Merton Beckwith-Smith
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| Merton Beckwith-Smith | |
|---|---|
| 11th July 1890 - 11th November 1942 | |
| Nickname | Becky |
| Place of death | Prisoner of War Changi Prison, Singapore |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1942 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | Coldstream Guards Welsh Guards |
| Commands | 18th (East Anglian) Infantry Division |
| Awards | DSO MC Croix de Guerre |
Merton Beckwith-Smith, DSO, MC, MA, Croix de Guerre, (11 July 1890 - 11 November 1942), was a British Army officer during the First and Second World Wars .
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[edit] History
[edit] 1890 - 1930
Beckwith-Smith was born on 11 July 1890, and educated at Eton and Oxford. In 1910 he was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards. He served with the Guards throughout the First World War, eventually becoming a staff officer in the Guards Division.
On 14 March 1918 he married Honor Dorothy Leigh. They had two sons and two daughters. His son Major Peter Merton Beckwith-Smith served in France, North-west Europe and Palestine during WWII.
[edit] 1930 - 1939
In 1930 Beckwith-Smith transferred to the Welsh Guards; he commanded the 1st Battalion from 1932 to 1937. After this he held various district commands in India before the outbreak of the Second World War.
[edit] Second World War
In 1940 he was given command of the 1st Guards Brigade, part of the British Expeditionary Force sent to France in 1939/1940. After the retreat from Dunkirk Beckwith-Smith was given command of the territorial 18th (East Anglian) Infantry Division which he trained in preparation for duty overseas.
In a training exercise against the 2nd Infantry Division the 18th Division won, the reward being the first posting overseas for the division.
In early 1942, and after many months at sea, Beckwith-Smith's division was landed at Singapore during the final days of the battle for the Island. During the short battle the 18th Division fought well but was sent into action piecemeal. When General Percival (the British commander on Singapore), started negotiations with the Japanese Army, members of the 18th Division were still in the mood to fight; going so far as to try and stop the British officers sent to negotiate. Beckwith-Smith and his division were surrendered, along with an estimated 130,000 British and Commonwealth troops, to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. On 11 November 1942 Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith died as a prisoner of war.
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
- 'Singapore Burning',Colin Smith. Penguin, 2006. ISBN 10-0-141-01036-3
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