Charles Walter Allfrey

Charles Allfrey
Born	24 October 1895
Died	2 November 1964 (aged 69)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division V Corps British Troops in Egypt
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross

Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Walter Allfrey, KBE, CB, DSO, MC (24 October 1895 – 2 November 1964) was a British Army officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars .

Military career

Allfrey was born on 24 October 1895 in Southam, Northamptonshire, the son of Captain Henry Allfrey of the 60th Rifles and Kathleen Hankey.^[1] He joined the British Army in August 1914 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in October 1914. During the First World War he was wounded twice and was promoted to the rank of Captain in November 1917.^[1] Allfrey was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 for keeping his battery in action for an extended period of time even though it was under direct machine-gun and artillery fire from the enemy.^[1]

Between the World Wars Allfrey's employment included just over three years seconded to the Iraqi Army in the rank of major, where he won the DSO, and three years instructing at the Staff College, Camberley.^[1]

At the start of the Second World War Allfrey had just been promoted full colonel and held a senior staff job in the UK, continuing in this role in France and Belgium with the British Expeditionary Force. In February 1940 he returned to the UK to take up the post of Corps Commander Royal Artillery at II Corps in the rank of acting brigadier. In July, after a brief spell as CCRA at IV Corps, he was promoted to acting major-general to command Southwestern Area, Home Forces and then in February 1941 the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. In March 1942 he was promoted to acting lieutenant-general to take command of V Corps. For nearly two and a half years he commanded V Corps in Operation Torch, the Tunisia Campaign and the Italian Campaign. He was made Companion of the Bath (CB) for his service in Tunisia.^[2] In August 1944 he was rested from field command to become General Officer Commanding, British Troops in Egypt. During his tenure, his rank of lieutenant-general was made permanent and he was knighted KBE. Egypt was his last posting and he retired from the army as a lieutenant-general in June 1948.^[1]

In addition to his United Kingdom awards he was made Commander of the Legion of Merit by the United States Government in 1943 for his service in the Tunisian Campaign.^[3]

Allfrey married Geraldine Clare Lucas-Scudamore in 1935, they had a son and a daughter. Allfrey died on 2 November 1964 in Bristol.^[1]

Honours and awards

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 13 June 1946
Companion of the Order of the Bath 5 August 1943
Distinguished Service Order 6 October 1933
Military Cross 1 January 1918; bar 16 September 1918
Chief Commander, Legion of Merit (United States) 10 August 1943

References

• Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War, Nick Smart. ISBN 1-84415-049-6.

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "British Army officer histories". Unit Histories. http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_A05.html#Allfrey_CW. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
2. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36120. p. 3521. 3 August 1943. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
3. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36125. p. 3579. 6 August 1943. Retrieved 2008-08-01.

External links

• British Army Officers 1939-1945

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Edmond Schreiber	GOC, V Corps 1942–1944	Succeeded by Sir Charles Keightley

Persondata
Name	Allfrey, Charles Walter
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	24 October 1895
Place of birth
Date of death	2 November 1964
Place of death