Arthur Shortt
British Army general
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major General Arthur Charles Shortt, CB, OBE (2 April 1899 – June 1984) was a British Army officer who served as Director of Military Intelligence from 1949 to 1953.
Arthur Shortt | |
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| Born | 2 April 1899 |
| Died | June 1984 (aged 85) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Service years | 1916–1956 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Service number | 10886 |
| Unit | Royal Engineers |
| Conflicts | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire Mentioned in Despatches Legion of Honour (France) |
Military career
Shortt was commissioned into the Royal Engineers on 26 August 1916, during the First World War.[1] He served during the interwar period, where he was in charge of a company of Gentlemen Cadets at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich from January 1931.[2]
Shortt served in the Second World War as Director of Technical Training at the War Office from May 1943,[3] before seeing action in North-West Europe in 1944.[4] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in June 1945.[5]
Shortt became Director of Military Intelligence in December 1949,[6] in which role he regarded the British Army of the Rhine Intelligence Service "as the most important Field Agency on the Soviet Army anywhere".[7] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1951 New Year Honours,[8] and went on to be Head of the Joint Services Liaison Staff in Australia in September 1953 before retiring in April 1956.[9]