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 ...

John Matthew Blakiston-Houston, (18 April 1881 − 16 December 1959) 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.

Military career

Blakiston-Houston transferred from the militia into the

11th Hussars The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 10th Royal Hussars (Pri ...

on 15 February 1902. He served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as deputy assistant adjutant and quartermaster-general for the 3rd Cavalry Division and then as assistant adjutant and quartermaster-general for the 1st Cavalry Division. After attending and graduating from 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 ...

, in 1919, Blakiston-Houston went on to become commanding officer of the

12th Royal Lancers The 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war ...

in September 1923, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade in October 1927 and Chief Administration Officer, Northern Command in November 1931. After that he became commandant of the

Army School of Equitation The Army School of Equitation was a British Army school at Weedon Bec, Weedon in Northamptonshire, created in 1922 and closed in 1940. In the worlds of cavalry and horses it was commonly called simply Weedon. History In December 1922, the Cavalry ...

in Weedon Bec in August 1934 before retiring in August 1938. In 1937, the year before his retirement, he had been considered for the command of the Mobile Division, later the 1st Armoured Division, but

Leslie Hore-Belisha Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha, PC (; 7 September 1893 – 16 February 1957) was a British Liberal, then National Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) and Cabinet Minister. He later joined the Conservative Party. He proved highly su ...

, the

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

, turned down the idea, in the belief that all Blakiston-Houston could do was "slap his thigh and shout". Blakiston-Houston was recalled to become General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the

59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division The 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed during the Second World War and fought in the Battle of Normandy. In March 1939, after Germany re-emerged as a significant military power an ...

in September 1939 and GOC Midland Area in May 1940 before returning to retirement with his wife in January 1942.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blakiston-Houston, John 1881 births 1959 deaths British Army generals of World War II 11th Hussars officers British Army personnel of World War I Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley People educated at Cheltenham College British Army major generals