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 ...

William Augustus Fitzgerald Lane Fox-Pitt, (28 January 1896 – 26 April 1988) 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 both the

First World War 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 ...

and

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 opposi ...

Early life

Fox-Pitt was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 28 January 1896, to Lieutenant Colonel W. A. Fox-Pitt, a soldier with the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

. For his education he attended Charterhouse School before following his father into the army, joining the

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. ...

in August 1914.

First World War and interwar career

Fox-Pitt sailed for France with the Cheshire Regiment in October 1914 before transferring to the newly formed

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...

the following year. While with the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

, he was wounded in the fighting at the

Hohenzollern Redoubt The Hohenzollern Redoubt () was a strongpoint of the German 6th Army on the Western Front during the First World War, at Auchy-les-Mines near Loos-en-Gohelle in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. Named after the House of Hohenzollern, ...

. Commanding a company at

Ginchy Ginchy () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Ginchy is situated on the D20 road, some northeast of Amiens. The graphic below shows the community in relation to nearby places. ...

on the Somme in 1916, he won a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

. The citation for the award stated: Fox-Pitt was injured once more during 1918. Remaining with the Welsh Guards after the war, Fox-Pitt commanded the regiment's 1st Battalion from 1934 to 1939, which was followed by command of the whole regiment.

Second World War and retirement

During the Battle of France, Fox-Pitt was made an acting brigadier and given command of the 20th Guards Brigade. It sailed to France with two battalions, to defend Boulogne. During the

Battle of Boulogne The Battle of Boulogne in 1940 was the defence of the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer by French, British and Belgian troops in the Battle of France during the Second World War. The battle was fought at the same time as the Siege of Calais, just befo ...

, the brigade held the town for two days before being evacuated. For his "leadership and personal example" during the battle, Fox-Pitt was awarded a

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, ty ...

. He then commanded the

5th Guards Armoured Brigade The 5th Guards Armoured Brigade was an armoured brigade of the British Army, a component unit of the Guards Armoured Division, that served in the Second World War in North-west Europe from June 1944 until May 1945. History This brigade was con ...

. He was then given the acting 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 ...

, and placed in command of the East

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

District in 1943. He reverted to his prior rank and was dispatched to Africa, where he commanded the 27th (N Rhodesia) Infantry Brigade. From 1945 to 1947, Fox-Pitt was aide-de-camp to King George VI, granted the honorary rank of major general, and

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

from the army.

Later life

Fox-Pitt was a member of HM Bodyguard of the Honourable Corp of Gentlemen-at-Arms between 1947 and 1966 and was also

Standard Bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...

from 1961 to 1963. He was also appointed Deputy Lieutenant for

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

in 1957. An enthusiastic hunter, Fox-Pitt enjoyed

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and was chair of the

Blackmoor Vale The Blackmore Vale (; less commonly spelt ''Blackmoor'') is a vale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England. Geography The vale is part of the Stour valley, part of t ...

hunt. He died at the age of 92 and his ashes were interred at Caundle Marsh,

.''Ancestry.com. Dorset, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813–2010 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.''

References

External links

British Army Officers 1939–1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox-Pitt, William 1896 births 1988 deaths British Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Military Cross Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from London Welsh Guards officers Cheshire Regiment soldiers British Army brigadiers of World War II British Army major generals