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 Ivo Lucius Beresford Vesey, (11 August 1876 – 19 February 1975) was a

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 who served as Chief of the General Staff in India from 1937 to 1939.

Military career

Born the second son of Major General George Henry Vesey and educated at Wellington College 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 ...

, Vesey was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Queen's Royal Regiment on 20 February 1897. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 20 October 1898. He served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

of 1899–1902, where he was wounded in the Battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899, and later served in the Natal from March to June 1900, including action at

Laing's Nek Laing's Nek, or Lang's Nek is a mountain pass, pass through the Drakensberg mountain range in South Africa, south of Charlestown, South Africa, Charlestown, at at an elevation of 5400 to . It is the lowest part of a ridge that slopes from Majub ...

in June. While in South Africa, he was acting

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 ...

of the 2nd Battalion of his regiment from 15 May to 29 November 1900. After peace was declared in May 1902, Vesey left South Africa on board the SS ''Bavarian'' and arrived in the United Kingdom the following month. In May 1904 he was appointed an

of his regiment. In August 1911 he was appointed a brigade major and in April 1914 he was appointed as a general staff officer, grade 2 at 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 ...

, taking over from Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Lord Loch. In November he became an assistant military secretary. Vesey later served 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 ...

, during which he was promoted to major in September 1915 brevet colonel in June 1918, and then became director of recruiting and organisation at the War Office in 1919. He was appointed director of organisation and staff duties at the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

in 1923, was promoted to major general in September 1928, and was placed on half-pay in May 1929. He became

general officer commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

of 48th South Midland Division in April 1930 and director of staff duties at the War Office in June 1931. He went on to be General Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Western Command, India in 1935, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Southern Command, India in March 1936 and Chief of the General Staff in India in 1937 before retiring in 1939. He served in the

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 ...

as a battalion commander in the Home Guard. He was also Colonel of the Queen's Royal Regiment from 1939 to 1945.

Family

In 1913, Vesey married Geraldine Foley; they had two sons.The Peerage.com
/ref> Ivo Vesey grave

Honours and awards

References

External links

Imperial War Museum Interview

Imperial War Museum Interview
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Vesey, Ivo 1876 births 1975 deaths British Army generals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Distinguished Service Order People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Queen's Royal Regiment officers British Home Guard officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II British recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Knights of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) British Army personnel of the Second Boer War People from Dorking Military personnel from Surrey Burials in Essex