Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Robert Harley Wordsworth CB, CBE (21 July 1894 – 22 November 1984) was a British Indian Army officer and an Australian politician.

Military career

Born in

Collarenebri Collarenebri is a town in north western New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire Local Government Area and is situated on the Barwon River approximately northeast of Walgett and south west of Mungindi on the Gwydir Hig ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Wordsworth was educated at North Sydney Grammar School. He was commissioned into the Australian Imperial Force on 27 August 1914October 1939 Indian Army List as an officer of 1st Light Horse Regiment. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Wordsworth served at Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine between May 1915 and November 1917Indian Army List Supplement 1941 and was mentioned in dispatches. After transferring to the Indian Army on 3 November 1917, he was appointed to the 16th Cavalry on 7 November 1917. He went on to serve in

Waziristan Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...

between 1919 and 1921 with his regiment which was amalgamated with the

13th Duke of Connaught's Lancers The 6th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. Previously, it was known as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse), and was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by amalgamati ...

in June 1921 to form the 13/16th Cavalry which itself was renamed the

6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers The 6th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. Previously, it was known as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse), and was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by amalgamat ...

in July 1922. Wordsworth was Adjutant and then a Squadron Commander with the regiment during the North West Frontier operations between 1930 and 1931. He was appointed commanding officer of the

on 11 June 1939. Wordsworth also served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In July 1940 he was appointed commander of the 1st Indian Armoured Brigade, which was renamed 251st Indian Armoured Brigade in October 1941, as part of 1st Indian Armoured Division, later renamed

31st Indian Armoured Division The 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, originally as the 1st Indian Armoured Division; it consisted of units of the British Army and the British Indian Army. When it w ...

. Promoted Acting Major-General on 28 March 1942, he was appointed commander of the 31st Indian Armoured Division in May 1942. As part of the British 10th Army, his division was stationed in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkme ...

in 1942. At that time, the British 10th Army was part Paiforce (formerly

Iraqforce Iraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II. Background During World War I, the British Army defeated the Ottoman Army in the Middle Eas ...

) under the Persia and Iraq Command. In December 1944 he was appointed Director of Armoured Fighting Vehicles, India. He was 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 contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1943, promoted to

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 6 June 1944 and appointed 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 care ...

in 1945.

Retirement

He retired to Australia in 1947 and became a farmer at Westbury in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. In 1949, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Liberal Senator for Tasmania. He was defeated in 1958. In 1962, he was appointed Administrator of Norfolk Island, serving until 1964. Wordsworth died in 1984. His son,

David Wordsworth David John Wordsworth (born 9 June 1930) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1971 to 1993. He served as a minister in the government of Sir Charles Court. Wordsw ...

, was a member of the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, Legislative A ...

.David John Wordsworth
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 22 May 2016.

References

Bibliography

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wordsworth, Robert Administrators of Norfolk Island Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Tasmania Members of the Australian Senate 1894 births 1984 deaths Military personnel from New South Wales Indian Army generals of World War II Indian Army personnel of World War I British Indian Army generals Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian politicians Australian military personnel of World War I People from New South Wales