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 ...

Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon, (19 September 1917 – 18 December 1977) 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 who served as commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1968 to 1970.

Early life and education

Bowes-Lyon was born in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

, the son of Capt. Geoffrey Francis Bowes-Lyon, grandson of 13th Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. He was thus a first cousin of

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

. His mother was Edith Katherine Selby-Bigge, daughter of Sir Amherst Selby-Bigge, 1st Baronet. He was 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, C ...

and Sandhurst.

Military career

Bowes-Lyon was commissioned into the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

in 1938, and served in the

Guards Armoured Division The Guards Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was created in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1941 during the Second World War from elements of the Guards units, the Grenadier G ...

during 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 ...

. In 1955 he became

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

at the Guards Depot and in 1957 he was made

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of 2nd Battalion

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

. He was appointed Military Assistant to Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing, the

Chief of the Imperial General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board. Prior to 1964, the title was Chief of the Imperial G ...

, in 1960 and

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of 157th Lowland Brigade in 1963. He went on to be General Officer Commanding 52nd Lowland Division District in 1966 and commandant of the British Sector in Berlin in 1968. In 1971 he was appointed

Major-General commanding the Household Division The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the Household Division#United Kingdom, Household Division of the British Army and is also the General officer commanding, General Officer Commanding London District (British Army), Lon ...

and General Officer Commanding

London District London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...

. He retired in 1973.

Personal life

Bowes-Lyon married Mary de Trafford, daughter of

Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet Sir Humphrey Edmund de Trafford, 4th Baronet (30 November 1891 – 6 October 1971) was a prominent English racehorse owner, and the grandfather of Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles. He was the son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet, and Violet ...

. The couple had three children, two sons, John (died 18 September 2022) and David, and a daughter, Fiona. The family lived at

Sennicotts Sennicotts is a small estate near Chichester, West Sussex, England, formed in 1809 by Charles Baker (1761–1839) having retired after serving in Madras, with the British East India Company. In the following years, he built the house (1810), the ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

. A descendant of the 13th Earl of Strathmore, he was a Gentleman Usher to the Royal Household.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowes-Lyon, James 1917 births 1977 deaths Military personnel from London Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross British Army major generals Grenadier Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst People educated at Eton College People from Chelsea, London