General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Sir Frank Walter Messervy, (9 December 1893 – 2 February 1974) was a
British Indian Army officer in the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
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 opposi ...
s. Following its independence, he was the first
Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army
The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) was the professional head of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1972. The C-in-C was directly responsible for commanding the army. It was an administrative position and the a ...
(15 August 1947 – 10 February 1948). Previously, he had served as
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command,
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 ...
in 1946 and 1947.
Personal
Messervy was born in 1893 in Trinidad the oldest child of Walter John Messervy (born in
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...
in the English Channel), a bank manager in the colony (and later England) and his wife Myra Naida de Boissiere from Trinidad.
Early career
Sent to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
from Trinidad, he was initially educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
and the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...
and was commissioned into the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
in 1913 and in 1914 joined
9th Hodson's Horse
4th Horse (Hodson's Horse) is a part of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army, which had its beginnings as an irregular cavalry regiment during the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Formation
The regiment was raised during the turbulent tim ...
. which later became part of the 4th Duke of Cambridge's Own Hodson's Horse. He would see action 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 ...
in France,
Palestine and
Syria from 1914 to 1918. He later served in
Kurdistan
Kurdistan ( ku, کوردستان ,Kurdistan ; lit. "land of the Kurds") or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural territory in Western Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages ...
in 1919.
After attending the
Staff College, Camberley, from 1925−1926, Messervy was appointed as an instructor at the
Staff College, Quetta
( ''romanized'': Pir Sho Biyamooz Saadi)English: Grow old, learning Saadi
ur, سیکھتے ہوئے عمر رسیدہ ہو جاؤ، سعدی
, established = (as the ''Army Staff College'' in Deolali, British India)
, closed ...
from 1932 to 1936. He was made Commanding Officer (CO) of the
13th Duke of Connaught's's Own Lancers, then in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, during 1938 and 1939.
Second World War
East Africa
In September 1939, Messervy was promoted to colonel and became a General Staff Officer Grade 1 of the
Indian 5th Infantry Division
The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three differ ...
, which was about to be formed at
Secunderabad. In mid-1940, the division was sent to the
Sudan to counter the threat from the Italian forces based in
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the S ...
. Messervy was appointed commander of ''Gazelle Force''. Created on 16 October 1940, it was a mobile reconnaissance and strike formation of expanded battalion size created from elements of 5th Indian Division. During the ensuing
East African Campaign, Messervy commanded
''Gazelle Force'' with notable success, latterly attached to the
Indian 4th Infantry Division. By 13 February 1941, the campaign had become static and Messervy's formation was disbanded.
In early March 1941, Messervy was promoted acting brigadier to command the Indian 5th Infantry Division's 9th Infantry Brigade and played a significant role in the third
Battle of Keren
The Battle of Keren ( it, Battaglia di Cheren) took place from 3 February to 27 March 1941. Keren was attacked by the British during the East African Campaign of the Second World War. A force of Italian regular and colonial troops defended th ...
during the second half of March 1941. His promotion was in part related to his actions during the advance from
Kassala
Kassala ( ar, كسلا) is the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. Its 2008 population was recorded to be 419,030. Built on the banks of the Gash River, it is a market town and is famous for its fruit gardens.
Many of its inhabit ...
through
Agordat
Agordat; also Akordat or Ak'ordat) is a city in Gash-Barka, Eritrea. It was the capital of the former Barka province, which was situated between the present-day Gash-Barka and Anseba regions.
History
Excavations in Agordat uncovered pottery r ...
to the early fighting at
Keren during February.
When Major-General Noel Beresford-Peirse, then commander of the Indian 4th Infantry Division, was promoted to command
XIII Corps 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 ...
Messervy, a brigadier for only six weeks, was appointed to take his place.
Western Desert – North Africa
left, Messervy, unshaved, giving orders south-west of Gazala.
