William Green (British Army major-general)

Major-General William Green CB, DSO** (1 August 1882 – 4 December 1947) was a senior officer in the British Army.

Early life

William Green was born on 1 August 1882, son of Colonel Sir William Green, KCB, DL, JP (1836–1897).^[1][2] In 1914, he married Lesley Kathleen,^[1] daughter of Guy Hannaford;^[3] they had one daughter.^[1]

Career

Following schooling at Fettes College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst,^[1] Green was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Black Watch on 11 August 1900. Promoted to Lieutenant on 12 November 1901, he served in the Second Boer War between 1901 and 1902, earning the Queen's Medal with clasps 15, 16, 25, 26. In November 1907, he was promoted to Captain and between May 1908 and February 1912, he was an Adjutant in the Territorial Force.^[4]

Green served in World War I, and was posted in France and Belgium three times (August to October 1914, December 1914 to May 1915, and April 1916 to November 1918). Promoted to Major on 1 September 1915, he was posted as the Brigade Major of the Home Forces between November 1915 and April 1916. He was then transferred to the 9th Battalion of the Royal Scots as a temporary Major, before promotion to be temporary Lieutenant-Colonel two months later. He was a brigade commander in France from 15 April 1918. Green had been wounded twice during the War, and was mentioned in despatches five times. He received the Distinguished Service Order with two bars, the Belgian War Cross and the French Legion of Honour (4th Class).^[4]

On New Years Day 1919, Green was promoted to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel.^[4] After completing staff college training in 1920,^[1] he was appointed a General Staff Officer in the Defence Force (April to July 1921) and then the London District (July 1921 to December 1922). On 1 January 1923, he was appointed an instructor at the Senior Officers School in Woking, where he stayed until September 1925. On 2 February 1928, he was promoted to substantive Lieutenant-Colonel and on 1 July 1931, he was promoted to Colonel (with seniority from 1 January 1923) and appointed a General Staff Officer with the Southern Command.^[4] Having served there for two years, he was appointed a Brigade Commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade on 21 July 1933.^[1][4] He was promoted to Major-General on 1 March 1935 and went on Half-Pay in June of that year, but returned to full pay in March 1938,^[4] when he was appointed a Commander of the South-Western Area.^[1] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1937, retired in 1940 and died on 4 December 1947,^[1] in Farnborough, Hampshire.^[3]

Likenesses

• William Green by Bassano Ltd, 28 February 1928. Whole-plate glass negative. National Portrait Gallery, London (Photographs Collection, NPG x124259; given by Bassano & Vandyk Studios, 1974).
• William Green by Walter Stoneman, 1935. Bromide print, 7 ¹/₂ in. x 4 ⁵/₈ in. (189 mm × 116 mm). Commissioned, 1935. National Portrait Gallery, London (Photographs Collection NPG x167947).

References