Philip Gregson-Ellis

Major General Philip George Saxon Gregson-Ellis CB OBE (1898–1956) was a senior British Army officer who saw active service during both the First World War and the Second World War, where he commanded the 5th Infantry Division during the Italian Campaign in 1944.

Military career

Gregson-Ellis entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the British Army's Grenadier Guards in 1917, towards the end of the First World War (1914–1918).^[1]

He remained in the army after the war, and, during the interwar period, attended the Staff College, Camberley and was appointed an instructor there in 1937.^[2]

He served in the Second World War (1939–1945) as a General Staff Officer (GSO) with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France before becoming Commanding Officer (CO) of the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards in 1940.^[2] He continued his war service as a Brigadier on the staff in Northern Ireland from 1941 and as Deputy Chief of Staff for Home Forces in 1942 before taking command of the 30th Armoured Brigade in January 1943, and then the 1st Guards Brigade in July, which was then serving in North Africa.^[2] He was appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) 5th Infantry Division in January 1944 and commanded the division in the Italian Campaign, leading it in the Battle of Anzio and Operation Diadem.^[2]

After the war he returned to the Staff College, Camberley as Commandant and then went back to the 5th Division for a second tour as its commander.^[2] He was appointed GOC 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division in 1947 and finally retired from the British Army in 1950.^[2]

Family

In 1921 he married Joan Henllys Lloyd.^[3]

References