16 Facts About Charles Keightley

Charles Keightley was promoted lieutenant at the end of 1923 and captain in April 1932, having served three years as the regiment's adjutant.

Charles Keightley attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1935 to 1936, and after a staff posting was in October 1937 appointed a brigade major of a mechanised cavalry brigade in Egypt.

Charles Keightley was able to benefit from Hobart's tutelage for only a brief period and, having been promoted to the rank of major, he was appointed in December 1938 to be an instructor at the Staff College, Camberley.

Charles Keightley was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in July 1941.

Charles Keightley was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath for his services in Tunisia and was awarded the Legion of Merit by the United States government.

Charles Keightley was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in August 1944 and his success as a commander of both armoured and infantry divisions led to his promotion in August 1944 to acting lieutenant-general when he was given command of the British Eighth Army's V Corps, succeeding Lieutenant General Charles Allfrey, in Italy.

Charles Keightley commanded this corps during Operation Olive, the offensive on the Gothic Line in the autumn of 1944, and during the final spring offensive in April 1945, when it took a lead role in forcing the Argenta Gap.

In East Tyrol and Carinthia, Charles Keightley's army received the surrender of the "Lienz Cossacks" under their leaders Peter Krasnov, Kelech Ghirey, and Andrei Shkuro and the XVth SS Cossack Cavalry Corps under Helmuth von Pannwitz.

In mid-1945, Charles Keightley was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire and nominated to lead a proposed "Commonwealth Corps" during Operation Coronet, the second stage of Operation Downfall the plan for the invasion of Japan.

In 1946, Charles Keightley left Austria and reverted to his permanent rank of major-general, to become Director of Military Training at the War Office.

Charles Keightley was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath during his time in the post.

Also in 1953 Charles Keightley received the honorary appointment of Aide-de-Camp General to the Queen for a three-year tenure.

Charles Keightley held the honorary post of Colonel Commandant, Royal Armoured Corps, Cavalry Wing until April 1968.

In retirement Charles Keightley was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar, a post he held from May 1958 until October 1962 when he retired from the army a second time since his role as Commander-in-Chief, although not paid for out of the army's budget, had technically returned him to active duty.

Charles Keightley died in Salisbury, Wiltshire, at Salisbury General Infirmary on 17 June 1974, a week before his seventy-third birthday.

Charles Keightley was married to Joan Lydia Smyth-Osbourne of Iddlesleigh in Devon in 1932.