Gwilym Ivor Thomas

Sir Ivor Thomas
Born	23 July 1893 Marylebone, London, England[1]
Died	29 August 1972 (aged 79) Salisbury, Rhodesia[1]
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1912–1952
Rank	General
Unit	Royal Artillery
Commands held	43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division I Corps Anti-Aircraft Command
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Military Cross

General Sir Gwilym Ivor Thomas GCB KBE DSO MC (23 July 1893 – 29 August 1972) was a senior British Army officer who saw active service in both World War I and World War II, where he commanded the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division throughout the campaign in Western Europe from June 1944 until Victory in Europe Day in May 1945.

Military career

Thomas attended Cheltenham College, Gloucestershire and later the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the British Army's Royal Artillery in 1912^[2] and fought in World War I, serving on the Western Front where he was awarded the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order.^[3]

He was appointed Deputy Director for Recruiting and Organisation at the War Office in 1939 and then Director of Organisation at the War Office in 1940.^[3]

During World War II he became General Officer Commanding (GOC) 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division in early March 1942 and led his division throughout the campaign in North-West Europe, from June 1944 until May 1945.^[3] He was closely involved in Operation Berlin to rescue the British 1st Airborne Division once Allied forces had been overwhelmed at the Battle of Arnhem, part of Operation Market Garden, in September 1944.^[4]

Thomas was temporarily given command of XXX Corps by Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, the 21st Army Group commander, during the Battle of the Bulge.^[5] He took over from Brian Horrocks who was being sent back to England for a rest.

After the Second World War he was appointed GOC I Corps District within the British Army of the Rhine in 1945 and then Administrator for the Polish Armed Forces in the West under British Command in 1947.^[3] He became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Anti-Aircraft Command in 1948 and Quartermaster-General to the Forces in 1950; he retired in 1952.^[3]

Honours and awards

These are as follows:^[1]

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (5 June 1952); previously KCB (8 June 1950) and CB (1 January 1944)
• Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (12 June 1947)
• Distinguished Service Order (9 January 1918)
• Military Cross and bar (1 January 1917 and 26 September 1917)
• Mentioned in dispatches, four times (14 December 1917, 22 March 1945, 9 August 1945, 4 April 1946)
• Officer of the Légion d'Honneur (France, 1945)
• Croix de Guerre (France, 1945)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands, 18 July 1947)
• Commander of the Order of Leopold II (Belgium, 15 February 1952)
• Croix de Guerre (Belgium, 15 February 1952)
• 1914 Star
• British War Medal
• Victory Medal

Extract from citation for Distinguished Service Order

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When his battery was being relieved the position was shelled by an intense bombardment, which lasted for over two hours and caused many casualties in Loth batteries. The pits and ammunition of one section caught fire, and he succeeded in extinguishing this. Later, the telephone pit and mess shelter were wrecked, and he immediately led the way to the rescue of wounded men inside. The camouflage nets of three more guns were then set alight, and the ammunition began to catch fire. This he also saved by tearing down the burning camouflage and smothering the smouldering ammunition, some of which had already begun to explode. Not until all the fires had been extinguished, and he had seen every man, both wounded and unwounded, clear of the position, did he seek cover for himself. His great gallantry and exceptional coolness throughout the whole of this time were worthy of the highest praise.^[1]

References