Francis Festing
| Sir Francis Wogan Festing | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
28 August 1902 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 3 August 1976 (aged 73) Hexham, Northumberland, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1921–1961 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Unit | Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) |
| Commands held |
Chief of the Imperial General Staff Far East Land Forces Eastern Command British Troops in Egypt Regular Commissions Board British Forces in Hong Kong 36th Infantry Division 29th Infantry Brigade 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in dispatches Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) Order of the Cloud and Banner (China) |
Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing GCB, KBE, DSO, DL (28 August 1902 – 3 August 1976), called 菲士挺 in Chinese, was a senior British Army officer. His most important posts were as Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong (1945–46 and 1949), General Officer Commanding (GOC) British Troops in Egypt (1952), GOC Eastern Command (1954), Commander-in-Chief Far East Land Forces (1956), and Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS, 1958–61). He saw active service in the Second World War, taking a prominent role in Operation Ironclad (the Battle of Madagascar) and the Arakan offensive of the Burma Campaign, and later advised the British government on ending conscription and reducing the size of the army by fifteen battalions.
Festing was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Brigadier General Francis Leycester Festing and Charlotte Katherine Grindall Festing (née Festing). He was educated at Winchester College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Festing was commissioned into 3rd Battalion the Rifle Brigade on 23 December 1921. He was promoted to lieutenant on 23 December 1923 and became Aide-de-Camp to General Sir John Burnett-Stuart in 1926. He went on to be Air Liaison Officer for Eastern Command on 1 February 1936 and, having been promoted to captain on 1 September 1936, joined the staff at the War Office on 15 February 1938 before being promoted to major on 23 December 1938.
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