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 James Arthur "Jack" d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, 3rd Baronet, (19 December 1912 – 6 September 1987) 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
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
politician. He was a member of the prominent Anglo-
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish
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.
He was educated at
Harrow School.
Military career
Having attended 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 ...
, d'Avigdor-Goldsmid was
commissioned into the
4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards on 1 September 1932 as a
second lieutenant. He was 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 ...
on 1 September 1935.
He was appointed
adjutant on 14 October 1937.
He was promoted to
captain on 1 September 1940.
As a captain (
temporary major) he participated in the
D-Day landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
of 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 opposi ...
.
He was promoted to
major on 1 July 1946,
lieutenant colonel on 31 December 1951,
and to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
on 19 January 1956.
He was given command of
20th Armoured Brigade in 1958. He was promoted to
brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...
on 1 January 1961.
He was appointed Deputy Commander of
Aldershot Command from September 1961 to 1962.
[Army Commands]
On 31 October 1962, he was granted the temporary rank of
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 ...
and appointed Director of the
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...
.
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,
relinquishing the position on 20 September 1965.
On 1 February 1966, he was posted to the
Ministry of Defence 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 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 of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
general election, he was elected as the
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
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
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
's
Bruce Grocott
Bruce Joseph Grocott, Baron Grocott PC (born 1 November 1940) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.
Early life
Grocott was born in Kings Langley near Watford, and was educated at the University of Leicester. He obtained an MA ...
.
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
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC ...
(MC) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Normandy".
In the 1965
Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).
He was appointed to the
honorary position of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
of the
4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards 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
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...