
), which was almost immediately transferred to Salonika as part of the 28th Division
. His brigade participated in the campaign against the Bulgarians, including the Battle of Doiran
. He retained command of 84th Brigade until March 1918.
During his war service during this period, Weir was wounded, mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order
.
After the War, in 1922, Weir was appointed as Commandant of the Equitation School and Inspector of Cavalry. In 1927, he was posted to India as General Officer Commanding
(GOC), Bombay District and in 1932 he commanded the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division of the Territorial Army. From 1934 until 1938, he was GOC of British Troops in Egypt (re-titled as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief in 1936), and promoted to full General
in October 1937.
Weir held appointments as Honorary Colonel
to the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) (September 1929 until December 1946), to the 8th Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment (TA) (June 1938 until December 1946) and the 639th Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery
(The Worcestershire Regiment) (January 1947 until September 1949).
Weir was Deputy Lieutenant
of Worcestershire
from 26 June 1941 and served as Vice-Chairman of the Worcester Territorial Army Association.
George Weir died on 15 November 1951.
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George - 1919
Distinguished Service Order
- 1915
Mentioned in Despatches - twice between 1899 and 1902 and again between 1914 and 1918
Officer of the Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus
Croix de Guerre avec palmes
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...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, 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...
(1 December 1876 - 15 November 1951) 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 the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and 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...
.
Early life
George Weir was born in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, on 1 December 1876 to Dr Archibald Weir of MalvernMalvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
. He was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. In 1917, He married Margaret Irene, daughter of Robert More of Bexhill
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
; the couple had a son and a daughter.
Military career
Weir served in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
between 1899 and 1901 as a non-commissioned volunteer in the Worcestershire Yeomanry and was mentioned in despatches twice and awarded four clasps
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...
to his Queen's Medal
Queen's South Africa Medal
The Queen's South Africa Medal was awarded to military personnel who served in the Boer War in South Africa between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902. Units from the British Army, Royal Navy, colonial forces who took part , civilians employed in official capacity and war correspondents...
. After about six months, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and transferred into the Regular Army
Regular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
on 11 January 1902 as a Captain in the 3rd Dragoon Guards
3rd Dragoon Guards
The 3rd Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards in 1922....
.
By 1914, Weir had passed staff college and attained the rank of Major. He was a newly appointed Senior Tactical Instructor at the Cavalry School at the start of World War I, but he deployed with the 4th Cavalry Brigade
4th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 4th Cavalry Brigade was formation of Regiments of the British Army during the First World War, which was formed again in 1939 from Yeomanry Regiments for service during the Second World War...
, as Staff Captain, to France in the British Expeditionary Force. Soon afterwards, in October 1914, he was appointed GSO2 of the newly formed 2nd (Cavalry) Division
2nd Cavalry Division (United Kingdom)
The 2nd Cavalry Division was a regular British Army division that saw service in World War I. It also known as Gough's Command, after its commanding General and was part of the initial British Expeditionary Force which landed in France in September 1914....
and in June 1915, he became commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles and was slightly wounded in September.
In October 1915, Weir took command of 84th Brigade
28th Division (United Kingdom)
- History :Formed in England in December 1914 - January 1915 from regular arm battalions returning from India , Singapore and Egypt . In January 1915 the division moved to France and on to the Western Front....
(and was promoted to Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
), which was almost immediately transferred to Salonika as part of the 28th Division
28th Division (United Kingdom)
- History :Formed in England in December 1914 - January 1915 from regular arm battalions returning from India , Singapore and Egypt . In January 1915 the division moved to France and on to the Western Front....
. His brigade participated in the campaign against the Bulgarians, including the Battle of Doiran
Battle of Doiran
The third Battle of Doiran was fought from 18 September to 19 September 1918, with the Greeks and the British assaulting the positions of the Bulgarian First Army near Dojran Lake. The battle was part of World War I and took place in the Balkan Theatre...
. He retained command of 84th Brigade until March 1918.
During his war service during this period, Weir was wounded, mentioned in despatches and awarded the 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...
.
After the War, in 1922, Weir was appointed as Commandant of the Equitation School and Inspector of Cavalry. In 1927, he was posted to India as 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...
(GOC), Bombay District and in 1932 he commanded the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division of the Territorial Army. From 1934 until 1938, he was GOC of British Troops in Egypt (re-titled as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief in 1936), and promoted to full General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in October 1937.
Honorary roles and retirement
George Weir retired from the Army on 12 April 1938 and joined the Officers' Reserve (until December 1943).Weir held appointments as Honorary Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
to the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) (September 1929 until December 1946), to the 8th Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment (TA) (June 1938 until December 1946) and the 639th Heavy Regiment, 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:...
(The Worcestershire Regiment) (January 1947 until September 1949).
Weir was Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
from 26 June 1941 and served as Vice-Chairman of the Worcester Territorial Army Association.
George Weir died on 15 November 1951.
Honours and awards
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath - 1934 (CB - 1923)Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George - 1919
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...
- 1915
Mentioned in Despatches - twice between 1899 and 1902 and again between 1914 and 1918
Officer of the Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus
Croix de Guerre avec palmes
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...