Major-General Frederick George Beaumont-Nesbitt, (26 March 1893 – 14 December 1971) was a senior

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer. He served as a captain 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 ...

, and was Director of Military Intelligence from the start of the Second World War until December 1940.

Military career

Beaumont-Nesbitt was the son of Edward Beaumont-Nesbitt and Helen Thomas. He was 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

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

in 1912. He was promoted from second lieutenant to lieutenant on 5 August 1914, and to captain in 1915, then serving as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

at the Divisional Base Depot. From 3 November 1915 until 16 August 1916 he served as aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General

Richard Haking General Sir Richard Cyril Byrne Haking (24 January 1862 – 9 June 1945) was a senior British Army officer who is most notable for being the commander of XI Corps during the majority of the First World War. Arguments over the late release of Ha ...

, then in command of the 11th Army Corps, finally returning to his regiment on 16 September 1916. On 8 May 1917 he was seconded to the staff as a General Staff Officer, Grade 3, serving with the 4th Army. On 24 March 1918 he was appointed

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section direct ...

of the 3rd Guards Brigade. From February 1919 he served as the adjutant of a Dispersal Unit (overseeing the demobilization of conscripts), until on 29 May 1919 he was appointed a Staff Captain in the 2nd Guards Brigade. In December 1919 Beaumont-Nesbitt was awarded the

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

. He spent a year as an instructor in English at a French military school, before returning to his regiment in August 1921 to serve as adjutant until August 1922. In November 1922 Beaumont-Nesbitt was attached to the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

as a General Staff Officer, 3rd Grade, and was promoted to the rank of major on 2 February 1924. On 6 June 1924 he left the staff only to return on 1 September 1926, as a General Staff Officer, 2nd Grade, and served there until 1 September 1930. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 22 May 1932, and commanded the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, until 1935. On 1 February 1936 he was appointed

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

in Paris (as a General Staff Officer, 1st Grade, or GSO1, on

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the E ...

) with the

brevet rank In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

of colonel. He was promoted to colonel on 22 May 1936, with seniority backdated to 1 February. He was later made a

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

. He then attended the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

, where

Richard O'Connor General (United Kingdom), General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, (21 August 1889 – 17 June 1981) was a senior British Army Officer (armed forces), officer who fought in both the First World War, First and Second World Wars, and commanded the ...

was a fellow student. On 29 August 1938 Beaumont-Nesbitt was appointed the Deputy Director of Military Intelligence at the War Office, and granted the

temporary rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of La ...

of brigadier. On the day following the declaration of war, 4 September 1939, he was made an

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

major-general, and took over as Director of Military Intelligence after the former incumbent

Henry Pownall Lieutenant General Sir Henry Royds Pownall, (19 November 1887 – 10 June 1961) was a senior British Army officer who held several command and staff positions during the Second World War. In particular, he was chief of staff to the British Expe ...

was appointed Chief of Staff of the British Expeditionary Force. On 4 September 1940 he received the

of major-general. Beaumont-Nesbitt relinquished the position of DMI on 16 December 1940. On 15 January 1941 Beaumont-Nesbitt was re-granted the temporary rank of major general, to serve as a military attaché, and from 15 June 1941 as a member of the British Army Staff, in Washington DC. Between 1943 and 1945 he was on active service in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy, receiving a

mention in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

on 6 April 1944 for "gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East" and also being made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. In 1944 he was appointed an aide-de-camp to King George VI serving until September 1945. He ended the war as a liaison officer on the staff of Field Marshal

Harold Alexander Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (10 December 1891 – 16 June 1969), was a senior and highly decorated British Army officer who served in both of the world wars. ...

, Supreme Allied Commander Mediterranean. Beaumont-Nesbitt left the Army in late 1945, but remained in the Reserve of Officers until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60 on 24 March 1953. He was appointed a

Gentleman Usher Gentleman Usher and Lady Usher are titles for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. For a list of office-holders from the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 up to the present day see List of Lady and Gentleman Ushers. Gen ...

to the Queen in November 1959, and serving until April 1967. Major-General Beaumont-Nesbitt died on 14 December 1971.

Personal life

In 1915 he married Cecilia Mary Lavinia Bingham (1893–1920), the daughter of Major-General the Honourable Sir

Cecil Edward Bingham Major-General Sir Cecil Edward Bingham (7 December 1861 – 31 May 1934) was a British Army officer who held high command during World War I. Military career Born the son of Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan,''Burke's Peerage and Baronet ...

. They had two children; David Frederick John Beaumont-Nesbitt, (1916–1972) and Audrey Helen Anne Beaumont-Nesbitt, (1919–2009). In 1928 he married the Honourable Ruby Hardinge (1897–1977), the daughter of Henry Charles Hardinge, 3rd

Viscount Hardinge Viscount Hardinge, of Lahore and of Kings Newton in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1846 for the soldier and Tory politician Sir Henry Hardinge. His son, the second Viscount, represented ...

, and they had three further children; June Rose Beaumont-Nesbitt (1929–), Dermot Beaumont-Nesbitt, (1931–2016), and Brian Beaumont-Nesbitt, (1932–).

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaumont-Nesbitt, Frederick George 1893 births 1971 deaths Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Grenadier Guards officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army generals of World War II Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross War Office personnel in World War II British Army major generals Military attachés for the United Kingdom Military personnel from Dublin (city)