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 ...

Kendal George Fleming Chavasse, DSO and

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

(28 September 1904 − 31 March 2001, in Co. Waterford, Ireland), was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born

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 An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

who saw service in

World War II 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 ...

Early life and military career

Kendal Chavasse was born in

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, on 28 September 1904. He was the third son (with four brothers) of

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 ...

Henry Chavasse (1863–1943) and his second wife Judith Isabella Fleming (1867–1935). Two brothers served (with distinction) in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

(Commander Evelyn Henry Chavasse DSO DSC and Captain Paul Chavasse CBE DSC and Bar). He married Oonah Perceval-Maxwell in 1930; the couple had a son and a daughter. Chavasse was also intended to join the Royal Navy and to that end he was educated at the

Royal Naval College, Osborne The Royal Naval College, Osborne, was a training college for Royal Navy officer cadets on the Osborne House estate, Isle of Wight, established in 1903 and closed in 1921. Boys were admitted at about the age of thirteen to follow a course lasting ...

, and the

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

. However, illness prevented his timely start as a naval cadet until he was too old to do so, but, through family contacts, he was accepted into 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 infantry a ...

, where he graduated, alongside Thomas "Pat" Scott, on 30 August 1924 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 ...

in the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's). His first years of military service during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

consisted largely of regimental duties, serving with his regiment in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Among his fellow officers in the battalion, in addition to "Pat" Scott from Sandhurst days, was

Gerald Templer Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer, (11 September 1898 – 25 October 1979) was a senior British Army officer. He fought in both the world wars and took part in the crushing of the Arab Revolt in Palestine. As Chief of the Imperia ...

. Chavasse 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 sub ...

on 30 August 1926, and, due to the slow rate of promotion in peacetime, was only 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 3 October 1935. In May 1937 he was posted to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers, then serving in Malta, and was appointed

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 ...

, and he later served in

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 ...

during the

Arab revolt The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On t ...

. In January 1939 Chavasse returned to the United Kingdom where he 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 ...

, where Scott was among his fellow students.

Second World War

He had wartime service as Commanding Officer of 56th Reconnaissance Regiment (nicknamed "Chavasse's Light Horse"). 56 Recce fought in Tunisia as part of 78th Division and between 25 November and 10 December 1942 it operated east of Oued Med Jerga. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned and without effective air protection, 56 Recce dominated its area. This was attributed to Chavasse's "personal example, dash and daring" and consequently he was awarded his first Distinguished Service Order. 56 Recce stayed with 78th Division during the Italian campaign and at

Termoli Termoli (Neapolitan language, Molisano: ''Térmëlë'') is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly af ...

on 5 October, Chavasse led a mixed force consisting of part of his regiment, 3 Commando, a troop of the

Special Raiding Squadron The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

and an anti-tank battery; this force held an exposed position under heavy attack. Superior forces were held off during the day and, when ordered to withdraw, Chavasse extracted his force almost entirely. Once again, much was attributed to his leadership and he was awarded a Bar to his DSO, the citation praised his "exceptional leadership, coolness and devotion to duty" and stated that "his personal example was the mainspring of a gallant and effective defence which did much to ensure the successful outcome of the operations". As a temporary Colonel, he served briefly with 5th Army as British Deputy Chief of Staff and then returned to England to run the Reconnaissance Training Centre at Catterick. From March 1946 he served as GSOI with 6th Armoured Division at

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

. He commanded the Royal Irish Fusiliers' 2nd Battalion in December, a role he continued in Egypt and

until his retirement in 1947.

Retirement

Chavasse retired to a new family home, a farm in Co. Waterford. Once again, he displayed customary enthusiasm and action, and became an innovative farmer, pioneering methods new to his area. He was a founder member of the

Irish Farmers' Association The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) (Irish: ''Feirmeoirí Aontaithe na hÉireann'') is a national organisation to represent the interests of all sectors of farming in the Republic of Ireland. The IFA is Ireland's largest farming representative ...

and a prominent participant in local activities such as the West Waterford Hunt and the Dungarvan Show. He was a devout Christian and became the longest-serving

lay reader In Anglicanism, a licensed lay minister (LLM) or lay reader (in some jurisdictions simply reader) is a person authorised by a bishop to lead certain services of worship (or parts of the service), to preach and to carry out pastoral and teaching f ...

in Ireland, assisting with services, including the annual

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I a ...

service, throughout the diocese. He also represented his diocese at the 1963 World Anglican Conference in Toronto. He was a member of the Diocesan Council and the

General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly (Church of England), Church Assembly, is t ...

of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

Awards and decorations

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(11 February 1943) and

(10 February 1944) *

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 ...

(22 December 1940) * Officer of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(United States, 15 August 1946)

References

External links

British Army Officers 1939−1945The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavasse, Kendal 1904 births 2001 deaths Military personnel from County Waterford British Army personnel of World War II British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Irish Anglicans Officers of the Legion of Merit People educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne People from Waterford (city) Reconnaissance Corps officers Royal Irish Fusiliers officers Anglican lay readers Irish officers in the Royal Navy