Francis Festing

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For the Royal Marines officer, see Francis Worgan Festing.
Sir Francis Wogan Festing
Ffesting.jpg
Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing
Born (1902-08-28)28 August 1902
Dublin, Ireland
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Hexham, Northumberland, United Kingdom
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1921–1961
Rank Field Marshal
Commands held 2nd Bn East Lancashire Regiment
29th Infantry Brigade
36th Infantry Division
British Forces in Hong Kong
Regular Commissions Board
British Troops in Egypt
Eastern Command
Far East Land Forces
Chief of the Imperial General Staff
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

Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing GCB KBE DSO DL (28 August 1902 – 3 August 1976), called 菲士挺 in Chinese, was a field marshal of the British Army. His most important posts were as Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong (1945–1946 and 1949), General Officer Commanding British Troops in Egypt (1952), General Officer Commanding Eastern Command (1954), Commander-in-Chief Far East Land Forces (1956), and Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1958–1961). 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.

Army career

Troops preparing for Operation Ironclad, in which Festing took part, during the Second World War

Born the son of Brigadier-General Francis Leycester Festing and Charlotte Katherine Grindall Festing (née Festing)[1] and educated at Winchester College[2] and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst,[3] Festing was commissioned into 3rd Battalion the Rifle Brigade on 23 December 1921.[4] He was promoted to lieutenant on 23 December 1923[5] and became Aide-de-Camp to General Sir John Burnett-Stuart in 1926.[4] He went on to be Air Liaison Officer for Eastern Command on 1 February 1936[6] and, having been promoted to captain on 1 September 1936,[7] joined the staff at the War Office on 15 February 1938[8] before being promoted to major on 23 December 1938.[9]

In the Second World War Festing was air liaison officer for the expedition to Norway of 1940, then, having been promoted to acting lieutenant colonel in April 1940,[7] as a staff officer in the Operations Directorate at the War Office from May 1940.[7] In September 1940 he became Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment and then in April 1942 he became Commander of 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group which was the landing force of Force 121 for Operation Ironclad, the seizure of Vichy French ports and airfields in the Indian Ocean, notably Diego Suárez,[10] Majunga and Tamatave[11] in Madagascar.[7] He was awarded the DSO for his services in this campaign.[7]

In November 1942 he took command of 36th Indian Division and at the beginning of 1944 led it in the final stages of the Arakan offensive of the Burma Campaign. In mid-1944 the division moved to Northern Burma as part of the US led Northern Combat Area Command[12] before rejoining 14th Army. Festing had a reputation as a front line soldier as illustrated by one quote of an event on 29 October 1944:[13] <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

"Myitkyina – To the growing Festing legend was added another dramatic chapter this week-end when Major-General Francis Wogan Festing personally led the advance platoon of the 36th British Division into Mawlu. The leader of the platoon was killed, leaving the unit in charge of a sergeant. Festing, who is generally at the front, took over, and, probably the highest ranking officer ever to command a platoon, led it into Mawlu."

He was mentioned in despatches on 5 April 1945,[14] appointed CBE on 5 July 1945[15] and appointed CB on 6 June 1946[16] all in recognition of his services in Burma and awarded the Legion of Merit in the Degree of Commander by the President of the United States for his conduct throughout the War on 8 November 1945.[17]

Festing and Major General Sir Collin Jardine in North Burma, December 1944

He was appointed Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong from August 1945 and, then having been promoted to major-general on 17 August 1946,[18] he returned to the UK to be Director of Weapons and Development at the War Office in February 1947 where he remained until 26 June 1949[19] and then returned to Hong Kong.[20] After recovering from a blood clot on the brain,[20] he was appointed President of the Regular Commissions Board on 1 October 1950[21] and became Assistant Chief of Staff (Organisation and Training) at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe on 1 April 1951.[22] He took part in the funeral procession on 11 February 1952 following the death of King George VI[23] and was appointed KBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1952.[3]