Messervy took 4th Indian Division to North Africa in April 1941, taking part in
Operation Battleaxe
Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June 1941) was a British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces. It was the first time during the war that a significa ...
in June. During
Operation Crusader in November that year, 4th Indian Division, dug in on the Egypt – Libya border, played a key role in repelling Rommel's tanks after they had defeated the British armour at Sidi Rezegh. The division's battle groups took part in the
Eighth Army's pursuit when Rommel withdrew from his defensive positions at Gazala in December, ending the year at
Benghazi.
In January 1942, Messervy was appointed to replace
Herbert Lumsden
Lieutenant-General Herbert William Lumsden, & Bar, MC (8 April 1897 – 6 January 1945) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars. He commanded the 1st Armoured Division in the Western Desert camp ...
, the wounded commander of
1st Armoured Division which had recently arrived in the desert. During Rommel's attack from
El Agheila
El Agheila ( ar, العقيلة, translit=al-ʿUqayla ) is a coastal city at the southern end of the Gulf of Sidra in far western Cyrenaica, Libya. In 1988 it was placed in Ajdabiya District; it was in that district until 1995. It was removed from ...
in late January 1942, the division was outmatched by the Axis armour and heavily defeated. On Lumsden's return in March 1942, Messervy was moved to command
7th Armoured Division which had lost its commander,
Jock Campbell, killed in a motor accident. Messervy was the only
British Indian Army officer to command a British division during the Second World War.
Messervy was known as the "Bearded Man" because he tended not to shave in battle. When Division HQ was overrun by the Germans at the start of the
Battle of Gazala
The Battle of Gazala (near the village of ) was fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, from 26 May to 21 June 1942. Axis troops of the ( Erwin Rommel) consisting of German an ...
, he was captured (27 May 1942); but, removing all insignia, managed to bluff the Germans into believing he was a
batman and escaped with other members of his staff to rejoin Division HQ the following day.
Messervy knew little about tanks and was not considered a great success commanding armoured divisions by his superiors. He was dismissed from command of 7th Armoured Division by Eighth Army commander
Neil Ritchie
General Sir Neil Methuen Ritchie, (29 July 1897 – 11 December 1983) was a British Army officer who saw service during both the world wars. He is most notable during the Second World War for commanding the British Eighth Army in the North Af ...
in late June 1942 following the severe defeat the division had sustained at the Battle of Gazala. He transferred to Cairo as Deputy Chief of General Staff, GHQ
Middle East Command 1942 and was sent to India a few months later to raise
43rd Indian Armoured Division as its commander. Originally intended for service in Persia, the division was disbanded in April 1943 when the threat to Persia was removed by the Soviet victory at
Stalingrad.
India and Burma
![Major General Sir Frank Messervy inspecting Indian Army troops in Burma, 1944 (c)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Major_General_Sir_Frank_Messervy_inspecting_Indian_Army_troops_in_Burma%2C_1944_%28c%29.jpg)
Messervy was made Director of Armoured Fighting Vehicles, General Headquarters, India Command in 1943 where he argued successfully against the then prevailing view that anything other than light tanks could not be used in Burma. This was to have a significant impact in 1944 and 1945 when medium tanks were used to telling effect against the Japanese.
In July 1943, Messervy was appointed GOC of the
7th Indian Infantry Division, in succession to Major-General
Thomas Corbett, which was sent to the
Arakan
Arakan ( or ) is a historic coastal region in Southeast Asia. Its borders faced the Bay of Bengal to its west, the Indian subcontinent to its north and Burma proper to its east. The Arakan Mountains isolated the region and made it accessi ...
in Burma to join XV Corps in September. In the Japanese offensive in February 1944, despite having his headquarters overrun and scattered and his supply lines compromised, Messervy's brigades conducted a successful defence whilst being supplied by air (
Battle of the Admin Box). After going on the attack in late February, 7th Indian Division was relieved in mid-March.
