Francis Victor Wallington MC & Three Bars (16 October 1891 – 15 February 1971) was a decorated

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. He was the first of four soldiers to be awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

four times, all in the

First World War 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 ...

Military career

Wallington was born in Woolwich. He joined the Royal Horse Artillery in 1906. He reached the rank of bombardier while serving with the 7th Brigade, RHA. Early in the

, Wallington served as a soldier in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, and reached the rank of serjeant. On 15 August 1914, he departed for France with the British Expeditionary Force. On 30 May 1916, he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a

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 ...

"for service in the field". On 2 October 1917, he was promoted to

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

while he served as

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

of a

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

of the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

. On 30 November 1917, he was promoted to

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 ...

and retained the acting rank of captain. He retired on 2 May 1923 and was granted the rank of captain. Wallington married Gwendoline Constance Newton (1892–1936) in Lambeth in 1919. They lived in Abingdon, and had two sons Francis and Dennis, and a daughter Maureen. Wallington later rejoined the British Army. On 7 March 1939, he became a captain and admin officer in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

. With the outbreak of 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 ...

, he relinquished his appointment as an admin officer on 2 September 1939. He relinquished his commission in the Territorial Army on 2 September 1939. Wallington died in Richmond-upon-Thames in 1971.

Honours and decorations

For his service in the First World War, Wallington received the following

campaign medal A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a high ...

s; the

1914 Star The 1914 Star, colloquially known as the Mons Star, is a British World War I campaign medal for service in France or Belgium between 5 August and 22 November 1914. Institution The 1914 Star was authorised under Special Army Order no. 350 in Nov ...

with clasp, the

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

and the Victory Medal. On 26 January 1917, he was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He was awarded the Military Cross four times; the first on 26 January 1917, the second on 16 August 1917, the third on 25 August 1917, and the fourth on 16 September 1918. The citation for his first Military Cross read as follows: The citation for his second Military Cross read as follows: The citation for his third Military Cross read as follows: The citation for his forth and final Military Cross read as follows:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallington, Francis 1891 births 1971 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Field Artillery officers Royal Artillery officers Royal Engineers officers Royal Horse Artillery soldiers British Army personnel of World War II People from Woolwich Military personnel from London

Military career

Honours and decorations

See also

References