Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Arthur Richard Rawlinson,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(9 August 1894 – 20 April 1984) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer who served on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

, and then in

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

in both World Wars. He served as head of MI.9a, and of MI.19. In peacetime, he developed a very successful career as a screenwriter and also produced several films.

Early life

Rawlinson was born in London, England, on 9 August 1894, the son of barrister Thomas Arthur Rawlinson and Gertrude Hamilton, daughter of barrister William Melmoth Walters.Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 1646 The Rawlinsons were Hampshire landed gentry, Thomas Arthur Rawlinson being nephew of the judge Sir Christopher Rawlinson. He was educated at

Windlesham House School Windlesham House School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 13 on the South Downs, in Pulborough, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory school ...

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

and

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

War service

Already a cadet in the

Officer Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

, Rawlinson was commissioned on 1 September 1914 as a temporary

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the war-raised 6th (Service) Battalion of

The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...

. He was promoted to temporary

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 29 December 1914. After a year's service he obtained a regular commission with the

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of ...

, serving again as a second lieutenant. On 26 June 1916, he was

seconded In deliberative bodies a second to a proposed motion is an indication that there is at least one person besides the mover that is interested in seeing the motion come before the meeting. It does not necessarily indicate that the seconder favors th ...

to the newly formed

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) 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 the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tank ...

and promoted back to lieutenant on 21 December 1916. After he was wounded in action he began a career in Military Intelligence, 'employed at the War Office' in MI.1(a) as an acting major. He was awarded an

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

for his war service and resigned his commission on 27 February 1919. On 14 April 1939, he transferred from the Reserve of Officers of the York and Lancaster Regiment to the

Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...

and returned to active service. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served with the rank or major as the head of MI.9(a), a department of MI.9 responsible for vetting enemy prisoners of war. The department was later reconstituted as MI.19 in its own right. He retired from the service with the honorary rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 5 January 1946.

Honours and decorations

In the

1945 New Year Honours The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the British ...

, the then Major (temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Rawlinson was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE), an advance on the recognition he had received after the previous war. On 23 May 1947, he was appointed

Officer of the Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

"in recognition of distinguished services in the cause of the Allies".

Personal life

Rawlinson married Alisa Margaret Harrington Grayson on 20 December 1916. She was the daughter of Sir

Henry Grayson Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Mulleneux Grayson, 1st Baronet, (26 June 1865 – 27 October 1951) was an English shipbuilder. Early life Grayson was born on 26 June 1865 in Birkenhead and was the son of Henry Holdrege Grayson and Elizabeth (née ...

, Bt., the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Member of Parliament for

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

from 1918 to 1922. They had two sons: Michael Grayson Rawlinson (born 27 March 1918, died 1941

KIA Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

), and Peter Anthony Grayson Rawlinson (born 26 June 1919, died 28 June 2006), who became the life-peer Lord Rawlinson of Ewell. Rawlinson had a strong bond with the Grayson family. He was at Pembroke with Dennys Grayson, who served with the Irish Guards in Great War along with his brother, Rupert Grayson, and

John Kipling John Kipling (17 August 1897 – 27 September 1915) was the only son of British author Rudyard Kipling. In the First World War, his father used his influence to get him a commission in the British Army despite being decisively rejected for poo ...

, son of

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

. The shell that wounded Rupert Grayson in 1915 was the one that killed John Kipling. Dennys Grayson gave his son the distinctive name of Rudyard - as opposed to the unremarkable John - when the child was born the following year. Rawlinson married the sister of the Grayson brothers, Alisa, and the friends became family. Rudyard Kipling was keen to maintain contact with the young people who knew his beloved son, especially Rupert. It was through Rupert that Rawlinson was introduced to Kipling and was commissioned to write the screenplays to some of his works. Rawlinson died 20 April 1984 in

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

, England.

Partial filmography

* ''

Leap Year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or s ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Blarney Stone The Blarney Stone ( ga, Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about from Cork (city), Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows th ...

'' (1933) * ''

A Cuckoo in the Nest ''A Cuckoo in the Nest'' is a farce by the English playwright Ben Travers. It was first given at the Aldwych Theatre, London, the second in the series of twelve Aldwych farces presented by the actor-manager Tom Walls at the theatre between 1923 ...

'' (1933) * ''

Aunt Sally Aunt Sally is a traditional English game usually played in pub gardens and fairgrounds, in which players throw sticks or battens at a ball, known as a 'dolly', balanced on top of a stick, traditionally a model of an old woman's head was sometime ...

'' (1933) * '' Menace'' (1934) * '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1934) * '' Man of the Moment'' (1935) *''

Lancashire Luck ''Lancashire Luck'' is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Henry Cass. It is notable as the film debut of Wendy Hiller, and the first credited appearance of Nigel Stock (actor), Nigel Stock. Plot The film is set around the paterfamilia of the ...

'' (1937) * ''

The Last Curtain ''The Last Curtain'' is a 1937 British crime film directed by David MacDonald and starring Campbell Gullan, Kenne Duncan and Greta Gynt. The film blends drama and comedy and its plot follows an insurance investigator who examines a series of ro ...

'' (1937) * ''

Missing, Believed Married ''Missing, Believed Married'' is a 1937 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Wally Patch, Julian Vedey and Hazel Terry. It was a quota quickie made at Pinewood Studios. A young heiress is almost tricked into marriage ...

'' (1937) * ''

King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' (1885) is a popular novel by the English Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the ...

'' (1937) *''

Strange Boarders ''Strange Boarders'' is a 1938 British comedy thriller film, directed by Herbert Mason, produced by Edward Black for Gainsborough Pictures, and starring Tom Walls, Renée Saint-Cyr, Googie Withers and Ronald Adam. The film is an adaptation o ...

'' (1938) * '' John Halifax'' (1938) * '' Crackerjack'' (1938) * '' The Face at the Window'' (1939) * '' The Chinese Bungalow'' (1940) * '' This England'' (1941) * ''

The White Unicorn ''The White Unicorn'' is a 1947 British drama film directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Margaret Lockwood, Joan Greenwood, Ian Hunter and Dennis Price. Kyra Vayne appeared as the singer. It was made at Walton Studios by the independent prod ...

'' (1947) * ''

Calling Paul Temple ''Calling Paul Temple'' is a 1948 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. It was the second in a series of four Paul Temple films distributed by Butcher's Film Service. The fi ...

'' (1948) * ''

The Story of Shirley Yorke ''The Story of Shirley Yorke'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Derek Farr, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. The film was based on the play '' The Case of Lady Camber'' by Horace Annesley Vachell. It w ...

'' (1948) * ''

Meet Simon Cherry ''Meet Simon Cherry'' is a 1949 British mystery film directed by Godfrey Grayson, and an adaptation of the popular BBC radio series ''Meet the Rev.'', featuring the crime solving cleric. Plot When the Rev. Simon Cherry (Hugh Moxey) sets off for a ...

'' (1949) * '' Celia'' (1949) * '' Dark Secret'' (1949) * ''

There Was a Young Lady ''There Was a Young Lady'' is a 1953 British comedy film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray and Sydney Tafler. It was made at Walton Studios and on location in London. The film's sets were designed by the ...

'' (1953) * ''

Gaolbreak ''Gaolbreak'' is a 1962 British crime film directed by Francis Searle and starring Peter Reynolds, Avice Landone and Carol White. Plot A family of thieves plan a jewellery store robbery. One of them is the safecracking expert, and when he i ...

'' (1962)

References

*The War List of the University of Cambridge, p. 268 *The Letters of Rudyard Kipling, 1931–1936, p. 307

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlinson, A.R 1894 births 1984 deaths Writers from London English male screenwriters English film producers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II York and Lancaster Regiment officers Queen's Royal Regiment officers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Legion of Merit Machine Gun Corps officers People educated at Rugby School People educated at Windlesham House School Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Screenwriters of Sexton Blake 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English businesspeople