Frank Messervy
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General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Sir Frank Walter Messervy, (9 December 1893 – 2 February 1974) was a
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 ...
officer in the First and
Second World War 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 ...
s. Following its independence, he was the first
commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (abbreviation: C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) was the professional head of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1972. As an administrative position, the appointment holder had main operational command autho ...
from August 1947 to February 1948. Previously, he had served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command,
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 ...
in 1946 and 1947.


Early life

Messervy was born in Trinidad on 9 December 1893, the oldest child of Walter John Messervy (born in
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
in the English Channel), a bank manager in the colony (and later England) and his wife Myra Naida de Boissiere from Trinidad.


Early career

Sent to England from Trinidad, Messervy was initially educated at
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
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 ...
, and was commissioned into the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
in January 1913 and in 1914 joined 9th Hodson's Horse. which later became part of the 4th Duke of Cambridge's Own Hodson's Horse. He would see action in the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
in France,
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and
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
from 1914 to 1918. He later served in
Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...
in 1919. 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 1925 to 1926, Messervy was appointed as an instructor at the
Staff College, Quetta The Command and Staff College Quetta is a staff college for the Pakistan Armed Forces and military officers from allied countries. Established in 1905 as Staff College, Deolali, it was later shifted to its present location in 1907 and has been a ...
from 1932 to 1936, where
Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the ...
was among his fellow instructors. He was made commanding officer of the 13th Duke of Connaught's's Own Lancers, then in
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
, during 1938 and 1939.


Second World War


East Africa

In September 1939, Messervy was promoted to colonel and became a General Staff Officer Grade 1 (GSO1) of the 5th Indian Infantry Division, which was about to be formed at
Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...
. In mid-1940, the division was sent to the
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
to counter the threat from the Italian forces based in
Italian East Africa Italian East Africa (, A.O.I.) was a short-lived colonial possession of Fascist Italy from 1936 to 1941 in the Horn of Africa. It was established following the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, which led to the military occupation of the Ethiopian ...
. Messervy was appointed commander of ''Gazelle Force''. Created on 16 October 1940, it was a mobile reconnaissance and strike formation of expanded battalion size created from elements of 5th Indian Division. During the ensuing East African campaign, Messervy commanded ''Gazelle Force'' with notable success, latterly attached to the Indian 4th Infantry Division. By 13 February 1941, the campaign had become static and Messervy's formation was disbanded. In early March 1941, Messervy was promoted acting brigadier to command the Indian 5th Infantry Division's 9th Indian Infantry Brigade and played a significant role in the third Battle of Keren during the second half of March 1941. His promotion was in part related to his actions during the advance from
Kassala Kassala (, ) is the capital of the state of Kassala (state), Kassala in eastern Sudan. In 2003 its population was recorded to be 530,950. Built on the banks of the Mareb River, Gash River, it is a market city and is famous for its fruit gardens. ...
through
Agordat Agordat (also spelled Akordat or Ak'ordat) is a city in Gash-Barka, Eritrea. It was the capital of the former Barka Province, which was situated between the present-day Gash-Barka and Anseba regions. History Agordat was historically a key ce ...
to the early fighting at Keren during February. When Major-General Noel Beresford-Peirse, then commander of the 4th Indian Infantry Division, was promoted to command XIII Corps in
North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
Messervy, a brigadier for only six weeks, was appointed to take his place. He was promoted to the acting rank of major general as a result of his new appointment.


Western Desert – North Africa

left, Messervy, unshaved, giving orders south-west of Gazala. Messervy took his division to North Africa in April 1941, taking part in
Operation Battleaxe Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June 1941) was a British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces. It was the first time during the war that a signific ...
in June. During
Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert campaign during World War II by the British Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) against the Axis forces (German and ...
in November that year, 4th Indian Division, dug in on the Egypt–Libya border, played a key role in repelling Rommel's tanks after they had defeated the British armour at Sidi Rezegh. The division's battle groups took part in the Eighth Army's pursuit when Rommel withdrew from his defensive positions at Gazala in December, ending the year at
Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...
. In early January 1942 Messervy had received orders to depart for India where he would assume command of the 31st Indian Armoured Division. He was instead appointed to replace Major General Herbert Lumsden, the wounded commander of the 1st Armoured Division which had recently arrived in the desert. During Rommel's attack from El Agheila in late January 1942, the division was outmatched by the Axis armour and heavily defeated. Upon Lumsden's return in March, Messervy was moved to command the 7th Armoured Division ("The Desert Rats") which had just lost its newly appointed commander, Major General Jock Campbell, who had been killed in a motor accident, shortly after being awarded the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
(VC). This made Messervy the only Indian Army officer to command a British Army division during the Second World War. When division HQ was overrun by the Germans at the start of the
Battle of Gazala The Battle of Gazala, also the Gazala Offensive (Italian language, Italian: ''Battaglia di Ain el-Gazala'') was fought near the village of Gazala during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, f ...
, Messervy was captured on 27 May 1942; but, removing all insignia, managed to bluff the Germans into believing he was a
batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
and escaped with other members of his staff to rejoin division HQ the following day. Messervy knew little about tanks and was not considered a great success commanding armoured divisions by his superiors. He was dismissed from command of 7th Armoured Division by Eighth Army commander
Neil Ritchie General (United Kingdom), General Sir Neil Methuen Ritchie, (29 July 1897 – 11 December 1983) was a British Army officer who served in the World War I, First and Second World Wars. During the Second World War he commanded the Eighth Army (U ...
in late June 1942 following the severe defeat the division had sustained at the Battle of Gazala. He transferred to Cairo as Deputy Chief of General Staff, GHQ
Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...
1942 and was sent to India a few months later to raise 43rd Indian Armoured Division as its commander. Originally intended for service in Persia, the division was disbanded in April 1943 when the threat to Persia was removed by the Soviet victory at
Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...
.


India and Burma

Much to his horror, Messervy was then made Director of Armoured Fighting Vehicles, General Headquarters, India, in 1943, where he argued successfully against the then prevailing view that anything other than light tanks could not be used in Burma. This was to have a significant impact in the next two years when medium tanks were used to telling effect against the Japanese. In July 1943, Messervy was appointed GOC of the
7th Indian Infantry Division The 7th Infantry Division is a war-formed infantry Division (military), division, part of the British Indian Army that saw service in the Burma Campaign. History The division was created on 1 October 1940 at Attock, under the command of Major-ge ...
, in succession to Major-General Thomas Corbett, which, although an improvement above his old position, was not initially greeted with much enthusiasm by the division's officers, who all admired Corbett. The division had been created some three years before Messervy's assumption of command and originally contained many professional soldiers in its ranks. However, many of these men had been, in the usage of the day, "milked" to help create other new units then being formed in the huge expansion of the Indian Army, with the situation being so severe that the division had at one point resembled a training formation rather than a combat division. This all changed in the summer of 1942 when serious training began to take place and which started to absorb the many lessons learned from fighting in the jungle and the Japanese. This would serve the division well when it did enter combat the following year. The division was sent to the
Arakan Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...
in Burma to join XV Corps in September. In the Japanese offensive in February 1944, despite having his headquarters overrun and scattered and his supply lines compromised, Messervy's brigades conducted a successful defence whilst being supplied by air (
Battle of the Admin Box The Battle of the Admin Box (sometimes referred to as the Battle of Ngakyedauk or the Battle of Sinzweya) took place on the southern front of the Burma campaign from 5 to 23 February 1944, in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. Japane ...
). After going on the attack in late February, 7th Indian Division was relieved in mid-March. In March 1944, Messervy lost two brigades sent to reinforce the hard-pressed defences at
Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...
and
Kohima Kohima (; Tenyidie: Kewhira ()) is the capital of the North East Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Kohima constitutes both a district and a municipality. The m ...
in India. By May, the whole division was back in the front line in the Kohima sector, fighting a key five-day battle at the Naga Village. It then advanced towards the
Chindwin river The Chindwin River (), also known as the Ningthi River (), is a river in Myanmar and is the largest tributary of the Irrawaddy River. Sources The Chindwin originates in the broad Hukawng Valley of Kachin State of Burma, roughly , where the Tanai, ...
, combining with Indian 20th Infantry Division to inflict a heavy defeat on the Japanese at Ukhrul. In December 1944, Messervy was appointed to command IV Corps, which he led in the 1945 offensive during which, he captured the key communications centre at
Meiktila Meiktila (; ) is a city in central Burma on the banks of Meiktila Lake in the Mandalay Region at the junctions of the Bagan- Taunggyi, Yangon- Mandalay and Meiktila-Myingyan highways. Because of its strategic position, Meiktila is home to Myanm ...
in Burma and advanced to
Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
between February and April. When Messervy returned from home leave hostilities had ceased. He was made Commander-in-Chief Malaya Command in 1945 after the Japanese surrender.


