General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir Henry Colville Barclay Wemyss, (26 April 1891 – 2 April 1959) was a senior

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

Adjutant-General to the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...

from 1940 to 1941.

Military career

Colville Wemyss (pronounced ''weems'') was born the son of Alexander Wemyss, he was educated at Bedford School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1910. He served in 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 ...

, being awarded the

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 ...

and

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 ...

. In 1920 he transferred to the newly formed Royal Corps of Signals. After attending the Staff College, Camberley from 1923 to 1924, in 1926 he became a General Staff Officer at 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 ...

and then in 1929 he was appointed an instructor at the School of Signals at Catterick. He left the School of Signals in 1932 to become a GSO at Northern Command at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. On 1 October 1935 he was promoted

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 o ...

and appointed an Assistant Adjutant General at the

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 ...

. He was a student at the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

between 18 January 1938 and January 1939. On completing the course, he was promoted

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 appointed as the Director of Mobilisation at the

on 9 January 1939. On 19 February 1940 he transferred to the post of Deputy Adjutant General to the Forces at the War Office. On 10 June 1940, he replaced General

Robert Gordon-Finlayson General Sir Robert Gordon-Finlayson (15 April 1881 – 23 May 1956) was a senior British military officer who was appointed Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1939. Military career Finlayson entered the British Army from the Suffolk Militia and ...

. He was promoted Acting

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 ...

on assuming the role. The increasing importance of the role of the United States in 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 opposi ...

led to United Kingdom government establishing a military mission to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

On 3 June 1941 Wemyss was appointed the Head of the British Army Mission to Washington. In January 1942, Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

decided to replace Wemyss in Washington with General Sir John DillWar Diaries 1939–1945 Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke so Wemyss returned to the United Kingdom. Wemyss was appointed Military Secretary to the Secretary of State for War on 16 June 1942. Wemyss was to remain in this key post for the rest of the war. He was promoted

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

on 15 October 1945 and retired from Army service on 23 November 1946. Wemys was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 11 July 1940 and advanced to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

on 14 June 1945. He was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 1 July 1941. In recognition of his links to the United States, on 23 July 1948, he was also awarded the Legion of Merit in the degree of commander.

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wemyss, Henry Colville Barclay 1891 births 1959 deaths Mauritian emigrants to the United Kingdom British Army generals British Army generals of World War II British Army personnel of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Legion of Merit Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Engineers officers Royal Corps of Signals officers People educated at Bedford School War Office personnel in World War II Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies