James Bowes-Lyon
Major General Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon, KCVO, CB, OBE, MC & Bar (19 September 1917 – 18 December 1977) was a senior British Army officer who served as commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1968 to 1970.[1]
Sir James Bowes-Lyon | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon |
| Born | 19 September 1917 Chelsea, London |
| Died | 18 December 1977 (aged 60) Northumberland, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1938–1973 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Service number | 74591 |
| Unit | Grenadier Guards |
| Commands held | London District Household Division British Forces in Berlin 52nd Lowland Division District 157th Lowland Brigade 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross & Bar |
Early life and education
Bowes-Lyon was born in Chelsea, London, the son of Capt. Geoffrey Francis Bowes-Lyon, grandson of 13th Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. He was thus a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. His mother was Edith Katherine Selby-Bigge, daughter of Sir Amherst Selby-Bigge, 1st Baronet.[2] He was educated at Eton College and Sandhurst.[1]
Military career
Bowes-Lyon was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1938,[3] and served in the Guards Armoured Division during the Second World War.[3]
In 1955 he became commandant at the Guards Depot and in 1957 he was made commanding officer of 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards.[3] He was appointed Military Assistant to Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, in 1960 and Commander of 157th Lowland Brigade in 1963.[3]
He went on to be General Officer Commanding 52nd Lowland Division District in 1966 and commandant of the British Sector in Berlin in 1968.[3] In 1971 he was appointed Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District.[3] He retired in 1973.[3]
Personal life
Bowes-Lyon married Mary de Trafford, daughter of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet. The couple had three children, two sons, John (died 18 September 2022)[4] and David, and a daughter, Fiona. The family lived at Sennicotts in West Sussex.[5]
A descendant of the 13th Earl of Strathmore, he was a Gentleman Usher to the Royal Household.[6]
References
- "Obituary: Maj-Gen Sir James Bowes-Lyon". The Times. 22 December 1977. p. 12.
- Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- "Bowes-Lyon, Sir Francis James Cecil". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- "Royals mourning another death in family days after Queen Elizabeth's death". The News. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- "History". Sennicotts. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- "No. 46197". The London Gazette. 1 February 1974. p. 1395.