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 ...

James Alexander Deans Johnston, (28 February 1911 – 17 May 1988) 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 in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

and the Senior Medical Officer at the liberated

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concent ...

towards the end 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 opposin ...

. A

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

portraying his experiences attempting to save the starving and diseased concentration camp prisoners at Bergen-Belsen was made in 2007 entitled ''

The Relief of Belsen ''The Relief of Belsen'' is a feature-length drama that was first shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 15 October 2007. It depicts events that unfolded at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp following the liberation of the camp by British t ...

''.

Early life

Johnston was born on 28 February 1911 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, the son of Walter Johnston and I. C. Gilchrist. He was educated at Woodside School, Woodside, Glasgow. He studied medicine at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

(MB ChB) in 1933. Between 1933 and 1934, he served out his pre-registration year at Taunton and Somerset Hospital as a house surgeon.

Military career

Johnston was commissioned 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 ...

into the

of the British Army as a

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 probation) on 25 October 1934. His commission and rank were confirmed on 26 February 1935. From 1935 to 1940, he served in India. In 1935, he assisted in the aftermath of the Quetta earthquake. 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 25 October 1935. From November 1936 to January 1937, he served in the field during the second Waziristan campaign. On 1 January 1937, his commission was backdated to 1 November 1933 and he was given seniority in his rank of captain from 1 November 1934. With the outbreak of the

, he was given a permanent commission on 25 October 1939. As a

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

major and temporary lieutenant colonel, he was promoted to

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 ...

on 1 November 1943. On 6 June 1944,

D-Day 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 D ...

, he landed on Sword Beach, Normandy along with the 3rd Division. For the next year, he commanded field medical units throughout

North West Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northw ...

. He was Officer Commanding 32

Casualty Clearing Station In the British Army and other Commonwealth militaries, a Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) is a military medical facility behind the front lines that is used to treat wounded soldiers. A CCS would usually be located just beyond the range of enemy ...

. Following its liberation, he entered

on 17 April 1945. In his report the day after, he described Camp 1 as "a dense mass of emaciated apathetic scarecrows". Under the command of Brigadier Glyn Hughes, he was Senior Medical Officer and director of the Camp II's 17,000 bed hospital. From the end of 1945 to 1947, he served as Assistant Director of Medical Services at HQ Malaya Command. From 1947 to 1949, he served as Assistant Director of Medical Services at Southern Command. He was promoted to

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 8 August 1948. He was once more posted abroad between 1949 and 1952, serving as Deputy Director of Medical Services at the Headquarters of Middle East Land Forces. He was posted to Germany in 1952 as Assistant Director of Medical Services of the 2nd Division and Deputy Director of Medical Services for the British Army of the Rhine's Headquarters. He was promoted 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 of ...

on 29 August 1957. From 1957 to 1961, he was Officer Commanding the British

Military Hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

Dhekelia Dhekelia Cantonment ( el, Φρουρά Δεκέλεια, tr, Dikelya Cantonment) is a military base in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus, administered as the Sovereign Base Areas. It is located in the ...

, Cyprus. In 1961, he returned to England to take up the appointment of Assistant Director General of the Army Medical Department 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 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. In ...

on 2 July 1964. Between 1964 and 1966, he was Commandant of the RAMC Depot and Training Establishment. He was appointed Director of Medical Services,

Far East Land Forces The Far East Command was a British military command which had 2 distinct periods. These were firstly, 18 November 1940 – 7 January 1942 succeeded by the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command ( ABDACOM), and secondly, 1963–1971 succeeded ...

on 18 November 1966, and promoted to

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 ...

. He relinquished the appointment on 1 November 1968. He was appointed Director of Medical Services, British Army of the Rhine on 16 January 1969, relinquishing the appointment on 22 September 1970. He retired from the British Army on 14 December 1970.

Later life

Following his retirement from the British Army, Johnston lived in the village of

Northiam Northiam is a village and civil parish in the Rother district, in East Sussex, England, 13 miles (21 km) north of Hastings in the valley of the River Rother. The A28 road to Canterbury and Hastings passes through it. Governance Northiam ...

, East Sussex. He died on 17 May 1988, at the age of 77.

Personal life

Johnston married Enid Eldridge in 1940. Together they had one son and two daughters.

Honours and decorations

Johnston 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 i ...

(MC) on 10 December 1937 "for distinguished services rendered in the field in connection with the operations in Waziristan, during the period 25 November 1936 to 16 January 1937". 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 ...

on 10 May 1945 "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe". He was appointed

Officer 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 ...

(OBE) on 18 October 1945 "in recognition of distinguished services during the liberation of prisoners in German Concentration Camps". He was appointed

Honorary Physician to the Queen 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 Germa ...

(QHP) on 25 September 1967. He was succeeded on 14 December 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, James Royal Army Medical Corps officers 1911 births 1988 deaths 20th-century British medical doctors British Army major generals British Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Military Cross Officers of the Order of the British Empire Military personnel from Glasgow Bergen-Belsen concentration camp People from Northiam