Stuk 0001 - Lieutenant-General Sir Nigel Poett

326-IM-0029-0001

Lieutenant-General Sir Nigel Poett

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The Times of Ceylon Press

Central Office of Information, London

"Lieutenant-General Sir Nigel Poett, K.C.B., D.S.O."
In June 1961, Lieutenant-General Sir Nigel Poett returns to the Far East to succeed General Sir Richard Hall as Commander-in-Chief, Far East Land Forces. General Poett had previously served with Farelf as Chief of Staff from 1950 to 1052.
He is the only son of the late Major-General J. H. Poett. His mother was an American from Providence, Rhode Island, and his paternal grandfather was Joseph Henry Poett of San Mateo, California. The earlier General Poett had a distinguished military career which included service in the South African and first world wars, and several years in Ceylon and India, in which latter country he was Brigadier-General, Southern Army, from 1907 to 1911.
Sir Nigel Poett was born on 20th August, 1907, was educated at Downside School, Bath, trained at the Royal Military College (now Academy), Sandhurst, and was commissioned in the Durham Light Infantry a few days after his twentieth birthday. During the pre-war years he served in Egypt, India and the Sudan, and took part in 1930-31 in operations on the North West Frontier of India.
During the second world war he volunteered for the newly formed Airborne forces and qualified as a parachutist. Early in 1943 he was selected to lead the 5th Parachute Brigade of the 6th Airborne Division. On the night before D-Day his Brigade took to the air to land on the extreme left of the Normandy beaches.
The mission of the Division was to dislocate the German defences and to thwart any counter-stroke against the eastern flank of the landing armies. In many hours of desperate fighting, often in scattered parties against all arms of the enemy, they accomplished their object. An immediate award by the Allied Supreme Commander, General Eisenhower, of the United States Silver Star recognised General Poett's work on that day. Within 12 months, distinguished service had also won him D.S.O and Bar.
After the war Sir Nigel Poett served as Director if Plans at the War Office, studied at the Imperial Defence College, and was from 1949 to 1950 Deputy Commander of the British Military Mission in Greece. Then came his appointment as Chief of Staff, Far East Land Forces, and with it his promotion to the rank of Major-General.
In May 1952 he was given command of the 3rd Division in the Middle East, and in June 1954 became Director of Military Operations at the War Office. From 1957 to 1958 he was Commandant of the Staff College at Camberley, and in November of the latter year he was promoted Lieutenant-General and appointed GOC.-in-C., Southern Command. He held this post until April 1961.
General Sir Nigel Poett was created C.B. in 1952 and received his knighthood as K.C.B. in 1959. He is Colonel of his old Regiment, the Durham Light Infantry. He married a New Zealander, Miss Julia Herrick, daughter of Mr. E. J. Herrick of Hawkes Bay, and has two sons and a daughter.

• Military Figures

• Britain

• The Times of Ceylon Press (Archiefvormer)
• Central Office of Information, London (Archiefvormer)

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22 mei 2015 23:13