James Bowes-Lyon
British Army general (1917–1977)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major-General Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon, KCVO, CB, OBE, MC & Bar (19 September 1917 – 18 December 1977) was a senior British Army officer who served as commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1968 to 1970.[1]
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Sir James Bowes-Lyon | |
|---|---|
Bowes-Lyon in 1967 | |
| Born | 19 September 1917 Chelsea, London, England |
| Died | 18 December 1977 (aged 60) Northumberland, England |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Service years | 1938–1973 |
Rank | Major-General |
| Service number | 74591 |
| Unit | Grenadier Guards |
| Commands | London District Household Division British Forces in Berlin 52nd Lowland Division District 157th Lowland Brigade 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards |
Conflicts | Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross & Bar |
Early life and education
Bowes-Lyon was born in Chelsea, London, the son of Captain Geoffrey Francis Bowes-Lyon, grandson of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Frances Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. He was thus a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. His mother was Edith Katherine Selby-Bigge, daughter of Sir Amherst Selby-Bigge, 1st Baronet.[2] He was educated at Eton College and Sandhurst.[1]
Military career
Bowes-Lyon was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1938,[3] and served in the Guards Armoured Division during the Second World War.[3] In 1955 he became commandant at the Guards Depot and in 1957 he was made commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards.[3] He was appointed Military Assistant to Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, in 1960 and commander of the 157th Lowland Brigade in 1963.[3]
Bowes-Lyon went on to be General Officer Commanding 52nd Lowland Division District in 1966 and commandant of the British Sector in Berlin in 1968.[3] In 1971 he was appointed Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District.[3] He retired in 1973.[3]
Personal life
Bowes-Lyon married Mary de Trafford, daughter of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet. The couple had three children, two sons, John[4] and David, and a daughter, Fiona. The family lived at Sennicotts in West Sussex.[5] He was a Gentleman Usher to the Royal Household.[6]