Pakistan and Kashmir

Close to the
Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
, Messervy was made General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, India from 1946 to 1947. Finally when
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
came into being on 15 August 1947, he was appointed as the
Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (abbreviation: C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) was the professional head of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1972. As an administrative position, the appointment holder had main operational command autho ...
. On 20 August, a letter signed by Messervy went out to all the brigade headquarters in northwest Pakistan, attaching plans for a certain Operation Gulmarg. According to the plan, 20 lashkars of Pashtun tribesmen were to be armed and trained in various brigade locations in northwest Pakistan for an armed invasion of Kashmir. The information leaked out, one of the letters having fallen into the hands of an Indian officer Major Onkar Singh Kalkat. Kalkat was put under house arrest, but he escaped and made his way to India. By the D-day of 22 October, when the attack was launched, Messervy was away in London, leaving General Douglas Gracey, the Chief of General Staff, as the Acting Commander-in-Chief On his return, he stopped in Delhi, where
Lord Mountbatten Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was ...
made him swear that he had not been asked for, nor had he provided, any help to the tribesmen. But within a week he was found providing arms and ammunition to the Pakistani invading forces. He complained to Governor George Cunningham of the NWFP that Mountbatten had gone over to the side of the "Hindus". Pakistani officers narrate that both Messervy and Gracey were involved in running the day-to-day operations of Pakistan's Kashmir War. Officers were loaned out for commanding the rebel forces and shown on records as being absent. Nevertheless, Messervy issued a statement on 12 November 1947, denying that any "serving Pakistan Army officers are directing operations in Kashmir", which was cited by Pakistan in the UN
Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
debates as proof of Pakistan's innocence. Messervy was relieved of his post on 15 February 1948, leading to his retirement on 22 August that year. He was granted the honorary rank of general. Later, he wrote an influential article on Kashmir in the ''Asiatic Review'', where he alleged that India had planned to militarily intervene in Kashmir several weeks before the event. He opined that if the pro-India National Conference party was allowed to hold power in Kashmir, India would likely win a
plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...
, but if Pakistan was allowed to hold on to the areas that it had captured, a Pakistan win was 'even more certain'. He had 'few doubts' as to which dominion most people of Kashmir would choose. Historian Gowher Rizvi states that influences of this kind persuaded the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
Philip Noel-Baker Philip John Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker, (1 November 1889 – 8 October 1982), born Philip John Baker, was a British politician, diplomat, academic, athlete, and renowned campaigner for disarmament. He carried the British team flag and won a s ...
to ensure that Pakistan's viewpoint was "not ignored" in the UN Security Council. Messervy died at home in the small village of Heyshott,ODNB 1871-1980: Messervy in the south of England, on 2 February 1974.


Family

In 1927 Messervy married Patricia Waldegrave Courtney daughter of Lt Col Edward Arthur Waldegrave Courtney. They had a daughter and two sons.


Career

* Commissioned into 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 ...
(1913) * Commissioned into the 9th Hodson's Horse (1914) *Brigade Major – (1928–1932) * Instructor (GSO2) at Command and Staff College,
Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
(1932–1936) * Commanding Officer, 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (1938–1939) * General Staff Officer 1, Indian Infantry Division, East Africa (1939–1941) * Commanding Officer ''Gazelle Force'',
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
and
Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
(1940–1941) * Commanding Officer, 9th Indian Brigade, Ethiopia (1941) * General Officer Commanding, Indian Infantry Division, North Africa (1941–1942) * General Officer Commanding, 1st Armoured Division, North Africa (1942) * General Officer Commanding, 7th Armoured Division, North Africa (1942) * Deputy Chief of the General Staff, HQ
Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...
(1942) * General Officer Commanding, Indian 43rd Armoured Division (1942–1943) * Director Armoured Fighting Vehicles, India (1943) * General Officer Commanding,
7th Indian Infantry Division The 7th Infantry Division is a war-formed infantry Division (military), division, part of the British Indian Army that saw service in the Burma Campaign. History The division was created on 1 October 1940 at Attock, under the command of Major-ge ...
, India (1943–1944) * General Officer Commanding, IV Corps, Burma (1944–1945) * General Officer Commander-In-Chief, Malaya Command (1945–1946) * General Officer Commander-In-Chief, Northern Command, India (1946–1947) *
Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (abbreviation: C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) was the professional head of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1972. As an administrative position, the appointment holder had main operational command autho ...
(1947–1948) * Retired (1948)


Promotions

*Second Lieutenant-22 January 1913 *Lieutenant – 22 April 1915 *Captain – 22 January 1917 **Acting Major – 23 November to 27 December 1918 **Brevet Major – 1 July 1929 *Major – 22 January 1931 **Local Lieutenant-Colonel – 1 September 1932 **Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel – 1 July 1933 *Lieutenant-Colonel – 10 April 1938 *Colonel – 19 April 1940 **Acting Major-General (Temporary Brigadier) – 14 April 1941 **Temporary Major-General – 14 April 1942 *Major-General – 17 April 1943 **Acting Lieutenant-General – 8 December 1944 *Lieutenant-General – 1 June 1945 **Acting General – 15 August 1947 *Honorary General – 1948


Notes


References


Bibliography

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External links


British Military History Biographies M
, - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Messervy, Frank 1893 births 1974 deaths Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian Army generals of World War II Commanders-in-Chief, Pakistan Army Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Recipients of the Legion of Merit People of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 Jersey people Academics of the Staff College, Quetta British expatriates in Pakistan People educated at Eton College British Indian Army generals