Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

The Hon. Sir William Edward Rous (23 February 1939 – 25 May 1999) 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 as

Quartermaster-General to the Forces The Quartermaster-General to the Forces (QMG) is a senior general in the British Army. The post has become symbolic: the Ministry of Defence organisation charts since 2011 have not used the term "Quartermaster-General to the Forces"; they simply ...

Early life and education

Rous was the second son of Hon. Keith Rous and Pamela Catherine Mabell Kay-Shuttleworth, only daughter of Capt. Hon. Edward James Kay-Shuttleworth (1890–1917). His mother was the granddaughter of

Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baron Shuttleworth Ughtred James Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baron Shuttleworth, (18 December 1844 – 20 December 1939), known as Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, Bt, between 1872 and 1902, was a British landowner and Liberal politician. He was Under-Secretary of ...

and sister of the 4th Baron. His parents divorced in 1940 after five years of marriage. His father remarried, in 1943, to April Mary Asquith, daughter of Brig-Gen. Hon.

Arthur Asquith Brigadier General The Honourable Arthur Melland Asquith, (24 April 1883 – 25 August 1939) was a senior officer of the Royal Naval Division, a Royal Navy land detachment attached to the British Army during the First World War. His father, H. H ...

, and had one more son and four daughters. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

. In 1983, his father succeeded his elder brother,

John Rous, 4th Earl of Stradbroke John Anthony Alexander Rous, 4th Earl of Stradbroke, KStJ (1 April 1903 – 14 July 1983), was a British nobleman, the son of George Rous, 3rd Earl of Stradbroke. He was styled Viscount Dunwich from birth until acceding to the earldom in 1947. ...

, as the 5th Earl of Stradbroke but lived only four days as earl (14 July 1983 – 18 July 1983) before his own death.

Military career

Rous was commissioned into the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

in 1959. He was appointed General Officer Commanding 4th Armoured Division in 1987 and then selected to be

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of 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 1989. In 1991, he was appointed Military Secretary and in 1994 he went on to be

. He retired in 1996. He was also

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the

Personal life

In 1970, Rous married Rosemary Persse, only child of Maj. Jocelyn Arthur Persse, and Joan Shirley (later Lady Carew Pole). They had two sons: James Anthony Edward (born 1972) and Richard William Jocelyn (born 1975). In 1998, he was appointed as Chairman of the British Greyhound Racing Board but resigned in 1999 following ill health. In retirement, he was

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

Kingston Hospital Kingston Hospital is an acute hospital in Kingston upon Thames, England. It is managed by the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. It has an Accident & Emergency Unit, a popular midwife-led Maternity unit, and an sexually transmitted infecti ...

. He died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in May 1999 and the cancer unit at the hospital is named after him.Kingston Cancer Unit
/ref>

References

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rous, William 1939 births 1999 deaths Military personnel from Norfolk People educated at Harrow School Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Officers of the Order of the British Empire British Army lieutenant generals Coldstream Guards officers Younger sons of earls Deaths from cancer in England Commandants of the Staff College, Camberley People in greyhound racing