Harry Edward de Robillard Wetherall
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Sir Harry Edward de Robillard Wetherall KBE
CB
DSO
MC
(1889–1979) was an officer in the British Army
during World War I
and World War II
.
He served in World War I
in France
and Belgium
becoming Commanding Officer
of 4th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
in 1917. In March 1918 he was seriously wounded by a piece of shell in his neck.
After the War he became a Lieutenant Colonel in the Machine Gun Corps
and then a General Staff Officer for Weapon Training in Scottish Command
in 1930. He was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
in 1936 and then Commander
of 19th Brigade in 1938.
He served in World War II
as General Officer Commanding
11th African Division
in Abyssinia
in 1941: he was part of the "Southern Front" for this campaign and commanded the Division during the advance from Kenya
, through Italian Somaliland
, and into Ethiopia
. In late 1941, with the campaign all but over, the 11th African Division was disbanded and he became General Officer Commanding the East Africa Force
. He was then appointed General Officer Commanding, Ceylon
in 1943.
After the War he became Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon at a time when the Sri Lankan independence struggle was ongoing; he retired in 1946.
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....
(1889–1979) was an officer in the 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...
during 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...
and World War II
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...
.
Military career
Wetherall was commissioned into the Gloucestershire Regiment in 1909.He served in 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...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
becoming Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of 4th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st...
in 1917. In March 1918 he was seriously wounded by a piece of shell in his neck.
After the War he became a Lieutenant Colonel in the Machine Gun Corps
Machine Gun Corps
The Machine Gun Corps was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks in combat, and the branch was subsequently turned into the Tank...
and then a General Staff Officer for Weapon Training in Scottish Command
Scottish Command
-History:The Command was established in 1905 at Edinburgh Castle but moved to Craigiehall in the early 1950s.Since 1936 the General Officer Commanding Scottish Command has also always been appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle....
in 1930. He was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
The 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment was formed in 1881 from the 65th Regiment of Foot .- Early history :After amalgamation in the army reform of 1881 the new 1st Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment were based in Bengal, India. In 1882 they were shipped to Aden while the 2nd...
in 1936 and then Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of 19th Brigade in 1938.
He served in World War II
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...
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...
11th African Division
1st (African) Division
The 1st Division was a British Empire colonial unit during World War II. The division was formed on 24 July 1940 in East Africa. On 24 November of that year, the division was re-designated as the British Army's 11th Division. The division were composed primarily of West African and East African...
in Abyssinia
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
in 1941: he was part of the "Southern Front" for this campaign and commanded the Division during the advance from Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, through Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
, and into Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. In late 1941, with the campaign all but over, the 11th African Division was disbanded and he became General Officer Commanding the East Africa Force
East Africa Command
-History:The formation was essentially an expansion of the East Africa Force which came into being in August 1940. It was reformed as a Command in September 1941 by General Sir William Platt and covered North East Africa, East Africa and British Central Africa. It established its own intelligence...
. He was then appointed General Officer Commanding, Ceylon
General Officer Commanding, Ceylon
General Officer Commanding, Ceylon was the designation of the General Officer appointed to command all British Army units stationed in the island of Ceylon during the British colonial administration of the island.-History:...
in 1943.
After the War he became Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon at a time when the Sri Lankan independence struggle was ongoing; he retired in 1946.