| Sir James Bowes-Lyon | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1917-09-19)19 September 1917 Chelsea, London, England |
| Died | 18 December 1977(1977-12-18) (aged 60) Northumberland, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1938–1973 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Service number | 74591 |
| Unit | Grenadier Guards |
| Commands | London District Household Division British Forces in Berlin 52nd Lowland Division District 157th Lowland Brigade 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross & Bar |
Major General Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon, KCVO, CB, OBE, MC & Bar (19 September 1917 – 18 December 1977) was a senior British Army officer who served as commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1968 to 1970.
Early life and education
Bowes-Lyon was born in Chelsea, London, the son of Captain Geoffrey Francis Bowes-Lyon, grandson of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Frances Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. He was thus a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. His mother was Edith Katherine Selby-Bigge, daughter of Sir Amherst Selby-Bigge, 1st Baronet. He was educated at Eton College and Sandhurst.
Military career
Bowes-Lyon was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1938, and served in the Guards Armoured Division during the Second World War. In 1955 he became commandant at the Guards Depot and in 1957 he was made commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards. He was appointed Military Assistant to Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, in 1960 and commander of the 157th Lowland Brigade in 1963.
Bowes-Lyon went on to be General Officer Commanding 52nd Lowland Division District in 1966 and commandant of the British Sector in Berlin in 1968. In 1971 he was appointed Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District. He retired in 1973.
Personal life
Bowes-Lyon married Mary de Trafford, daughter of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet. The couple had three children, two sons, John and David, and a daughter, Fiona. The family lived at Sennicotts in West Sussex. He was a Gentleman Usher to the Royal Household.
References
- ^ "Obituary: Maj-Gen Sir James Bowes-Lyon". The Times. 22 December 1977. p. 12.
- Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- ^ "Bowes-Lyon, Sir Francis James Cecil". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- "Royals mourning another death in family days after Queen Elizabeth's death". The News. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- "History". Sennicotts. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- "No. 46197". The London Gazette. 1 February 1974. p. 1395.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byHenry Leask | GOC 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division 1966–1968 |
Post disbanded |
| Preceded bySir John Nelson | Commandant, British Sector in Berlin 1968–1970 |
Succeeded byLord Cathcart |
| Preceded byLord Michael Fitzalan-Howard | GOC London District 1971–1973 |
Succeeded bySir Philip Ward |
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- 1917 births
- 1977 deaths
- Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- People from Chelsea, London
- Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- British Army major generals
- Grenadier Guards officers
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
- People educated at Eton College