William Norman Herbert

William Norman Herbert
Born 1880
Died 1949
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1900–1940
Rank Major-General
Unit Northumberland Fusiliers
Commands held 10th Brigade
50th (Northumbrian) Motorised Division
23rd (Northumbrian) Motorised Division
Battles/wars First World War
Second World War
Awards Companion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order & Bar

Major General William Norman Herbert CB, CMG, DSO & Bar (1880–1949) was a senior British Army officer who served as colonel of the Northumberland Fusiliers and commanded the 23rd (Northumbrian) Division in the Battle of France during the Second Second World.

Military career

Herbert entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the British Army's Northumberland Fusiliers on 11 August 1900.[1] He served in the First World War as Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers in which capacity he captured an enemy position together with fifty-nine prisoners for which he was awarded a bar to his Distinguished Service Order in January 1919.[2]

He became a staff officer at Northern Command in 1930,[3] commander of 10th Brigade in March 1932 and General Officer Commanding (GOC) 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division in February 1935.[4] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1935[5] and colonel of the Northumberland Fusiliers on 5 July 1935.[6]

Although he retired in February 1939, he was recalled during the Second World War as GOC 23rd (Northumbrian) Division to lead the deployment of that formation as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the Battle of France in April 1940.[7] He retired for a second time when the division was disbanded on 30 June 1940.[7]

References

  1. The London Gazette: no. 27219. p. 4947. 10 August 1900.
  2. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31119. p. 578. 10 January 1919.
  3. "William Norman Herbert". Generals.dk. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  4. "Senior Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  5. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34238. p. 3. 1 January 1935.
  6. "Colonels". British Empire. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 "23rd (Northumbrian) Division". Unit Histories. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Percival Spearman Wilkinson
Colonel of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
1935–1947
Succeeded by
Harold de Riemer Morgan
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