MERTON BECKWITH-SMITH

'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 .

Contents

History

1890 - 1930

1930 - 1939

Second World War

External links

Sources

History

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. One of his daughters became a lady in waiting to Diana, Princess of Wales.

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.

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, after many weeks at sea, Beckwith-Smith's division was landed at Singapore. Japanese forces invaded Singapore Island on February 8. Because of the defensive strategy implemented by the Allied commander, General Arthur Percival, most of the 18th Division saw little or no action. Percival surrendered the 80,000 British Commonwealth troops at Singapore on February 15, including Beckwith-Smith and his division. On 11 November 1942 Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith died as a prisoner of war.

External links

★ Unit Histories Site

★

Sources

★ Singapore Burning, Colin Smith, , , Penguin, , ISBN 978-0-670-91341-1