Major-General Sir William Ernest Victor Abraham (21 August 1897 – 6 February 1980) was a

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 who served in India and Burma during the

Second World War 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 ...

. He was nicknamed 'WEVA'.

Early life and education

Sir William was born in Enniskillen and educated at Methodist College Belfast and the Royal College of Science, Dublin.

Military service

He visited Burma and India as a geologist from 1920 to 1937 with the

Burmah Oil Company The Burmah Oil Company was a leading British oil company which was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In 1966, Castrol was acquired by Burmah, which was renamed "Burmah-Castrol". BP Amoco (now BP) purchased the company in 2000. History ...

. Abraham also commanded the Upper Burma Battalion of the Burma Auxiliary Force from 1932 to 1937 as lieutenant-colonel. In 1940, 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 ...

, he rejoined the army as a second lieutenant in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

after the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

asked him to analyse the events in France. He then 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 ...

. He was awarded an

OBE 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 ...

and mentioned in dispatches twice for his service in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. His actions in

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resulted in him being appointed a

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 ...

in 1942. He was promoted to the acting rank of major-general in 1945. In 1945 Sir William was Comptroller General of Military Economy in India. His report, ''Summary of the economic developments in the Far East during the six months ending 30th June, 1944'' is held in the

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives The Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives (LHCMA) at King's College London was set up in 1964. The Centre holds the private papers of over 700 senior British defence personnel who held office since 1900. Individual collections range in size fr ...

, King's College London.

Later career

He worked as managing director of

until 1955. From 1962 until 1977 Sir William was national chairman of the

Burma Star Association The Burma Star Association is a British veterans' association for ex-servicemen and women of all services who served in the Burma Campaign of World War II. The criterion for membership is the award of the Burma Star for service in Burma during Wor ...

. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 1977 Queen's Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours List. He was elected as a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1936.

Personal life

Sir William married Susan Jeanette Bidwell in 1928. They had one son and two daughters. After Susan's death in 1965, Sir William married Rosemary Eustace. She died, aged 104, in 2019.Abraham
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References

Bibliography

External links

King's College London research guides.
1897 births 1980 deaths British Army major generals British Army generals of World War II Knights Bachelor Collections of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Geological Society of London People educated at Methodist College Belfast Royal Engineers officers Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy People from Enniskillen Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Military personnel from County Fermanagh {{British-Army-bio-stub