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 ...

Ian David Erskine, (17 March 1898 – 27 July 1973) 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.

Early life

Erskine was born in London, the son of Alan David Erskine and Enid Rate. He was the grandson of Sir Henry David Erskine and the great-grandson of

Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford Francis George Hugh Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford (11 February 1812 – 25 January 1884), known as Francis Seymour until 1870, was a British army officer, courtier and Conservative politician. He served as Lord Chamberlain of the House ...

. Erskine was educated at

Sandroyd School Sandroyd School is an independent co-educational preparatory school for day and boarding pupils aged 2 to 13 in the south of Wiltshire, England. The school's main building is Rushmore House, a 19th-century country house which is surrounded by the ...

and

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

then 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 infantry a ...

Military career

Erskine commissioned into the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

on 1 May 1917 and in August was deployed to the Western Front. Erskine was injured in October that year but returned to the front in October 1918. He served as adjutant at the Guards Depot between 1921 and 1923, before serving as Regimental Adjutant of the Scots Guards until July 1932. In September 1933 Erskine was promoted to major and between 1933 and 1935 undertook training at the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

. Between 1935 and 1939, Erskine was Brigade Major, 1st Guards Brigade, and served with the brigade in the Arab revolt in Palestine. Between 1939 and June 1940, Erskine was an instructor and then Commandant of the Tactical School Middle East, before becoming Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion Scots Guards. Between February and October 1941 he was commander of the

22nd Guards Brigade The 22nd Guards Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw distinguished active service during the Second World War. History The 22nd Infantry Brigade was formed by the redesignation of the 29th Infantry Brigade on 3 Septemb ...

in Egypt, during which time 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 ...

and awarded 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 ...

. In 1942 he was Major-General Commanding Troops & Commandant Sudan Defence Force, and he was promoted to acting major general in April that year. From 1943 to 1945 Erskine was Brigade Commander, 148 Pre-OCTU Training Establishments. From 1945 and 1948, Erskine was Provost Marshal of the Army 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 ...

. He retired with the rank of major general in May 1949. He was invested as 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 ...

in 1947 and as a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in 1949.

Personal life

Erskine married Mariora Beatrice Evelyn Rochfort Alers-Hankey, daughter of Colonel Cecil George Herbert Alers-Hankey and Getrude Clare Fetherstonhaugh, on 1 March 1945.

References

External links

British Army Officers 1939–1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erskine, Ian 1898 births 1973 deaths British Army generals of World War II British Army personnel of World War I

Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley People educated at Winchester College People educated at Sandroyd School Scots Guards officers British Army major generals British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine Military personnel from London British Army brigadiers of World War II