Promoted to lieutenant general on 6 February 1952,[24] he became General Officer Commanding British Troops in Egypt in April 1952 and then General Officer Commanding Eastern Command on 1 July 1954[25] and, having been advanced to KCB in the New Year Honours 1956,[3] he became Commander-in-Chief Far East Land Forces in August 1956.[20] Promoted to full general on 29 November 1956,[20] advanced to GCB in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1957[26] and having been appointed ADC to the Queen on 26 June 1958,[27] he became Chief of the Imperial General Staff on 29 September 1958.[28] In this capacity he advised the British Government on ending conscription and reducing the size of the Army by fifteen battalions.[20] Having been promoted to field marshal on 1 September 1960,[20] he retired on 1 November 1961.[29]

He was also Honorary Colonel of the 50th (Northumberland) Machine Gun Battalion of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers from 1 February 1948,[30] Colonel Commandant of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers from 12 March 1953,[31] Colonel Commandant of the 3rd Green Jackets, The Rifle Brigade from 7 November 1958[32] and Colonel Commandant of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets from 15 June 1968.[33]

In retirement he became a Deputy Lieutenant of Northumberland.[34] His interests included early firearms and Japanese Swords; he was also a practising Roman Catholic.[35] He died at his home at Tarset near Hexham in Northumberland on 3 August 1976.[35]

Family

In 1937 Francis Festing married Mary Cecilia, née Riddell (elder daughter of Cuthbert David Giffard Riddell, of Swinburne Castle, Northumberland),[36] from an old recusant family.[7] The couple had four sons: Fra' Matthew Festing (Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta),[37] John Festing (former High Sheriff of Northumberland),[38] Major Michael Festing and Andrew Festing (former President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters).[39]

Honours

Festing received several honours and honorary appointments during his life:[36]

References

  1. ↑ Note: Charlotte Katherine Grindall Festing was a second cousin of Francis Leycester Festing
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Heathcote, p. 118
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 32892. p. 9109. 28 December 1923. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34256. p. 1058. 18 February 1936. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Heathcote, p. 119
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34489. p. 1424. 4 March 1938. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34582. p. 8179. 23 December 1938. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38225. p. 1593. 2 March 1948. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37655. p. 3717. 16 July 1946. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39195. p. 1887. 6 April 1951. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  13. ↑ Foster, Geoffrey, 36th Division – North Burma – 1944–45
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37015. p. 1810. 3 April 1945. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37161. p. 3491. 3 July 1945. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37595. p. 2729. 4 June 1946. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37340. p. 5460. 6 November 1945. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  18. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37701. p. 4295. 23 August 1946. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  19. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38674. p. 3639. 26 July 1949. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 Heathcote, p. 120
  21. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39031. p. 4907. 3 October 1950. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  22. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39206. p. 2239. 17 April 1951. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  23. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39575. p. 3350. 17 June 1952. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  24. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39614. p. 4179. 1 August 1952. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  25. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40223. p. 3949. 6 July 1954. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  26. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41089. p. 3369. 4 June 1957. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  27. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41426. p. 3991. 20 June 1958. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  28. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41508. p. 5954. 26 September 1958. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  29. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42503. p. 7925. 31 October 1961. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  30. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38278. p. 2747. 30 April 1948. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  31. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39797. p. 1430. 10 March 1953. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  32. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41541. p. 6786. 4 November 1958. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  33. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44633. p. 7850. 12 June 1968. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  34. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 42692. p. 4374. 29 May 1962. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Heathcote, p. 121
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 53857. p. 16376. 23 November 1994. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

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Military offices
Preceded by Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong
1945–1946		 Succeeded by
Sir George Erskine
Preceded by Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong
June 1949 – September 1949		 Succeeded by
Sir Robert Mansergh
Preceded by GOC the British Troops in Egypt
1952–1954		 Succeeded by
Sir Richard Hull
Preceded by GOC-in-C Eastern Command
1954–1956		 Succeeded by
Sir Charles Coleman
Preceded by C-in-C Far East Land Forces
1956–1958		 Succeeded by
Sir Richard Hull
Preceded by Chief of the Imperial General Staff
1958–1961		 Succeeded by
Sir Richard Hull
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