General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Sir Daril Gerard Watson (17 October 1888 − 1 July 1967) was a senior

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," ...

who saw service during both

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Early life and military career

Born on 17 October 1888, Daril Watson was educated at

Mercers' School The Mercers' School was an independent school in the City of London, England, with a history going back at least to 1542, and perhaps much further. It was operated by the Worshipful Company of Mercers and was closed in 1959. History After the d ...

and, upon the outbreak of

in August 1914, enlisted into the

, joining the 10th Battalion,

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He was commissioned into the

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fu ...

the following year, serving with the regiment's 12th Battalion, and awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

(MC) in 1917, the same year of his marriage.

Between the wars

After attending the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which ...

from 1924 to 1925, he transferred to the

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd ( ...

(DCLI) in 1928, becoming

Commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latit ...

(CO) of the 1st Battalion, DCLI in 1934. In 1937 he was appointed

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the

Senior Officers' School, Belgaum The Senior Officers' School, Belgaum was a British military establishment established in 1920 for the training of senior officers of all services based in India in inter-service cooperation. History The School was originally intended for senior ...

in India. He saw service in

, initially as a

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

on the General Staff at Eastern Command and then moving on to the General Staff of III Corps.

World War II

He was appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 2nd Infantry Division in India in 1940 and Director of Staff Duties at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence (MoD ...

in 1941. In 1942 he was appointed

Assistant Chief of the Imperial General Staff The Assistant Chief of the General Staff and Army Chief of Staff is a senior role in the British Army. Responsibilities The Assistant Chief of the General Staff supports the Chief of the General Staff in his responsibilities, sets the conditions ...

(ACIGS) and then Deputy Adjutant General. In 1944 he moved on to be General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) for Western Command.

Postwar

Promoted to general on 17 August 1946, he became

Quartermaster-General to the Forces The Quartermaster-General to the Forces (QMG) is a senior general in the British Army. The post has become symbolic: the Ministry of Defence organisation charts since 2011 have not used the term "Quartermaster-General to the Forces"; they simply ...

in 1946 and retired in 1947.

Retirement

During retirement he became a member of the board of the

British Transport Commission The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the se ...

.Socialised Industries (Boards)
Hansard, 8 December 1949

References

Bibliography

External links

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Daril 1888 births 1967 deaths British Army generals of World War II British Army personnel of World War I British Transport Commission Commandants of the Senior Officers' School, Belgaum Commanders of the Legion of Merit Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry officers Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Highland Light Infantry officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People educated at Mercers' School People from Edmonton, London Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Fusiliers soldiers War Office personnel in World War II Military personnel from London