Major-General William Green, (1 August 1882 – 4 December 1947) was a senior officer in the British Army.

Early life

William Green was born on 1 August 1882, son of Colonel Sir William Green, (1836–1897)."Green, Major-General William"
''Who Was Who'' (online edition), April 2014 (Oxford University Press). Retrieved 17 March 2016. In 1914, he married Lesley Kathleen, daughter of Guy Hannaford;"Maj.-Gen. W. Green", ''Times'' (London), 5 December 1947, p. 7 they had one daughter.

Military career

Following schooling at Fettes College, Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Green was commissioned 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 ...

in the Black Watch on 11 August 1900. Promoted to lieutenant on 12 November 1901, he served with the 1st battalion in the Second Boer War between 1901 and 1902, earning the Queen's Medal with clasps 15, 16, 25, 26. He stayed in South Africa until the war ended in June 1902, and returned home on the SS ''Kinfauns Castle'' in October that year. In November 1907, 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 ...

and between May 1908 and February 1912, he was an adjutant in the Territorial Force.
The Half-Yearly Army List: January 1939
', 1939 (London: His Majesty's Stationery Office), p. 52–53 Green served in World War I, and was posted in France and Belgium three times (August to October 1914, December 1914 to May 1915, and April 1916 to November 1918). Promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 1 September 1915, he was posted as the brigade major of the Home Forces between November 1915 and April 1916. He was then transferred to the 9th Battalion of the Royal Scots as a temporary major, before promotion to be temporary lieutenant-colonel two months later. He was a brigade commander in France from 15 April 1918. Green had been wounded twice during the War, and was mentioned in despatches five times. He received the Distinguished Service Order with two bars, the Belgian War Cross and the French Legion of Honour (4th Class).Neill Gilhooley, ''A History of the 9th (Highlanders) Royal Scots'', Pen & Sword Military (2019) On New Years Day 1919, Green was promoted to

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. After completing a two-year course at 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 ...

in 1920, he was appointed a

general staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

in the Defence Force (April to July 1921) and then the

London District London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...

(July 1921 to December 1922). On 1 January 1923, he was appointed an instructor at the Senior Officers School in

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

, where he stayed until September 1925. From 1928 to 1931 he commanded the 2nd Battalion of the Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire). On 2 February 1928, he was promoted to substantive lieutenant-colonel, and on 1 July 1931, he was promoted to colonel (with seniority from 1 January 1923) and appointed a general staff officer with the Southern Command. Having served there for two years, he was appointed a brigade commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade on 21 July 1933. He was promoted to major-general on 1 March 1935 and went on half-pay in June of that year, but returned to full pay in March 1938, when he was appointed a commander of the South-Western Area. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1937 and retired from the army in 1940, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, and died on 4 December 1947, at the age of 65, in

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

, Hampshire.

Freemasonry

Green was a Scottish Freemason having been Initiated in The Lodge of Holyrood House (St Luke's), No.44, (Edinburgh, Scotland) o 16 March 1908.

Likenesses

*
William Green
' by

Bassano Ltd Alexander Bassano (10 May 1829 – 21 October 1913) was an English photographer who was a leading royal and high society portrait photographer in Victorian London. He is known for his photo of the Earl Kitchener in the ''Lord Kitchener Wants Yo ...

, 28 February 1928. Whole-plate glass negative. National Portrait Gallery, London (Photographs Collection, NPG x124259; given by Bassano & Vandyk Studios, 1974). *
William Green
' by Walter Stoneman, 1935. Bromide print, 7 ¹/₂ in. x 4 ⁵/₈ in. (189 mm × 116 mm). Commissioned, 1935. National Portrait Gallery, London (Photographs Collection NPG x167947).

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, William 1882 births Scottish Freemasons 1947 deaths Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army generals of World War II British Army personnel of World War I Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Black Watch officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War People educated at Fettes College British Army major generals Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order