Major General Vyvyan Evelegh, (14 December 1898 – 27 August 1958) was a senior officer of 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 ...

, commanding the 78th Infantry Division (otherwise known as the Battleaxe Division) and the 6th Armoured Division in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Early life and military career

After being educated at

Wellington College, Berkshire Wellington College is a co-educational public school providing education for boarding and day pupils in the village of Crowthorne, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,100 pu ...

and later passing out from 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 ...

, Evelegh was commissioned into the

as a second lieutenant in the

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd ( ...

(DCLI) on 1 May 1917, 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 ...

. He served on both the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and Italian Fronts with the 1st Battalion of his regiment, a

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

unit that was part of the 95th Brigade of the 5th Division. 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 November 1918, just ten days before the war came to an end on 11 November 1918. In 1919 Evelegh served with the Allied Relief Mission to North Russia during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, where he was wounded.

Between the wars

Remaining in the army during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, Evelegh 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 8 July 1927. He was appointed brigade major of the 130th (Devon and Cornwall) Infantry Brigade of the

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of Britain's Territorial Army (United Kingdom), Territorial Army (TA). The division was first formed in 1908, as the Wessex Division. During the World War I, First ...

, a Territorial Army (TA) formation, on 1 April 1935, then brigade major of the 6th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division on 23 May 1937 and seconded to the staff. He was brevetted to

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 1 July and promoted to the substantive rank of major on 14 October. Evelegh was brevetted to lieutenant colonel on 1 January 1939, relinquishing his appointment as brigade major on 16 April and was appointed a general staff officer grade 2 (GSO2) on 3 July.

Second World War

On the outbreak of the

in September 1939, Evelegh was promoted to war substantive lieutenant colonel. He saw active service during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), serving on the staff of II Corps, then commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Alan Brooke, and being made 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 ...

, for "distinguished services in the field", on 11 July 1940. Evelegh then served as an instructor at 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 ...

, was promoted to

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 ...

and commanded the 11th Infantry Brigade, part of the 4th Infantry Division, from January to November 1941, before returning to the Staff College to serve as assistant commandant. He was promoted to the permanent rank of

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 18 May 1942 (with seniority from 1 January) and on 13 June was promoted to the

acting rank An acting rank is a designation that allows military personnel to assume a higher military rank, which is usually temporary. They may assume that rank either with or without the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade, depending on the natu ...

of major general and the following day was appointed

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 ...

(GOC) of the newly created 78th "Battleaxe" Infantry Division. The 78th was being formed specifically for

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

, the Allied invasion of

French North Africa French North Africa (, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is a term often applied to the three territories that were controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In contrast to French ...

, scheduled for November 1942. Included in the 78th Division's composition was his former command, the 11th Infantry Brigade, now commanded by Brigadier Edward Cass. Evelegh commanded the 78th Division in North Africa as part of Lieutenant General Charles Allfrey's V Corps, itself part of Lieutenant General Kenneth Anderson's British First Army, seeing action throughout the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

, from November 1942 until the campaign's successful conclusion in mid-May 1943. He received a promotion to temporary major general on 13 June 1943. On 5 August 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 recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Tunisia" and soon after was granted permission to wear the insignia of a

Commander of the Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

, which had been conferred on him by the United States. Although initially held in reserve, Evelegh's 78th Division took part in the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

(codenamed Operation Husky), playing a notable role in the Battle of Centuripe, and in the early stages of the Italian campaign that followed in the wake of Husky. In December 1943, Evelegh exchanged commands with Major General Charles Keightley, the commander of the 6th Armoured Division, which had also fought in Tunisia. From 16 February to 18 March 1944, during the

Battle of Anzio The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II that commenced January 22, 1944. The battle began with the Allies of World War II, Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle, an ...

, he temporarily served as deputy commander of the US VI Corps under Major General John P. Lucas who was later replaced by Major General

Lucian Truscott General (United States), General Lucian King Truscott Jr. (9 January 1895 – 12 September 1965) was a highly decorated senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer, who saw distinguished Active duty, active service during World War ...

. On 23 March 1944 he was awarded 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 recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field". Evelegh returned to the command of the 6th Armoured upon its piecemeal arrival in Italy (the 1st Guards Brigade had already arrived in Italy in February) and commanded it during Operation Diadem, the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino. On 24 July 1944 he relinquished command of the 6th Armoured, due to a perceived poor performance, over to Major General

Gerald Templer Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer (11 September 1898 – 25 October 1979) was a senior British Army officer. He fought in both the world wars and took part against the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Pales ...

, to return to the United Kingdom to serve as Assistant Chief of the Imperial General Staff (ACIGS) from August 1944 to May 1945.

Postwar career

Evelegh was promoted to the substantive rank of major general on 29 December 1946 (with seniority from 19 July 1944). He served as GOC North-West District in 1947–1948 and then GOC 42nd (Lancashire) Division from March 1948 to October 1950 before retiring from the army on 13 November 1950. He was briefly recalled to the Active List to be specially employed between 2 April and 9 October 1951. Evelegh was

of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry from 1953 until his sudden death in 1958.

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

Generals of World War II
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Evelegh, Vyvyan 1898 births 1958 deaths Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry officers British Army generals of World War II Companions of the Order of the Bath Officers of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Commanders of the Legion of Merit Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army personnel of World War I People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire British Army personnel of the Russian Civil War British Army major generals Academics of the Staff College, Camberley Italian front (World War I)