![General F W Messervy receives the sword of General Itagaki](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/General_F_W_Messervy_receives_the_sword_of_General_Itagaki.jpg)
In March 1944, Messervy lost two brigades sent to reinforce the hard-pressed defences at
Imphal
Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the f ...
and
Kohima
Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...
in India. By May, the whole division was back in the front line in the Kohima sector, fighting a key five-day battle at the Naga Village. It then advanced towards the
Chindwin river, combining with
Indian 20th Infantry Division
The 20th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army in the Second World War, formed in India, and took part in the Burma Campaign during the Second World War. After the war, the bulk of the division was deployed to Fren ...
to inflict a heavy defeat on the Japanese at Ukhrul.
In December 1944, Messervy was appointed to command
IV Corps, which he led in the 1945 offensive during which, he captured the key communications centre at
Meiktila
Meiktila (; ) is a city in central Burma on the banks of Meiktila Lake in the Mandalay Region at the junctions of the Bagan-Taunggyi, Yangon-Mandalay and Meiktila-Myingyan highways. Because of its strategic position, Meiktila is home to Myanmar Ai ...
in Burma and advanced to
Rangoon between February and April. When Messervy returned from home leave hostilities had ceased. He was made Commander-in-Chief
Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a formation of the British Army formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of British Malaya, which comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States and the Unfederated Malay States. It consiste ...
in 1945 after the
Japanese surrender
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...
.
Pakistan and Kashmir
Close to the
Partition of India, Messervy was made
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, India from 1946 to 1947. Finally when
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
came into being on 15 August 1947, he was appointed as the
Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army
The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) was the professional head of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1972. The C-in-C was directly responsible for commanding the army. It was an administrative position and the a ...
.
![J&K04low](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/J%26K04low.jpg)
On 20 August, a letter signed by Messervy went out to all the brigade headquarters in northwest Pakistan, attaching plans for a certain
Operation Gulmarg
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Operation (game), ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* Operations (magazine ...
. According to the plan, 20 lashkars of
Pashtun tribesmen were to be armed and trained in various brigade locations in northwest Pakistan for an armed invasion of Kashmir. The information leaked out, one of the letters having fallen into the hands of an Indian officer Major
Onkar Singh Kalkat
Major–General Onkar Singh Kalkat, PVSM, (3 December 2004) was an Indian military officer in the British Indian Army and later the Indian Army. Soon after the partition of India in 1947, he stumbled upon the plans for an Operation Gulmarg, whi ...
. Kalkat was put under house arrest, but he escaped and made his way to India. By the D-day of 22 October, when the attack was launched, Messervy was away in London, leaving General
Douglas Gracey
General Sir Douglas David Gracey & Bar (3 September 1894 – 5 June 1964) was a British Indian Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars. He also fought in French Indochina and was the second Commander-in-Chief of the P ...
, the Chief of General Staff, as the Acting Commander-in-Chief
On his return, he stopped in Delhi, where
Lord Mountbatten made him swear that he had not been asked for, nor had he provided, any help to the tribesmen.
But within a week he was found providing arms and ammunition to the Pakistani invading forces.
[ He complained to Governor George Cunningham of the ]NWFP
NWFP may refer to:
*North-West Frontier Province, a province of British India, and later, Pakistan
*Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP o ...
that Mountbatten had gone over to the side of the "Hindus".
Pakistani officers narrate that both Messervy and Gracey were involved in running the day-to-day operations of Pakistan's Kashmir War
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompass ...
. Officers were loaned out for commanding the rebel forces and shown on records as being absent. Nevertheless, Messervy issued a statement on 12 November 1947, denying that any "serving Pakistan Army officers are directing operations in Kashmir", which was cited by Pakistan in the UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
debates as proof of Pakistan's innocence.
Messervy was relieved of his post on 15 February 1948, leading to his retirement in 1948. He was granted the honorary rank of general.
Later, he wrote an influential article on Kashmir in the ''Asiatic Review'', where he alleged that India had planned to militarily intervene in Kashmir several weeks before the event.
He opined that if the pro-India National Conference party was allowed to hold power in Kashmir, India would likely win a plebiscite
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...
