Edward Willis (British Army officer)
Edward Willis | |
|---|---|
 Willis in 1917 | |
| Born | 5 September 1870 |
| Died | 26 June 1961 |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1890–1934 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Major-General Edward Henry Willis, CB, CMG (5 September 1870 – 26 June 1961) was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.
Background
[edit]Willis was the second son of Henry Scott Willis, a wool merchant of Northfield, Trowbridge, Wiltshire.[1] His elder brother took over the family wool business, having served as a supernumerary captain (honorary major) with The Duke of Edinburgh's Regiment, and his younger brother was a provincial commissioner in Northern Rhodesia.[2]
Military career
[edit]Willis was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) as a second-lieutenant on 14 February 1890,[3] promoted to lieutenant on 14 February 1893, and to captain on 19 January 1900.[4] He was attached to the 60th battery RFA which was stationed in British India until November 1902, when he was in command as they returned home.[5] They were subsequently stationed at Ballinrobe, County Mayo.[6]
After serving in World War I, during which he was promoted to temporary brigadier general in January 1916,[7] he was appointed major general, Royal Artillery in 1921 and Director of the Royal Artillery in 1927.[8] He became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey in 1929[9][10] and retired in 1934.[9]
Later life
[edit]Having been appointed CB, CMG and received the Order of St Stanislaus, 2nd Class (with swords)[11] in the course of his career, Willis died at his house, Westlands, at Saint Brélade, Jersey on 26 June 1961. In 1904 he married Sarah Augusta Barlow, daughter of Micah Barlow.[12] Their son, Major John Henry Willis, M.C., of the 12th Lancers, was the second husband of the actress Hermione Baddeley, from 1940 until their 1946 divorce.[13][14] In 1925, he married Ellis Mary, daughter of Alexander William Duke.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Marlborough College Register from 1843 to 1904 inclusive, fifth edition, 1905, pg 370, pg 451
- ^ Northern Rhodesia Blue Book for the year ended 31 December 1929, pg A-89
- ^ "No. 26026". The London Gazette. 25 February 1890. p. 1044.
- ^ "No. 27168". The London Gazette. 23 February 1900. p. 1257.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36919. London. 7 November 1902. p. 6.
- ^ Hart′s Army list, 1903
- ^ "No. 29495". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 February 1916. p. 2332.
- ^ "Senior Army appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Government House, Jersey" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011.
- ^ "No. 33496". The London Gazette. 17 May 1929. p. 3312.
- ^ Supplement to the London Gazette, 15 Feb. 1917, pg 1600
- ^ "Marriages at St John the Evangelist in the District of Pendlebury, Salford: Marriages recorded in the Register for 1891 – 1909". Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ The Unsinkable Hermione Baddeley, Hermione Baddeley, Collins, 1984, pg 114
- ^ Stage and Screen Lives, Michael Billington, 2001, pg 23
- ^ "Archives and collections online".