Major-General Sir James Arthur "Jack" d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, 3rd Baronet, (19 December 1912 – 6 September 1987) was a British Army officer and British Conservative politician. He was a member of the prominent Anglo- Jewish d'Avigdor-Goldsmid family, and his brother Sir Henry d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, 2nd Baronet was also a Member of Parliament.

Early life

D'Avigdor-Goldsmid was born on 19 December 1912 and was the younger son of

Sir Osmond d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, 1st Baronet Sir Osmond Elim d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, 1st Baronet DL JP (9 August 1877 – 14 April 1940) was a British financier and baronet. Life D'Avigdor-Goldsmid was born to Jewish parents Elim Henry d'Avigdor Goldsmid. He was educated at Harrow School and ...

. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

Military career

Having attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, d'Avigdor-Goldsmid was commissioned into the

4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army formed in 1922. It served in the Second World War. However following the reduction of forces at the end of the Cold War and proposals contained in the Options for Change ...

on 1 September 1932 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 ...

. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 September 1935. He was appointed

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

on 14 October 1937. He was promoted to

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 ...

on 1 September 1940. As a captain ( temporary

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

) he participated in the D-Day landings of the Second World War. He was promoted to

on 1 July 1946,

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 31 December 1951, and to colonel on 19 January 1956. He was given command of

20th Armoured Brigade The 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team, previously the 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade, is an armoured infantry brigade formation of the British Army, currently headquartered at Wing Barracks, Bulford, Wiltshire, as part of the 3rd (United Kingdo ...

in 1958. He was promoted to brigadier on 1 January 1961. He was appointed Deputy Commander of

Aldershot Command Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

from September 1961 to 1962.Army Commands
On 31 October 1962, he was granted the temporary rank of major-general and appointed Director of the Royal Armoured Corps. His promotion to major-general was confirmed on 1 January 1963 and back dated to 31 October 1962 with seniority from 6 April 1962. He relinquished the appointment of Director of the Royal Armoured Corps on 27 January 1965. On 28 February 1965, he was appointed President of the

Regular Commissions Board Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) is an assessment centre used by the British Army as part of the Military officer, officer selection process for the regular army and Territorial Army (United Kingdom), Army Reserve and related scholarship sche ...

, relinquishing the position on 20 September 1965. On 1 February 1966, he was posted to the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

as Director of Territorial Army and Cadets. He relinquished the post on 20 January 1968, the day he retired from the military.

Later life and political career

In 1968, D'Avigdor-Goldsmid joined the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...

and acted as Steward at several horse race meetings. In the

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Lichfield and Tamworth. He held the seat in the February 1974 general election. He lost his seat in the October 1974 general election to Labour's Bruce Grocott. He inherited the d'Avigdor-Goldsmid Baronetcy on 11 December 1976 upon the death of Henry d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, his elder brother.

Honours and decorations

On 31 August 1944, then Captain (temporary Major) d'Avigdor-Goldsmid was awarded the Military Cross (MC) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Normandy". In the 1965

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

, he was appointed

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 ...

(CB). He was appointed to the

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

position of Colonel of the

on 6 June 1963.

References

*''Times Guide to the House of Commons February 1974''

External links

British Army Officers 1939−1945
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avigdor-Goldsmid, James D' 1912 births 1987 deaths 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards officers British Army major generals British Army personnel of World War II British Jews Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People educated at Harrow School UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Companions of the Order of the Bath Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross British people of Dutch-Jewish descent Jewish British politicians Jack