16 Facts About Henry Willcox

Lieutenant General Sir Henry Beresford Dennitts Willcox KCIE CB DSO MC was a British Army officer who served during World War I and World War II.

Henry Willcox was posted to the regiment's 2nd Battalion, then stationed in Sheffield.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Henry Willcox's battalion, serving as part of the 18th Brigade of the 6th Division, was sent to the Western Front, landing at St-Nazaire, France on 11 September.

Henry Willcox was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant on 21 October 1914 and awarded the Military Cross on 18 February 1915.

Henry Willcox was promoted to the temporary rank of captain on 1 May 1915, relinquishing this rank on 14 December.

Henry Willcox served ultimately as a staff officer with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in 1917.

Henry Willcox was attached to headquarters on 9 November 1917.

Henry Willcox relinquished this post and rank on 1 July 1918 and was reappointed in the same rank and position on 1 March 1919.

Henry Willcox served initially in Home Forces, then at Aldershot, in Mesopotamia and Iraq, then at Southern Command and finally attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1925 to 1926.

Henry Willcox relinquished his position of brigade major on 5 December 1922, and was appointed a GSO3 on 21 January 1927.

Henry Willcox served in World War II, leading his brigade overseas to France in mid-September 1939, shortly after the war began, as part of General Lord Gort's British Expeditionary Force.

On 19 November after handing over command of the 13th Brigade to Miles Dempsey, who had been one of his students at the Staff College, Camberley in the early 1930s, Henry Willcox was ordered to return to England and, promoted to the acting rank of major general on 21 November, was made inspector of infantry at the War Office, responsible for the training of the infantry of the British Army.

Henry Willcox held this post until 18 June 1940, handing over to Major General Charles Loyd, when he was given command of a division, becoming GOC of the 42nd Infantry Division in succession to Major General William Holmes, of the East Lancashire Regiment, who was promoted to command X Corps.

Henry Willcox remained with the 42nd Division until late April 1941 when, after handing over the division to Major General Eric Miles, he was promoted to the rank of acting lieutenant general on 12 May and became GOC of I Corps, succeeding Lieutenant General Laurence Carr.

Henry Willcox was then sent to India to become GOC Central Command, India and, in 1944, he became Chairman of the Indian Army Reorganisation Committee, set up to consider India's postwar needs.

Henry Willcox was colonel of the Sherwood Foresters from February 1946, when he took over from Lieutenant General Sir Douglas Brownrigg, until 1947.