Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Dimitry Dimitrievitch Zvegintzov (russian: link=no, Димитрий Димитриевич Звегинцов) (1911 – 13 April 1984) was a senior

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.

Biography

Zvegintzov was born in Russia into an aristocratic family, the son of Colonel Dimitry Ivanovitch Zvegintzov (1880–1967) and Princess Maria Obolensky (1882–1947), the daughter of

Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky ''Knyaz'' Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky (russian: Ива́н Миха́йлович Оболе́нский), or Prince John Obolenski (1853 – 28 February 1910), was an Imperial Russian Lieutenant-General. He served as the Governor-General of Finla ...

. During the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

of 1917, his family moved to England, fearing the repercussions of the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

takeover. He was subsequently educated at Bloxham School, where he was nicknamed "Zog", and served as drum major in the Officers' Training Corps band, with the rank of Cadet Serjeant. On 17 September 1931, Zvegintzov, then working a clerk and living in Barons Court, London, became a naturalised British subject, having been granted a Certificate of Naturalization, and sworn the

Oath of Allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...

. He joined the Supplementary Reserve of Officers in May 1933, and 1 February 1935 was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Border Regiment, receiving promotion to lieutenant on 1 February 1938. He saw service during the

Second World War 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 ...

, being promoted to captain on 1 February 1943, and having the

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

rank of major by the end of the conflict. He remained in the army post-war, being promoted to major on 25 January 1947. and was made 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 ...

on 1 January 1949. On 1 July 1952 he was brevetted as a lieutenant-colonel, eventually being promoted to that rank on 5 April 1955. He was promoted again, to colonel, on 12 September 1957, and to brigadier on 12 September 1961. Zvegintzov was made a

Commander 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 ...

on 1 January 1963, and eventually retired from the army on 2 February 1965. In April 1968 he was made an Officer of the Order of Saint John. Zvegintzov died on 23 April 1984 at his home in Glasbury on Wye, Wales. His funeral was held at All Saints Church, Glasbury on Wye, and he was cremated on the 27th at Hereford Crematorium, and his ashes buried in the Garden of Remembrance there.

Personal life

Zvegintzov married the Honourable Rachel Kathleen Bailey, granddaughter of

Joseph Bailey, 1st Baron Glanusk Joseph Russell Bailey, 1st Baron Glanusk (7 April 1840 – 6 January 1906), known as Sir Joseph Bailey, 2nd Baronet, from 1858 to 1899, was a Welsh Conservative Member of Parliament. Life Born at Leamington Spa, he was the son of Joseph Bailey, ...

, on 20 April 1940. They had three children. His younger brother Ivan was killed in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

on 28 December 1941 while serving as a second lieutenant in the

3rd County of London Yeomanry The 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army. It was raised in 1901 from Second Boer War veterans of the Imperial Yeomanry. During the First World War it served dismounted at Gallipoli, was remount ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zvegintzov, Dimitry 1911 births 1984 deaths People educated at Bloxham School Border Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of St John White Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom British Army brigadiers Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom