Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir Brian Charles Hannam Kimmins (30 July 1899 – 15 November 1979) was a British military commander who served as the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District.

Military career

Kimmins was born in Hendon,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

(now North

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

), the son of psychologist Charles William Kimmins and Dame

Grace Kimmins Dame Grace Mary Thyrza Kimmins, (''née'' Hannam; 6 May 1870 – 3 March 1954) was a British writer who created charities that worked with children who had disabilities. Biography Kimmins was born in Lewes, Sussex, the eldest of four children bo ...

. He was the older brother of

Anthony Kimmins Anthony Martin Kimmins, OBE (10 November 1901 – 19 May 1964) was an English director, playwright, screenwriter, producer and actor. Biography Kimmins was born in Harrow, London on 10 November 1901, the son of the social activists Charles Wi ...

. After attending and later graduating from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich on 28 September 1917, Kimmins was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Field Artillery of the

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 ...

, during the latter phases of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After the War he served in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and became Aide-de-Camp to the High Commissioner for

and the Sudan in 1928. He became adjutant at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1930 and

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section dire ...

for the

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the divis ...

's 147th Infantry Brigade in 1935. He then attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1938 to 1939. He served in

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 opposing ...

initially as a General Staff Officer with the British Expeditionary Force in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

before becoming an instructor at the Staff College in 1940. He was appointed Deputy Director of Military Training at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

in 1941 and became a Brigadier on the General Staff of Southern Command in 1942. He became Commander Royal Artillery for the

Guards Armoured Division The Guards Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was created in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1941 during the Second World War from elements of the Guards units, the Grenadier ...

in 1943 and Director of Plans for

South East Asia Command South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during the Second World War. History Organisation The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir A ...

in 1944. He was finally Assistant Chief of Staff at the Headquarters of the Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia in 1945. On 24 February 1945 he was promoted to the rank of major-general. After the Second World War he became Chief of Staff at Headquarters Combined Operations in 1946 and Director of Quartering at the War Office in 1947. He was appointed General Officer Commanding Home Counties District and GOC 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division in 1950 and Director of the Territorial Army and Cadets in 1952. His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District in 1955. Kimmins retired in 1958. He died at the Somerset Nuffield Hospital in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

on 15 November 1979, leaving a wife and three children.

Bibliography

*''At Your Service - a belated autobiography of Lieutenant General Sir Brian Kimmins KBE CB DL'', Foreword by Field Marshal Lord Guthrie GCB LVO OBE DL''

References

External links

Generals of World War II
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kimmins, Brian 1899 births 1979 deaths Royal Field Artillery officers British Army lieutenant generals Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Royal Artillery officers People from Hendon Military personnel from Middlesex British Army personnel of World War I British Army generals of World War II Academics of the Staff College, Camberley War Office personnel in World War II Academics of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley