James Cassels (British Army officer)

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James Cassels
28 February 1907 - 13 December 1996
Field Marshal Sir James Cassels Crown Copyright
Place of birth	Quetta, British India
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1926 - 1968
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	1st Commonwealth Division British Army of the Rhine
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War Malayan Emergency
Awards	GCB, KBE, DSO

Field Marshal Sir Charles Archibald James Halkett Cassels GCB, KBE, DSO (28 February 1907 - 28 February 1996) was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army.

Contents 1 Army career 2 Cricket career 3 Retirement 4 References 5 Further reading

[edit] Army career

Educated at Rugby School and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst he was commissioned into the Seaforth Highlanders in 1926^[1].

James Cassels served as a Brigadier on the General Staff of 21st Army Group during World War II and as a Major-General went on to command the 1st Commonwealth Division during the Korean War^[2]. He and his father General Sir Robert Archibald Cassels had the unusual distinction of both being generals on the active list in the same war.

In 1957 he was appointed Director of Operations in Malaya and in 1960 became Commander of the British Army of the Rhine. In 1963 he became Adjutant-General. He served as Chief of the General Staff from 1965 to 1968 when he retired from the British Army^[3].

[edit] Cricket career

Archibald Cassels
England
Personal information
Full name	Archibald James Halkett Cassels
Role	All-rounder
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm fast-medium/Off spin
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1932-1935	Army
1932	Viceroy's XI
1928	Punjab Governor's XI
1928	Europeans (Lahore)
First-class debut	17 March 1928: Europeans v Hindus
Last First-class	1 June 1935: Army v Cambridge University
Career statistics
	First-class
Matches	5
Runs scored	197
Batting average	39.40
100s/50s	0/2
Top score	72
Balls bowled	954
Wickets	20
Bowling average	20.75
5 wickets in innings	2
10 wickets in match	0
Best bowling	6/51
Catches/stumpings	5/0
As of 31 May 2008 Source: CricketArchive

A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium/Off spin bowler,^[4] he played first-class cricket between 1928 and 1935^[5] and also represented the Egyptian national team.^[6]

His first recorded match came in 1921 when he played for his school team against Marlborough College at Lord's.^[7] His first-class debut was in 1928 when he played for the Europeans against the Hindus in the Lahore Tournament, a tournament similar to the more famous Bombay Quadrangular Tournament but played in Lahore, then a part of India. He played for a Punjab Governor's XI against Northern India team in his second first-class match later that month, also in Lahore.^[5] He took 6/51 in the second innings of that match,^[8] his best innings bowling performance in first-class cricket.^[4]

He played his next first-class match in Delhi in February 1932, playing for a Viceroy's XI against the Roshanara Club. He played his first first-class match in England that June, playing for the British Army cricket team against the RAF at The Oval,^[5] making his highest first-class score of 72.^[9] The following year he played for the Egyptian national side against HM Martineau's XI in Alexandria, taking five wickets in the second innings of the visitors.^[10]

He played his final first-class match in the 1935 English season, playing for the Army against Cambridge University.^[5] He continued to play cricket at a lower level, playing for Delhi against Lord Tennyson's XI in 1938. After the war, he played twice for the Army against the Royal Navy, in 1948 and 1949, and against Cambridge University in 1949.^[7]

[edit] Retirement

In retirement he married Mrs Joy Dickson following the death of the first Lady Cassels.

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Obituary: Daily Telegraph 21st December 1996
• Heathcote, T.A. (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736-1997. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Richard Hull	Chief of the General Staff 1965–1968	Succeeded by Sir Geoffrey Baker

v • d • e Chiefs of the General Staff of the British Army Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff Sir William Nicholson • Sir John French • Sir Charles Douglas • Sir James Murray • Sir Archibald Murray • Sir William Robertson • Sir Henry Wilson • Lord Cavan • Sir George Milne • Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd • Sir Cyril Deverell • Viscount Gort • Sir Edmund Ironside • Sir John Dill • Sir Alan Brooke • Viscount Montgomery • Sir William Slim • Sir John Harding • Sir Gerald Templer • Sir Francis Festing • Sir Richard Hull Chiefs of the General Staff Sir Richard Hull • Sir James Cassels • Sir Geoffrey Baker • Sir Michael Carver • Sir Peter Hunt • Sir Roland Gibbs • Sir Edwin Bramall • Sir John Stanier • Sir Nigel Bagnall • Sir John Chapple • Sir Peter Inge • Sir Charles Guthrie • Sir Roger Wheeler • Sir Michael Walker • Sir Mike Jackson • Sir Richard Dannatt