Cameron Nicholson
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Cameron Gordon Graham Nicholson GCB KBE DSO
& Bar
MC
(30 June 1898 - 7 July 1979) is a former Adjutant-General to the Forces
.
in 1915. He served in the First World War and was awarded MC
and Bar
in 1918.
Nicholson served with the Royal Horse Artillery
in France
, India
, Iraq
, Palestine
and Egypt
from 1917 to 1927. He served as an Instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich from 1927 to 1930 and then as an Instructor at the Staff College, Camberley
from 1938 to 1939.
He served in the Second World War and was awarded DSO
and Bar
in 1940. He was appointed Commander of Support Group, 42 Armoured Division
in 1941 and then second-in-command of 6 Armoured Division in 1942. In 1943 he became Brigadier
General Staff for the 1st Army. In February 1943 Field Marshal
Erwin Rommel
launched an assault, known as the Battle of the Kasserine Pass
, on units of the British First Army in Tunisia
. Brigadier
Cameron Nicholson proved an effective combat leader who kept his remaining forces steady under relentless German hammering. The stubborn resistance of the British Nickforce, led by Cameron Nicholson, enabled British Forces to hold the vital road leading into the Kasserine Pass against the heavy pressure of the German 10th Panzer Division, which was under Rommel's direct command.
In 1944 he became General Officer Commanding
44th Indian Armoured Division
, a post he held until 1944. He then became successively GOC 21st Indian Infantry Division
, GOC 2nd Division, GOC 5th Indian Infantry Division and then GOC 2nd Division again - all of which commands were held while fighting in Burma.
and then in 1948 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief
of West Africa Command
.
Then in 1951 he was made General Officer Commanding
-in-Chief for Western Command
. Then in 1953 he became Commander in Chief Middle East Land Forces
. That same year he also made a visit to East Africa
at which time units were engaged in the Mau Mau Uprising
. He became Adjutant General
later in 1953 and retired from the British Army
in 1956.
He was ADC General
to the Queen from 1954 to 1956.
He was also Colonel Commandant
of the Royal Artillery
from 1950 to 1960 and Colonel Commandant
of the Royal Horse Artillery
from 1956 to 1960.
He was awarded the CB in 1945, the KCB in 1953 and the GCB in 1954. He was also awarded the CBE in 1943 and the KBE in 1950.
from 1956 to 1961.
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir Cameron Gordon Graham Nicholson GCB KBE DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(30 June 1898 - 7 July 1979) is a former Adjutant-General to the Forces
Adjutant-General to the Forces
The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General , is one of the most senior officers in the British Army. He is in charge of administration, personnel and organisational matters. The Adjutant-General usually holds the rank of General or Lieutenant-General...
.
Military career
Cameron Nicholson was commissioned into the Royal ArtilleryRoyal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in 1915. He served in the First World War and was awarded MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
in 1918.
Nicholson served with the Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
from 1917 to 1927. He served as an Instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich from 1927 to 1930 and then as an Instructor at the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
from 1938 to 1939.
He served in the Second World War and was awarded DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
in 1940. He was appointed Commander of Support Group, 42 Armoured Division
42nd Armoured Division (United Kingdom)
The 42nd Armoured Division was a First Line Territorial Army formation during the Second World War. It was formed by converting an infantry division into an armoured role...
in 1941 and then second-in-command of 6 Armoured Division in 1942. In 1943 he became Brigadier
Brigadier (United Kingdom)
Brigadier is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines.Brigadier is the superior rank to Colonel, but subordinate to Major-General....
General Staff for the 1st Army. In February 1943 Field Marshal
Generalfeldmarschall
Field Marshal or Generalfeldmarschall in German, was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
launched an assault, known as the Battle of the Kasserine Pass
Battle of the Kasserine Pass
The Battle of the Kasserine Pass was a battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II in February 1943. It was a series of battles fought around Kasserine Pass, a wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia...
, on units of the British First Army in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. Brigadier
Brigadier (United Kingdom)
Brigadier is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines.Brigadier is the superior rank to Colonel, but subordinate to Major-General....
Cameron Nicholson proved an effective combat leader who kept his remaining forces steady under relentless German hammering. The stubborn resistance of the British Nickforce, led by Cameron Nicholson, enabled British Forces to hold the vital road leading into the Kasserine Pass against the heavy pressure of the German 10th Panzer Division, which was under Rommel's direct command.
In 1944 he became General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
44th Indian Armoured Division
44th Armoured Division (India)
The 44th Indian Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in Burma February 1943, from the 32nd and 43rd Armoured divisions...
, a post he held until 1944. He then became successively GOC 21st Indian Infantry Division
21st Infantry Division (India)
The 21st Indian Infantry Division was a division of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in April 1944. in Assam. It never saw any combat and its only sub unit was the 268th Indian Infantry Brigade...
, GOC 2nd Division, GOC 5th Indian Infantry Division and then GOC 2nd Division again - all of which commands were held while fighting in Burma.
Post-War
In 1946 he became Director of Artillery at the War OfficeWar Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
and then in 1948 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of West Africa Command
West Africa Command
-History:After the First World War, military forces in the four British West African colonies were under the control of the individual colonial governments. "The regiments of the four colonies were all under the umbrella of the Royal West African Frontier Force...
.
Then in 1951 he was made General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
-in-Chief for Western Command
Western Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 and was originally called the Welsh & Midland Command before changing its name in 1906. In 1907 Western Command relocated to Watergate House in Chester...
. Then in 1953 he became Commander in Chief Middle East Land Forces
Middle East Command
The Middle East Command was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to defend British interests in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region.The...
. That same year he also made a visit to East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
at which time units were engaged in the Mau Mau Uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
. He became Adjutant General
Adjutant-General to the Forces
The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General , is one of the most senior officers in the British Army. He is in charge of administration, personnel and organisational matters. The Adjutant-General usually holds the rank of General or Lieutenant-General...
later in 1953 and retired from the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1956.
He was ADC General
Aide-de-Camp General
One of the several categories of aides de camp to the Monarch in the United Kingdom is styled Aide de Camp General.These are honorary appointments for senior British Army generals, first made in 1910. There were originally four, but the number was reduced to three in 1988...
to the Queen from 1954 to 1956.
He was also Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
of the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
from 1950 to 1960 and Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
of the Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
from 1956 to 1960.
He was awarded the CB in 1945, the KCB in 1953 and the GCB in 1954. He was also awarded the CBE in 1943 and the KBE in 1950.
Retirement
He was also Master Gunner, St James's Park from 1956 to 1960. He was Governor of the Royal Hospital ChelseaRoyal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
from 1956 to 1961.