| Charles Hamilton Boucher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1898 |
| Died | 1951 (aged 52 or 53) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Indian Army |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands held | 10th Indian Infantry Brigade 1942) 17th Indian Infantry Brigade 1944 to 1945)) Indian 4th Infantry Division (1945) Indian 2nd Airborne Division (1946 to 1947) Malaya Command (1948 to 1950) |
| Battles/wars | Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia Western Desert Campaign Italian Campaign |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1949)[1] Companion of the Order of the Bath (1945)[2] Distinguished Service Order (1936)[3] (1945)[4] Mentioned in Despatches (1936)[5] (1945)[6] (1946)[7] (1949)[8] |
| Other work | Colonel of the 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles (1946)[9] |
Major-General Sir Charles Boucher KBE CB DSO and bar (1898–1951) was an officer in the British Indian Army during World War II.
Military career [edit]
Boucher was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1916, attached to 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)[10] although he was later to transfer to the 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles.
He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1917[11] After the war he returned to India and in 1933, by this time a captain, he was appointed for a spell as a General Staff Officer Grade III.[12] In November 1934 he relinquished the staff post and was promoted to major[13] to take up a field appointment as a brigade major.[14] In 1936 for "distinguished services rendered in the field in connection with the Mohmand Operations, North West Frontier of India, during the period 15th/16 August to 15th/16 October 1935" he was made a companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[3] He was appointed an Instructor at the Staff College, Quetta in 1938 with the local rank of lieutenant-colonel.[15][16]
He served in World War II, initially as a General Staff Officer,[16] before being made a Brigadier on the General Staff of Paiforce in Iraq in 1941.[16]
In 1942 he was appointed Commander of 10th Indian Infantry Brigade in North Africa. Whilst commanding Indian 10th Infantry Brigade he was captured on 6 June 1942 during the fighting in the Knightsbridge Cauldron when his headquarters were overrun. He was held as a POW in Italy[16] until the Italian Armistice with Italy in 1943[16] when he made his way back to the Allied lines in southern Italy. During his confinement his substantive rank was advanced from mafor to lieutenant-colonel (while his temporary rank remained as brigadier)>[17]
In February 1944 he assumed command of 17th Infantry Brigade,[16] leading them through the final Battle of Monte Cassino, the advance north of Rome and the fighting on the Gothic Line. For his service in Italy he was awarded a Bar to the previously awarded DSO[4] and made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1945.[2] He was also mentioned in despatches.[6]
In January 1945, in the rank of acting major-general,[18] Boucher took command of Indian 4th Infantry Division[16] which had been sent to Greece in November 1944 to help stabilise the country after the Axis withdrawal. For his "gallant and distinguished services in the field" he was mentioned in despatches in 1946.[7]
In 1946 he became General Officer Commanding Indian 2nd Airborne Division[16] and his temporary major-general's rank was made permanent in 1947.[19] In 1948 he became General Officer Commanding Malaya District[16] as well as Major-General Commanding the Brigade of Gurkhas in Malaya.[16] For his service in Malaya he was Knighted KBE in 1949, an unusual distinction for an officer of major-general rank[1] and was mentioned in despatches.[8] He retired in March 1951.[20]
References [edit]
- Anon (1946). One More River: The Story of The Eighth Indian Division. Bombay: H.W. Smith, Times of India Press.
- Mackenzie, Compton (1951). Eastern Epic. London: Chatto & Windus. OCLC 1412578.
- "Orders of Battle.com". Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- Houterman, Hans; Koppes, Jeroen. "World War II unit histories and officers". Retrieved 28 July 2007.
Footnotes [edit]
- ^ a b The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38782. p. 5905. 9 December 1949.
- ^ a b The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37386. p. 6055. 11 December 1945.
- ^ a b The London Gazette: no. 34282. p. 2978. 8 May 1936.
- ^ a b The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36928. p. 795. 8 February 1945.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 34282. p. 2979. 8 May 1936. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37368. pp. 5791–5830. 27 November 1945. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b The London Gazette: no. 37616. p. 3564. 18 June 1946. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38581. p. 1759. 8 April 1949. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 38598. p. 2111. 29 April 1949. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 30017. p. 3512. 13 April 1917.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 30655. p. 5071. 26 April 1918.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 33952. p. 4206. 23 June 1933. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 34116. p. 8298. 21 December 1934. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 34241. p. 237. 10 January 1936. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 34496. p. 2011. 25 March 1938. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Generals.dk
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 35974. p. 1645. 9 April 1943. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37263. p. 4563. 14 September 1945. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38051. p. 3933. 19 August 1947. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 29301. p. 2069. 13 April 1951. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ashton Wade |
GOC Malaya District 1948–1950 |
Succeeded by Roy Urquhart |
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