Major-General Robert Valentine Pollok CB

CBE 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 ...

DSO (1884–1979) was an Irish-born British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District.

Military career

After attending

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and the

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, Pollok was commissioned into the

15th Hussars The 15th The King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 19th Royal Hussars into the 15th/19th The King's Roya ...

in 1903. He was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of United Provinces in

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in 1908 and Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Australia in 1913. He served in

World War I 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 ...

with the Australian Forces in

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and then transferred to the Irish Guards in 1916. He became

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of 1st Bn Irish Guards in 1917. After the War 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 ...

from 1920–1921, was appointed Brigade Major for the 1st Guards Brigade at

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and then, in 1926, he was re-appointed

of 1st Bn Irish Guards. He was made

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the 1st Guards Brigade at Aldershot Command in 1931 and Commandant of the Senior Officer School at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

in 1935. He was appointed General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District in 1938 and GOC

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry division of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). The division was first formed in 1908, as the Wessex Division. During the First World War, it was broken-up and never served as a complete formatio ...

in July 1940. He was appointed a

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in July 1940 and retired in 1941.

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollok, Robert 1884 births 1979 deaths Military personnel from County Galway British Army major generals 15th The King's Hussars officers Irish Guards officers British Army generals of World War II British Army personnel of World War I Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Irish aviators Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Commandants of the Senior Officers' School, Sheerness People from County Galway People from Ballinasloe