Brigadier Charles Wilbraham Watson Ford (1896–1972) was a senior officer in the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was educated at

Cheltenham College Cheltenham College is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school opened in 1841 as a Church of England foundation and is known for its outstanding linguis ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and appointed to the Unattached List for appointment to the Indian Army on 16 December 1914. Ford was appointed to the

35th Sikhs The 35th Sikhs were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1887, when they were raised as the 35th (Sikh) Bengal Infantry. The regiment took part in the Siege of Malakand in 1897 and World War I. During ...

on 11 February 1915. He served in Mesopotamia from 2 October 1916 to 26 January 1918 and from 24 June 1918 to 19 January 1919. He was Mentioned in the Dispatches London Gazette on 27 August 1918. He served during the Afghanistan, North West Frontier 1919 operations and was wounded. Ford transferred to the 5th battalion

11th Sikh Regiment The 11th Sikh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.S ...

on 1 February 1922 and rose to be appointed Lieut-Colonel commanding on 2 May 1938. He was appointed acting then temporary Colonel from 9 May 1941 to 1 November 1943. He was also appointed acting then temporary Brigadier from 9 May 1941. He was a Brigade commander from 9 May 1941 to 29 July 1942. As part of Paiforce (formerly

Iraqforce Iraqforce was a British and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II. Background During World War I, the British Army defeated the Otto ...

), Ford commanded the

19th Indian Infantry Brigade The 19th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in 1 October, 1940 at Old Delhi in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. In August 1941, they took part i ...

of the Indian 8th Infantry Division during the

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, also known as the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia, was the joint invasion of the neutral Imperial State of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in August 1941. The two powers announced that they wo ...

. He was Mentioned in the Dispatches London Gazette on 17 December 1942 for gallant and distinguished services in Waziristan as Lt-Col. Ford was promoted to colonel on 2 November 1943 with seniority from 2 May 1941. He retired colonel (honorary brigadier) on 1 September 1947.London Gazette 10 October 1947 He died in

Battle, Sussex Battle is a town and civil parish in the district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies south-east of London, east of Brighton and east of Lewes. Hastings is to the south-east and Bexhill-on-Sea to the south. Battle is in the designated ...

, on 13 October 1972.

Command history

* 1938–1940: Commanding officer, 5th battalion 11th Sikh regiment,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

* 1941–1942: Commanding officer, 19th Indian Brigade,

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

References

1896 births 1972 deaths Indian Army personnel of World War II British Indian Army officers People educated at Cheltenham College People from Staindrop Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Military personnel from County Durham British brigadiers {{UK-army-bio-stub

Command history

See also

References