Major-General Sir Randle Guy "Gerry" Feilden (14 June 1904 – 27 October 1981) was a general officer in the British Army. During the Second World War he was the Deputy Quartermaster General (DQMG) of the

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...

in the North-West Europe Campaign of 1944–45. After the war he became the Senior steward of the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...

. He is commemorated by the annual

Feilden Stakes The Feilden Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in mid-Apri ...

at Newmarket Racecourse.

Biography

Randle Guy Feilden was born on 14 June 1904, the son of Major Percy Henry Guy Feilden, the son of Lieutenant General

Joseph Feilden Lieutenant General Randle Joseph Feilden, (1824 – 19 May 1895) was a British Army officer, businessman and Conservative politician who represented several Lancashire constituencies. Feilden was born at Clifton, Bristol, the second son of Josep ...

and his wife the Honorable Dorothy Louisa Brand, the daughter of Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden. He had a younger brother, Cecil Henry Feilden, and a younger sister, Dorothy Priscilla Feilden. He was educated at Eton and the University of Cambridge. Feilden was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1925 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 ...

. He was nicknamed "Gerry" and was always referred to by this name. He was promoted to lieutenant on 14 December 1928. On 22 October 1929 he married Mary Joyce Ramsden, the daughter of Sir John Frescheville Ramsden, 6th Baronet. They had three children: Randle Joseph, Cecil Roderick and Andrew James Feilden. He was aide de camp to the general officer commanding the London District, Major General Bertram Sergison-Brooke, from 1 March 1934 to 1 October 1937, and as such participated in the

coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May 1937. ...

on 12 May 1937. 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 29 December 1936. After this appointment, he became

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 ...

of the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards. In 1939, Feilden became a staff captain, and then brigade major, on the staff of the 7th Guards Brigade, part of Major General

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and t ...

's 3rd Division. Montgomery had him transferred to his 3rd Division headquarters (HQ) staff as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General (DAQMG). After Montgomery assumed command of V Corps in July 1941, he brought Feilden onto his corps staff as Assistant Quartermaster General (AQMG). In 1941, Feilden became assistant adjutant and quartermaster general (AA&QMG) of the newly formed Guards Armoured Division. He was promoted to major on 14 December 1942. He then became Deputy Quartermaster General (DQMG) at Home Forces HQ. He was made an

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 ...

on 2 June 1943. When the

was formed in 1943, Feilden joined its staff as DQMG (Maintenance and Army Equipment). Since he was well known to Montgomery, he survived the purge of the staff when Montgomery took over in December 1943. As the Major General Administration (MGA),

Miles Graham Major-General Sir Miles William Arthur Peel Graham, (14 August 1895 – 8 February 1976) was a general officer in the British Army. During the Second World War he was the chief administrative officer of the Eighth Army in the North African Ca ...

, was usually with the Main 21st Army Group HQ, Feilden was normally the senior officer at the Rear 21st Army Group HQ. He was made 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 ...

on 28 September 1944, and was promoted to major general on 23 January 1945. A request from

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Lord Louis Mountbatten for Feilden to be posted to Allied Land Forces South East Asia was declined by Montgomery, and Feilden remained with 21st Army Group. For his services, Feilden 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 9 August and 8 November 1945, and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 24 January 1946. He also received foreign awards, including being made an officer of the United States

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 ...

on 13 March 1945, and a Grand Officer of the Netherlands Order of Orange Nassau with Swords on 14 May 1948. After the war, Feilden was Quartermaster General (QMG) of the British Army of the Rhine from 1945 to 1946, and then Vice QMG at the War Office from 1947 until his retirement from the Army in 1949. In 1952, Feilden became a steward of the

, and went on to become chief steward. He became a

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

in the

1953 Coronation Honours The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in ''The London Gazette'' on 1 June 1953.New Zealand list: The reci ...

. As senior steward he was responsible for the introduction of

starting stalls A starting gate also called a starting barrier or starting stalls is a machine used to ensure a fair start to in horse racing and dog racing. History Throughout the history of horse racing, there have been proposals as to how better to start ...

, and arranged for the Jockey Club to be given a royal charter in 1970 by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, the first to be granted to any sporting body. He was chairman of the Turf Board from 1965 to 1967, and became High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1971, and a deputy lieutenant on 24 January 1975. He lived at Old Manor House, Minster Lovell,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, where he died on 27 October 1981. An annual horse race, the

, was named in his memory in 1982.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feilden, Gerry 1904 births 1981 deaths British Army major generals Alumni of the University of Cambridge British Army generals of World War II Coldstream Guards officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy Lieutenants of Oxfordshire Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit High Sheriffs of Oxfordshire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau People educated at Eton College Horse racing administrators