John Ponsonby (British Army officer)
Sir John Ponsonby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 March 1866 |
| Died | 26 March 1952 (aged 86) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1888–1928 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Coldstream Guards |
| Commands held | Madras District 5th Division 40th Division 2nd Guards Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches |
Major General Sir John Ponsonby, KCB, CMG, DSO (25 March 1866 – 26 March 1952) was a British Army officer who commanded the 5th Division during the last year of the First World War.
Military career[edit]
Born the son of Sir Henry Ponsonby and educated at Eton College, Ponsonby was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1888.[1] He served in Uganda from 1898 and was seconded for service in the Second Boer War in South Africa in March 1900, and attached to the Rhodesian Field Force.[2] He was again sent to South Africa in February 1902.[3][1]
Ponsonby fought in the First World War, initially as commander of the 2nd Guards Brigade from 1915 and then as General Officer Commanding (GOC) 40th Division from 1917, leading his division at the Battle of Cambrai.[4] In July 1918 he went on to become GOC 5th Division, remaining in that role until the end of the war.[4]
After the war Ponsonby became GOC Madras District of India.[4] He retired from the army in 1926.[5]
Family[edit]
In 1935 Ponsonby married Mary (Mollie) Robley; they had no children.[4] He lived at Haile Hall near Beckermet in Cumbria.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Armorial families: a directory of gentlemen of coat-armour (Volume 2) by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, p. 132.
- ^ "The War – The Rhodesian Field Force". The Times. No. 36091. London. 16 March 1900. p. 6.
- ^ "No. 27413". The London Gazette. 4 March 1902. p. 1538.
- ^ a b c d e The Times, 20 May 2004.
- ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- 1866 births
- 1952 deaths
- Italian front (World War I)
- British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
- People educated at Eton College
- British Army generals of World War I
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Coldstream Guards officers
- Ponsonby family