Major-General Robert Francis Brydges Naylor, (6 October 1889 – 23 December 1971) was a general officer in 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 ...

. During 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 ...

he was Major-General in charge of Administration 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 ...

from 1939 to 1941, Deputy Quartermaster-General from 1941 to 1943, Vice Quartermaster-General from 1943 to 1944, and Commander of the Line of Communications of the

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established ...

in the

North-West Europe Campaign of 1944–45 North-West Europe 1944–1945 is a battle honour (more properly known as an honorary distinction) earned by regiments of the British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War that took part in the actions of the northern part of the war's We ...

Biography

Robert Francis (Frank) Brydges Naylor was born on 6 October 1889, Son of Charles Topham Naylor. He was educated at

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

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 as a second lieutenant in the

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot a ...

on 18 September 1909. 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 1 April 1910. The 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, with whom Naylor was serving, garrisoned

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

from February 1911 until January 1913. He was seconded to the

Royal Engineers Signal Service The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

on 1 October 1912. During the

Great 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 ...

Naylor served on the Western Front, 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 ...

seven times, and 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 was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 26 May 1915, and acting

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 15 March 1917, but relinquished the rank on ceasing to command a divisional signals company in November 1917. However, he was promoted to honorary major on 1 January 1918, and acting lieutenant colonel on 12 May 1918 as assistant director of signals at BEF GHQ. He was admitted to the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

in the

1919 Birthday Honours The 1919 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

. After the war ended, Naylor relinquished his rank of lieutenant colonel on 29 March 1919, and reverted to his substantive rank of captain. When the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

was formed in 1920, he transferred to the new corps with the rank of captain, backdated to 26 May 1915. He attended 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 ...

, in 1921-22, and was

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 Signals Training Centre from 1923 to 1925. He was promoted to the substantive rank of major on 20 November 1924. He then served in Malta from 1925 to 1927. On 20 October 1927, he married Lady Mary Millicent Rachel Byng, the daughter of Edmund Byng, 6th Earl of Strafford. They had two sons and a daughter. Naylor served with the

West African Frontier Force The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In 1928, it received royal recognit ...

from 1928 to 1931. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel again on 15 February 1931, and commanded the 3rd Division Signals Company at

Bulford Bulford is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Wiltshire, England, near Salisbury Plain. The village is close to Durrington, Wiltshire, Durrington and about north of the town of Amesbury. The Bulford Camp army base is sep ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

from 1931 to 1935. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

on 15 February 1935. He was chief staff officer at

Scottish Command Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is a Command (military formation), command of the British Army. History Early history Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of Anglo-French War (1793–180 ...

in 1936 and 1937, and

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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

in charge of administration at Western Command from 1938 to 1939. During the

he was Major-General in charge of Administration at the

from 1939 to 1941, Deputy Quartermaster-General from 1941 to 1943, Vice Quartermaster-General from 1943 to 1944, and Commander of the Line of Communications of the

in the

. He was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in the

1942 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1942 were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 5 June 1942 for the United Kingdom and Canada. The re ...

in June 1942. Naylor became GOC

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that saw distinguished service in the Second World War. Pre-war, the division was part of the Territorial Army (TA) and the two ''Ts'' in the divisional in ...

and the Northumbrian District in 1945 and served until he retired from the Army in 1946. He remained colonel of the Royal Signals until 1953. He died on 23 December 1971.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naylor, Frank 1889 births 1971 deaths British Army major generals Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army generals of World War II British Army personnel of World War I South Staffordshire Regiment officers Royal Corps of Signals officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order People educated at Charterhouse School Recipients of the Military Cross Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley