Merton Beckwith-Smith
Encyclopedia
Major-General
Merton Beckwith-Smith DSO
MC
MA
(11 July 1890 – 11 November 1942) was a British Army
officer during the First and Second World Wars .
and Oxford. In 1910 he was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards
. He served with the Guards throughout the First World War, eventually becoming a staff officer in the Guards Division
.
On 14 March 1918 he married Honor Dorothy Leigh. They had two sons and two daughters. His son Major Peter Merton Beckwith-Smith served in France, North-west Europe and Palestine during World War II. One of his daughters became a lady in waiting to Diana, Princess of Wales
.
In 1930 Beckwith-Smith transferred to the Welsh Guards
; he commanded the 1st Battalion from 1932 to 1937. After this he held various district commands in India
before the outbreak of the Second World War.
, part of the British Expeditionary Force
sent to France
in 1939/1940. After the retreat from Dunkirk Beckwith-Smith was given command of the territorial 18th (East Anglian) Infantry Division
which he trained in preparation for duty overseas.
In a training exercise against the 2nd Infantry Division
the 18th Division won, the reward being the first posting overseas for the division.
In early 1942, after many weeks at sea, Beckwith-Smith's division was landed at Singapore
. Japanese
forces invaded Singapore Island
on February 8. Because of the defensive strategy implemented by the Allied commander, General Arthur Percival, most of the 18th Division saw little or no action. Percival surrendered the 80,000 British Commonwealth troops at Singapore on February 15, including Beckwith-Smith and his division. In August 1942 he was moved to Formosa (now Taiwan) along with General Perrcival and all the senior officers from Singapore. On 11 November 1942 Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith died at Karenko Camp of Diphtheria
as a prisoner of war
. In the spring of 1946 the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the CWGC) exhumed all the Taiwan POW remains and re-buried them in the Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery in Hong Kong. Many years later his grave was identified by Jack Edwards
on the request of Diana, Princess of Wales. He is buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery
in Hong Kong
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
Merton Beckwith-Smith 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....
MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(11 July 1890 – 11 November 1942) 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 during the First and Second World Wars .
Early career
Beckwith-Smith was born on 11 July 1890, and educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Oxford. In 1910 he was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
. He served with the Guards throughout the First World War, eventually becoming a staff officer in the Guards Division
Guards Division
The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Regiment.-Introduction:...
.
On 14 March 1918 he married Honor Dorothy Leigh. They had two sons and two daughters. His son Major Peter Merton Beckwith-Smith served in France, North-west Europe and Palestine during World War II. One of his daughters became a lady in waiting to Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
.
In 1930 Beckwith-Smith transferred to the Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
; he commanded the 1st Battalion from 1932 to 1937. After this he held various district commands in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
before the outbreak of the Second World War.
Second World War
In 1940 he was given command of the 1st Guards BrigadeBritish 1st Infantry Brigade (Guards)
The 1st Mechanized Brigade is a British Army formation with a long history including service during the First and Second World Wars .- History :Initially as 1st Brigade, the formation was part of 1st Division during World War I...
, part of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
sent to France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in 1939/1940. After the retreat from Dunkirk Beckwith-Smith was given command of the territorial 18th (East Anglian) Infantry Division
British 18th Infantry Division
For the First World War unit, see 18th Division.The 18th Infantry Division was a Division of the British Army in the Second World War, a duplicate of the 54th Division using mostly units with connections to East Anglia ....
which he trained in preparation for duty overseas.
In a training exercise against the 2nd Infantry Division
British 2nd Infantry Division
The 2nd Division is a regular division of the British army, with a long history. It dates its existence as a permanently embodied formation from 1809, when it was established by Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley , as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War...
the 18th Division won, the reward being the first posting overseas for the division.
In early 1942, after many weeks at sea, Beckwith-Smith's division was landed at Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
forces invaded Singapore Island
Battle of Singapore
The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...
on February 8. Because of the defensive strategy implemented by the Allied commander, General Arthur Percival, most of the 18th Division saw little or no action. Percival surrendered the 80,000 British Commonwealth troops at Singapore on February 15, including Beckwith-Smith and his division. In August 1942 he was moved to Formosa (now Taiwan) along with General Perrcival and all the senior officers from Singapore. On 11 November 1942 Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith died at Karenko Camp of Diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. In the spring of 1946 the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the CWGC) exhumed all the Taiwan POW remains and re-buried them in the Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery in Hong Kong. Many years later his grave was identified by Jack Edwards
Jack Edwards (Hong Kong)
Jack Edwards, OBE , was a former British World War II army sergeant and a POW, most well known for his dedicated efforts of tracking down Japanese war criminals and the relentless determination displayed in defending the rights of Hong Kong war veterans....
on the request of Diana, Princess of Wales. He is buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery
Sai Wan War Cemetery
Sai Wan War Cemetery is a military cemetery located in Chai Wan, Hong Kong. The cemetery contains the graves of the dead of the Second World War, mostly soldiers from the Commonwealth and Allied Forces who fell during the Battle of Hong Kong. The Sai Wan Bay Memorial includes the names of 228...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...