John Ponsonby (British Army officer)

Sir John Ponsonby
Born (1866-03-25)25 March 1866
Died 26 March 1952(1952-03-26) (aged 86)
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1888–1928
Rank Major-General
Commands held 2nd Guards Brigade
40th Division
5th Infantry Division
Madras District
Battles/wars Second Boer War
World War I
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order

Major-General Sir John Ponsonby KCB CMG DSO (25 March 1866 – 26 March 1952) was a British Army officer who commanded 5th Division during World War I.

Military career

Born the son of Sir Henry Ponsonby and educated at Eton College, Ponsonby was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1888.[1] He served in Uganda in 1898 and was seconded for service in the Second Boer War in South Africa in February 1902.[2][1] He fought in World War I as Commander of the 2nd Guards Brigade from 1915 and then as General Officer Commanding 40th Division from 1917, leading his Division at the Battle of Cambrai.[3] In July 1918 he went on to become General Officer Commanding 5th Division remaining in that role until the end of the War.[3] After the War he became General Officer Commanding the Madras District of India.[3] He retired in 1928.

He lived at Haile Hall near Beckermet in Cumbria.[3]

Family

In 1935 he married Mary (Mollie) Robley; they had no children.[3]

References

Military offices
Preceded by
Reginald Stephens
General Officer Commanding the 5th Division
1918–1919
Succeeded by
Hugh Jeudwine
Preceded by
Sir Thomas Morland
Colonel of the Suffolk Regiment
1925 1939
Succeeded by
Sir Walter Norris Nicholson
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/9/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.