Philip Balfour

Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Maxwell Balfour KBE CB MC* (10 March 1898 – 4 February 1977) was a senior British Army officer who achieved high office in the 1950s.

Sir Philip Balfour
Born10 March 1898
Died4 February 1977 (aged 77)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1915−1953
RankLieutenant-General
Service number11645
UnitRoyal Artillery
Commands held53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division
2nd Division
Northern Command
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Military Cross

Military career

Philip Balfour was born on 10 March 1898 and was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Artillery on 28 July 1915, alongside Cameron Nicholson and John Kennedy of the Royal Garrison Artillery.[1][2] He served in World War I being deployed to France and Belgium.[2] He attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1929 to 1930, alongside Neil Ritchie, Herbert Lumsden, George Erskine, John Edwards, John Winterton, Hugh Russell, Ivor Hughes and several other future brigadiers and general officers.[3]

He also served in World War II, initially as a GSO2 before being made Commander, Royal Artillery (CRA) of the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division. From 1944 he was serving as Brigadier General Staff (BGS) of John Crocker's I Corps throughout the North West Europe Campaign, and was awarded the CBE for 'gallant and distinguished services in Normandy' as a temporary brigadier.[4]

After the War he joined the Control Commission in Germany in 1945 and then became Director of Civil Affairs for the Military Government, British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in 1946.[2] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division later in 1946 and then GOC 2nd Division in 1947.[2] Finally he became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command in 1949; in that role he was critical of the standard of shooting in the British Army.[5] He retired in 1953.[2]

gollark: Wait, *which* vaccine? There are quite a few.
gollark: I think I read that T-cell or something response lasted much longer.
gollark: Also, you can do *some* fun stuff without going out much, and criticizing other people because their priorities do not match yours/they weight risk more is somewhat bees.
gollark: (I'm sure some people will be stupid and think they're entirely safe after just one...)
gollark: Especially since basically all the ones which have been tested, as far as I know, require two doses to work.

References
  1. "No. 29242". The London Gazette. 27 July 1915. p. 7335.
  2. "Balfour, Philip". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  3. "No. 33459". The London Gazette. 22 January 1929. p. 543.
  4. "No. 36720". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 September 1944. p. 4473.
  5. Shooting Standard Hansard, 3 February 1953
Military offices
Preceded by
George Richards		 GOC 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division
1946−1947		 Succeeded by
Christopher Woolner
Preceded by
John Churcher		 GOC 2nd Division
1947−1949		 Succeeded by
Colin Callander
Preceded by
Sir Montagu Stopford		 GOC-in-C Northern Command
1949−1953		 Succeeded by
Sir Geoffrey Evans
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