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 ...

Sir Harold Augustus Wernher, 3rd Baronet, (16 January 1893 – 30 June 1973) was a British military officer.

Life and career

He was the second son of

Sir Julius Wernher, 1st Baronet Sir Julius Charles Wernher, 1st Baronet (9 April 1850 – 21 May 1912) was a German-born Randlord and art collector who became part of the English establishment. Life history Born in Darmstadt, Hesse, Wernher was the son of Elisabeth (Weidenbus ...

, and his wife, Alice Sedgwick Mankiewicz. He reached the rank of

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 ...

during

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 ...

, and he played an important role in coordinating the logistics of

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

Second World War

In September 1943, Sir Harold was appointed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill as Co-Ordinator of Ministry and Science Facilities (CMSF), in charge of overseeing the construction of all the Mulberry Harbour components. In 1948, he inherited the Wernher baronetcy from his elder brother, Sir Derrick Wernher (1889–1948), who had no male heir. He had previously inherited

Luton Hoo Luton Hoo is an English country house and Estate (land), estate near Luton in Bedfordshire and Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Most of the estate lies within the civil parish of Hyde, Bedfordshire. The Old English language, Saxon word wikt:hoo#Etym ...

after his father's death in 1912. He died in 1973 at Luton, Bedfordshire, and as he did not have any surviving male heir, the baronetcy became extinct. To avoid death duties, the Wernher estate donated the

Wernher Triptych The Wernher Triptych is an ivory Byzantine triptych carved in Constantinople between 900 and 1000 AD. History The triptych became part of the British Museum's collection in 1978, in lieu of taxes following the death of Sir Harold Wernher, son of ...

to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

.Triptych/religious/ritual equipment
britishmuseum.org; retrieved 10 December 2013.

Marriage and children

On 20 July 1917, he married Countess

Anastasia de Torby Lady Anastasia Mikhailovna Wernher (' Countess Anastasia Mikhailovna de Torby; 9 September 1892 – 7 December 1977) was a German-born Russian-British aristocrat and thoroughbred racehorse owner. She was the elder daughter of Grand Duke Micha ...

(9 September 1892 – 7 December 1977), the eldest child of

Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia (Russian: Михаил Михайлович; 16 October 1861 – 26 April 1929) was a son of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia and a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. He was raised in the C ...

and his

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

wife,

Sophie of Merenberg Countess Sophie Nikolaievna of Merenberg, Countess de Torby (1 June 1868 – 14 September 1927), was the elder daughter of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau and his morganatic wife, Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina (who had been granted the title of ...

, Countess de Torby. They had three children: *

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 ...

George Michael Alexander Wernher (22 August 1918 – 4 December 1942), killed in action during World War II at the age of 24. *

Georgina Wernher Georgina, Lady Kennard (''née'' Wernher; formerly Phillips; 17 October 1919 – 28 April 2011) was a British British aristocracy, aristocrat who was considered "one of the best connected women in the country." She was connected to many prominen ...

(17 October 1919 – 28 April 2011), married Lt.-Col. Harold Joseph Phillips (6 November 1909 – 27 October 1980) on 10 October 1944. They had five children, fifteen grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. She remarried Lt.-Col. Sir George Kennard, 3rd Bt., in December 1992. * Myra Alice Wernher (8 March 1925 – 29 July 2022), married Major Sir David Henry Butter (1920–2010), son of Colonel Charles Adrian James Butter, on 5 November 1946. Lady Butter is a Patroness of the

Royal Caledonian Ball The Royal Caledonian Ball is a ball held annually in London for the benefit of Scottish charities. With few exceptions, the Royal Caledonian Ball has been held annually since 1849, and is the oldest charity ball in the world. History The ball ...

Arms

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wernher, Harold Augustus 1893 births 1973 deaths British Army major generals Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom

Harold Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts a ...

British Army generals of World War II Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order English people of German descent 12th Royal Lancers officers Roehampton Trophy People from Central Bedfordshire District King Edward VII's Hospital English Jews