Brian Kimmins
Lieutenant General Sir Brian Charles Hannam Kimmins KBE CB DL (30 July 1899 – 15 November 1979) was a British military commander who served as the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District.
Sir Brian Kimmins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 July 1899[1] Hendon, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 15 November 1979 (aged 80) Taunton, Somerset |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division Northern Ireland District |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II Operation Banner |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath |
| Relations | Charles William Kimmins (father) Grace Kimmins (mother) Anthony Kimmins (brother) |
Military career
Kimmins was born in Hendon, Middlesex (now North London), the son of psychologist Charles William Kimmins and Dame Grace Kimmins. He was the older brother of Anthony Kimmins.[2]
Kimmins was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1917 during the latter phases of World War I.[3]
After the War he served in India and Egypt and became Aide-de-Camp to the High Commissioner for Egypt and the Sudan in 1928.[3] He became Adjutant at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1930 and Brigade Major for 147 Infantry Brigade in 1935.[3]
He served in World War II initially as a General Staff Officer with the British Expeditionary Force in France before becoming an instructor at the Staff College, Camberley in 1940.[3] He was appointed Deputy Director of Military Training at the War Office in 1941 and became a Brigadier on the General Staff of Southern Command in 1942.[3] He became Commander Royal Artillery for the Guards Armoured Division in 1943 and Director of Plans for South East Asia Command in 1944.[3] He was finally Assistant Chief of Staff at the Headquarters of the Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia in 1945.[3]
After the Second World War he became Chief of Staff at Headquarters Combined Operations in 1946 and Director of Quartering at the War Office in 1947.[3] He was appointed General Officer Commanding Home Counties District and GOC 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division in 1950 and Director of the Territorial Army and Cadets in 1952.[3] His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District in 1955.[3]
Kimmins retired in 1958.[3] He died at the Somerset Nuffield Hospital in Taunton on 15 November 1979, leaving a wife and three children.[4]
Bibliography
- At Your Service - a belated autobiography of Lieutenant General Sir Brian Kimmins KBE CB DL, Foreword by Field Marshal Lord Guthrie GCB LVO OBE DL
References
- England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007; General Register Office
- Brian Kimmins at 1914-1918.net Archived 8 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- "Kimmins, Brian". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- "Deaths". The Times. London, England. 17 November 1979. p. 28 – via The Times Digital Archive 1785–2008.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Philip Gregson-Ellis |
General Officer Commanding 44th (Home Counties) Division 1950–1952 |
Succeeded by Otway Herbert |
| Preceded by Sir John Woodall |
General Officer Commanding the British Army in Northern Ireland 1955–1958 |
Succeeded by Sir Douglas Packard |