Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

George Noble Molesworth, (14 July 1890 – 1968) was an

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," fro ...

commissioned into the

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 ...

serving in India. He saw active service in the

Third Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War was a short war which began on 3 May and ended on 8 August 1919. The new Amir of the Emirate of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan declared a Jihad against the British in the hope to proclaim full independence, as well as ...

, later transferred to 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 ...

and rose to oversee

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

and to be Deputy Chief of General Staff of Army Headquarters India. He also served as

Military Secretary to the India Office A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a di ...

Military career

George Noble Molesworth was born on 14 July 1890, the eldest son of Henry B. Molesworth and grandson of Sir Guilford Molesworth. He was educated at

Bradfield College Bradfield College is a coeducational public school (independent boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18, in the village of Bradfield, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It is noted for its open-air Greek theatre and its trien ...

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 ...

. Molesworth was commissioned into the

Somerset Light Infantry The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Som ...

as a second lieutenant in March 1910. After this time he served in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

North China North China () is a list of regions of China, geographical region of the People's Republic of China, consisting of five province-level divisions of China, provincial-level administrative divisions, namely the direct-administered municipalities ...

and

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 ...

. He served during 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 India with his battalion, and served as Adjutant of the 2nd Battalion from 1916 to 1919. He saw action during the

, where he was

Mentioned 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 ...

. He also served as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Army Headquarters India during 1919 and 1921 and in 1924, and was made Brigade Major in 1925. Between the years 1926 and 1927 he served as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at Army Headquarters India. After attending 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 1921 to 1922, Molesworth transferred to 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 ...

and the 1st battalion

15th Punjab Regiment The 15th Punjab Regiment was a infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947 and of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1956. Following its allotment to Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947, it was amalgamated in 1956 with ...

in 1927. He served as instructor at the Staff College, Quetta, from 1929 to 1933.George Noble Molesworth at Generals.dk
/ref> He was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel in 1932. Two years later, in 1934, was appointed to commanded the 4th Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment; he also 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 ...

in 1935. From October 1936 to September 1938, Molesworth served as deputy director of Military Operations and Intelligence at Army Headquarters India, before being promoted to Director of Military Operations and Intelligence in September 1938. He served in this position until May 1940 before becoming Deputy Chief of General Staff at Army Headquarters India, a role he held until April 1943.October 1942 Indian Army List From July 1943 to December 1944 he served as

; he retired in February 1945. Molesworth was Colonel of the 4th Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment from 1941 to 1960. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

in 1941, an

Officer 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 1950 and advanced to

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 1958.

Family

In 1927 Molesworth married Marjorie Frances Simpson.

References

Bibliography

External links

Publications

*
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molesworth, George 1890 births 1968 deaths Academics of the Staff College, Quetta British Indian Army generals Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Afghan War Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Quetta Indian Army generals of World War II People educated at Bradfield College Somerset Light Infantry officers