Major General John Hedley Thornton Priestman, (22 July 1885 – 22 February 1964) was a senior officer in the British Army.

Early life and family

John Hedley Thornton Priestman was born on 22 July 1885,''The Half-Yearly Army List for the Period Ending 31 December 1938'', 1939 (London: His Majesty's Stationery Office), p. 61 the son of J. Priestman of East Mount, Holderness. In 1915, he married Hilda Louise (died 1958), daughter of J. H. Corner of Esk Hall in

Sleights Sleights is a village in North Yorkshire, England. Located in the Esk Valley in the postal region of Whitby, the village is part of the civil parish of Eskdaleside cum Ugglebarnby and the borough of Scarborough (borough), Scarborough. Sleights l ...

. They had two children, one son and one daughter;"Priestman, Maj.-Gen. John Hedley Thornton"
''Who Was Who'' (online ed.), April 2014 (Oxford University Press). Retrieved 6 March 2016. the son, John Reeve Thornton, was killed in action in North Africa in 1943, while commissioned as a lieutenant in the Army.

Military career

Priestman was commissioned into a volunteer unit, the 6th Battalion, the Manchester Regiment, on 12 March 1904 before he passed his examinations and was commissioned into the Lincolnshire Regiment 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 ...

on 29 November 1905. He was promoted to a lieutenant on 8 October 1910 and served as an

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 ...

between November of that year and November 1913. He became a

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 4 August 1914, an acting major on 11 September 1916, a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

major on New Years Day 1919 and major on 5 June 1923. Priestman served in the First World War, and was wounded on duty.

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 ...

three times during the war, he received the French

Croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

, the Distinguished Service Order in 1917, and the Military Cross. He served as Officer of a Company of Gentleman Cadets at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst from July 1914 to February 1916; that April, he was posted as a Staff Captain in France for two months, before being appointed as a brigade major until September. He returned to his previous post until January 1917, when he was again made a brigade major, this time serving until 20 July 1917. The following day, Priestman became a

General staff Officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

of the 2nd Division in France. The war ended on 11 November 1918 due to the Armistice with Germany. From April 1919, Priestman was Commander of a Company of Gentleman Cadets at the Royal Military College and a General Staff Officer. Transferred to Aldershot as a GSO in 1922, he relinquished his post there in May 1924, after having attended 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 ...

from 1921 to 1922. The following November, he became DAAG Western Command but relinquished that position in January 1928. He was promoted to brevet

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 ...

in the meantime (28 June 1924). He attended the Imperial Defence College in 1929. April 1932 saw Priestman appointed to be GSOA at the War Office. On 21 December 1934, he transferred to command the 13th Brigade in Northern Command, serving in Egypt,

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and Trans-Jordan as a temporary brigadier between 15 December 1934 and 13 September 1938, including during the Arab revolt in Palestine. His brigade major from December 1936 onwards was Manley James, a Victoria Cross recipient. He was promoted to the rank of major general on 27 December 1937, became an Aide-de-Camp to the King on 17 November 1937, serving for 10 months, and Colonel of the Lincolnshire Regiment on 3 June 1938. After relinquishing his appointment in the Middle East, he returned to the United Kingdom and became General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the

54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division The 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 following the creation of the Territorial Force (TF) as the East Anglian Division. During the First World War the division fo ...

in September 1938 and GOC of the Essex County Division in February 1941 before retiring October 1941. Priestman was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1938 and a

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 ...

in 1939. He retired in 1941 and died on 22 February 1964 at his home in

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

."Maj.-Gen. J. H. T. Priestman", ''Times'' (London), 25 February 1964, p. 15

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Priestman, John 1885 births 1964 deaths British Army major generals Academics of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies British Army generals of World War II British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Manchester Regiment officers Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Lincolnshire Regiment officers People from Hertford