, but if Pakistan was allowed to hold on to the areas that it had captured, a Pakistan win was 'even more certain'. He had 'few doubts' as to which dominion most people of Kashmir would choose. Historian Gowher Rizvi states that influences of this kind persuaded the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs Philip Noel-Baker
Philip John Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker, (1 November 1889 – 8 October 1982), born Philip John Baker, was a British politician, diplomat, academic, athlete, and renowned campaigner for disarmament. He carried the British team flag and won a ...
to ensure that Pakistan's viewpoint was "not ignored" in the UN Security Council.
Messervy died at home in the small village of Heyshott
Heyshott is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is approximately three miles south of Midhurst. Like many villages it has lost its shop but still has one pubthe Unicorn Inn The hamlet of Hoyle is to t ...
[ODNB 1871-1980: Messervy] in the south of England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on 2 February 1974.
Family
In 1927 he married Patricia Waldegrave Courtney daughter of Lt Col Edward Arthur Waldegrave Courtney. They had a daughter and two sons.
Career
* Commissioned into the British Indian Army (1913)
* Commissioned into the 9th Hodson's Horse
4th Horse (Hodson's Horse) is a part of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army, which had its beginnings as an irregular cavalry regiment during the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Formation
The regiment was raised during the turbulent tim ...
(1914)
*Brigade Major – (1928–1932)
* Instructor (GSO2) at Command and Staff College, Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of ...
(1932–1936)
* Commanding Officer, 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (1938–1939)
* General Staff Officer 1, Indian 5th Infantry Division
The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three differ ...
, East Africa (1939–1941)
* Commanding Officer ''Gazelle Force'', Sudan and Eritrea (1940–1941)
* Commanding Officer, 9th Indian Brigade, Ethiopia (1941)
* General Officer Commanding, Indian 4th Infantry Division, North Africa (1941–1942)
* General Officer Commanding, 1st Armoured Division, North Africa (1942)
* General Officer Commanding, 7th Armoured Division, North Africa (1942)
* Deputy Chief of the General Staff, HQ Middle East Command (1942)
* General Officer Commanding, Indian 43rd Armoured Division (1942–1943)
* Director Armoured Fighting Vehicles, India (1943)
* General Officer Commanding, Indian 7th Infantry Division, India (1943–1944)
* General Officer Commanding, IV Corps, Burma (1944–1945)
* General Officer Commander-In-Chief, Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a formation of the British Army formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of British Malaya, which comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States and the Unfederated Malay States. It consiste ...
(1945–1946)
* General Officer Commander-In-Chief, Northern Command, India (1946–1947)
* Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army
The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) was the professional head of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1972. The C-in-C was directly responsible for commanding the army. It was an administrative position and the a ...
(1947–1948)
* Retired (1948)
Promotions
*Second Lieutenant-22 January 1913
*Lieutenant – 22 April 1915
*Captain – 22 January 1917
**Acting Major – 23 November to 27 December 1918
**Brevet Major – 1 July 1929
*Major – 22 January 1931
**Local Lieutenant-Colonel – 1 September 1932
**Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel – 1 July 1933
*Lieutenant-Colonel – 10 April 1938
*Colonel – 19 April 1940
**Acting Major-General (Temporary Brigadier) – 14 April 1941
**Temporary Major-General – 14 April 1942
*Major-General – 17 April 1943
**Acting Lieutenant-General – 8 December 1944
*Lieutenant-General – 1 June 1945
**Acting General – 15 August 1947
*Honorary General – 1948
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
* Maule, Henry (1961). ''Spearhead General: The Epic Story of General Sir Frank Messervy and his Men in Eritrea, North Africa and Burma''.
*
*
External links
British Military History Biographies M
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Messervy, Frank
1893 births
1974 deaths
Indian Army personnel of World War I
Indian Army generals of World War II
Commanders-in-Chief, Pakistan Army
Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Jersey people
Academics of the Staff College, Quetta
British expatriates in Pakistan
People educated at Eton College
British Indian Army generals