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Cecil Romer

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Sir Cecil Romer
General Sir Cecil Romer
Born(1869-11-14)14 November 1869
Kensington, London[1]
Died1 October 1962(1962-10-01) (aged 92)
Maidstone, Kent
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1890–1935
RankGeneral
CommandsSouthern Command
Western Command
1st Division
59th (2nd North Midland) Division
Battles / warsSecond Boer War
First World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Mentioned in Despatches
Legion of Honour (France)

General Sir Cecil Francis Romer, GCB, KBE, CMG (14 November 1869 – 1 October 1962) was a British Army general who reached high command during the 1920s.[2]

Early life and education

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Romer was born in Kensington, London, the son of Lord Justice Robert Romer and Betty Lemon, daughter of Mark Lemon, editor of Punch. His elder brother was Mark Romer, Baron Romer. He was educated at Eton College.[2] His sister, Helen Mary, married Lord Chancellor Frederic Maugham, 1st Viscount Maugham.[3]

Military career

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King George V and General Sir Henry Horne inspecting men of the 2/6th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, 59th Division, at Gauchin, 30 March 1918. They are accompanied by Brigadier General T. G. Cope and Major General Cecil Romer, GOC 59th Division.

Romer was commissioned into the Royal Dublin Fusiliers as a second lieutenant on 1 March 1890,[4] promoted lieutenant on 23 August 1893, and captain on 19 October 1898. He served in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1902, was wounded in early 1900,[5] and received the brevet rank of major on 29 November 1900.[6] Following the war he was seconded as an adjutant of volunteers in February 1902,[7] but only a few months later he was on 19 June 1902 appointed brigade major to the 13th Brigade, in Dublin.[8] He went on to become a General Staff Officer in 1904.[6]

During the First World War, Romer, promoted to temporary colonel in November 1914,[9] fought on the Western Front.[6] He was General Officer Commanding 59th (2nd North Midland) Division between 1917 and 1918.[10][11]

Romer became General Officer Commanding 1st Division at Aldershot in 1926.[6] He was then elevated to General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command in 1928 and to General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command in March 1931.[6][12] In 1933, he was appointed Adjutant-General to the Forces: he retired in 1935.[6]

References

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  1. ^ 1871 England Census
  2. ^ a b "Obituary: Sir Cecil Romer – Hard Fighting in France". The Times. 3 October 1962. p. 13.
  3. ^ G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant
  4. ^ "No. 27051". The London Gazette. 10 February 1899. p. 869.
  5. ^ "The War - Casualties". The Times. No. 36102. London. 29 March 1900. p. 8.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Sir Cecil Francis Romer Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  7. ^ "No. 27425". The London Gazette. 15 April 1902. p. 2505.
  8. ^ "No. 27454". The London Gazette. 15 July 1902. p. 4512.
  9. ^ "No. 28961". The London Gazette. 3 November 1914. p. 8884.
  10. ^ University of Birmingham
  11. ^ Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8, p. 17.
  12. ^ "No. 33696". The London Gazette. 6 March 1931. p. 1534.
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Military offices
Preceded by GOC 59th (2nd North Midland) Division
1917–1918
Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC 1st Division
1926–1928
Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC-in-C Western Command
1928–1931
Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC-in-C Southern Command
1931–1933
Succeeded by
Adjutant General
1933–1935
Succeeded by