Edmund Charles Beard
Major General Edmund Charles Beard, CB, CBE, MC (21 April 1894 – 20 January 1974) was a British Army officer during the First and Second World Wars and in 1946 was aide-de-camp to the king, George VI.
Edmund Charles Beard | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 April 1894 Terenure, Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 20 January 1974 (aged 79) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1946 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Service number | 9698 |
| Unit | Royal Irish Regiment South Lancashire Regiment Duke of Wellington's Regiment |
| Commands held | Poona Area (1943–46) 133rd Infantry Brigade (1940–42) 1st Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment (1939) |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches |
Military career
Educated at Marlborough and Oxford University, Beard was commissioned in the Royal Irish Regiment in 1914.[1] He served in the First World War at Gallipoli and in Salonika, Palestine and in France.[1] He was Mentioned in Despatches, wounded and awarded the Military Cross in 1917.[1]
Beard transferred to the Prince of Wales's Volunteers in 1922.[1] He was a staff captain in India for the next four years and attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1927 to 1928.[1] He served on the staff of Southern Command and then became Brigade Major for 9th Infantry Brigade in 1930 and then from 1933 served on the staff at the War Office.[1] He transferred to the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1937 and commanded the 1st Battalion in 1939.[1]
Beard became Assistant Adjutant and Quarter Master General with the 44th Division in France with the British Expeditionary Force.[1] He became commander of the 133rd Infantry Brigade in England in 1940 and, promoted on 1 October 1940, with seniority backdated to 1 July 1938, to colonel,[2] became Brigadier General Staff Home Forces in 1942.[1] Promoted to major general in 1942, he held area command in India until 1946 when he retired from the army.[1]
Beard was Colonel of the South Lancashire Regiment from 1948 to 1957.[1]
His portrait as a major general is in the National Portrait Gallery in London[3]
References
- Smart, p. 26
- "No. 35021". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 December 1940. p. 7203.
- "Edmund Charles Beard". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
Bibliography
- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.