Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Guy Payan Dawnay, (23 March 1878 – 19 January 1952) 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 and merchant banker. He was the nephew of Guy Dawnay, a politician.

Career

Dawnay was commissioned 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 ...

in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

on 20 May 1899, and 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 ...

on 10 July 1900. He served in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, where he was a staff officer as Aide-de-camp to Major-General Bruce Hamilton, in command in

Eastern Transvaal Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique ...

. Following the end of hostilities, he left

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

with Hamilton on board the in late June 1902, and arrived at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

the following month. For his service in the war, he was appointed a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO) in the October 1902 South African honours list. During 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 ...

Dawnay was assigned to the General Staff of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and fought at the Gallipoli campaign during the

. Following the withdrawal from Gallipoli he was shifted to the headquarters of the newly formed

Egyptian Expeditionary Force The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–15), at the beginning ...

. When the corp-sized Eastern Force was created under Lieutenant-General Charles Dobell in September 1916 to command operations in the

Sinai Sinai commonly refers to: * Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God Sinai may also refer to: * Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...

, Dawnay was assigned as Chief of Staff (Brigadier General, General Staff). He continued as Chief of Staff to Dobell's successor

Philip Chetwode Field Marshal Philip Walhouse Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode, 7th Baronet of Oakley, (21 September 1869 – 6 July 1950), was a senior British Army officer. He saw action during the Second Boer War, during which he was present at the Siege of Ladys ...

until August 1917 when he became Deputy Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, still with the rank of the Brigadier-General. Following the

Battle of Jerusalem The Battle of Jerusalem occurred during the British Empire's "Jerusalem Operations" against the Ottoman Empire, in World War I, when fighting for the city developed from 17 November, continuing after the surrender until 30 December 1917, to ...

Dawnay was transferred to the General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force in France with a promotion to Major General. As head of the Staff Duties Section of the General Staff he was responsible for training, organization, anti-aircraft defence, and censorship and publicity. In 1909 whilst a student at the Army Staff College at

Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...

he co-founded the

Chatham Dining Club The Chatham Dining Club is a general interest Dining club based in London, United Kingdom. The club was founded in 1910 by Captain Rupert Ommanney and Captain Guy Dawnay whilst they were students at the British Army Staff College in Camberley. The ...

with Rupert Ommanney. In 1928 he founded Dawnay Day, an investment company together with Julian Day.

References

External links

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
(requires login) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dawnay, Guy 1878 births 1952 deaths British Army generals of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British businesspeople Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Order of the Bath Coldstream Guards officers Recipients of the Legion of Honour Members of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Recipients of the Order of St. Anna Guy British Army major generals Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)