William Cubitt (British Army officer)
British Army general
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major General Sir William George Cubitt, KCVO, CBE, DL (born 19 February 1959[1]) is a former senior British Army officer who served as General Officer Commanding London District and Major-General commanding the Household Division from 2007 until his retirement in 2011.
Sir William Cubitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 (age 66–67) Kensington, London |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Service years | 1977–2011 |
Rank | Major General |
| Commands | London District Household Division |
Conflicts | Kosovo War Operation Banner |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Early life
The second of the three sons of Thomas Randall Cubitt and his wife Rachel Edith Capron, daughter of Lt.-Colonel G. T. H. Capron,[2] Cubitt was educated at Beechwood Park, Hertfordshire, Stowe School, and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated BSc in Agriculture.[1]
He is a member of a Norfolk landed gentry family, of Honing Hall, which was inherited by his father. The Cubitts are descended from Captain Thomas Cubitt of Honing (1760–1829).[3]
Career
Cubitt was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1977.[4] He transferred to the Irish Guards in 1998.[5] In 1999 he served in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services during the Kosovo War.[6] In 2004 he served in Northern Ireland and was advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services in the final stages of Operation Banner.[7]
Cubitt was promoted to major general and appointed Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District in 2007.[8] He relinquished this appointment on 29 June 2011 and was invested as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.[9]
Cubitt was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk for 2016–2017,[10] and in 2018 Sir Richard Jewson, Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, made him one of his Deputy Lieutenants.[11]
He is a farmer and landowner.[1]
Family
In 1990, Cubitt married Lucy Jane Pym, daughter of a fellow Irish Guards officer, Martin Hugh Pym, and a granddaughter of Alexander Ruthven Pym; they have a daughter, Charlotte Mary Cubitt, and two sons, James William Cubitt and Edward George Cubitt.[2]
Honours
- 2000: Officer of the Order of the British Empire[1]
- 2005: Commander of the Order of the British Empire[1]
- 2008: Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Irish Guards (an honorary position), succeeding Major-General Sir Sebastian Roberts[12]
- 2011: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order[1]