Cosmo Nevill
Major General Cosmo Alexander Richard Nevill CB CBE DSO (14 July 1907 – 19 September 2002) was a senior British Army officer who fought in World War II in Western Europe and later commanded the 2nd Division.
Cosmo Nevill | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 July 1907 Bordon, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 19 September 2002 (aged 95) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1927–1960 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Service number | 38525 |
| Unit | Royal Fusiliers |
| Commands held | 2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers 6th Infantry Brigade British Army School of Infantry 2nd Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order |
Military career
Nevill was educated at Harrow School and the Royal Military College Sandhurst.[1] He was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers in 1927 and then served in India from 1932.[2] He fought in the Second World War in Burma and then took part in the Normandy landings as Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment.[2] His battalion captured the Longues-sur-Mer battery and took 120 prisoners, earning him the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[1]
After the War he served on the General Staff of the Military Staff Committee at the United Nations in New York.[2] He became Commanding Officer of 1st Bn Royal Fusiliers in Germany in 1950, Commander of 6th Infantry Brigade at Münster and Wuppertal in 1951 and Commandant of the School of Infantry at Warminster in 1954.[2] His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 2nd Infantry Division at Hilden in 1956 before he retired in 1960 following a heart attack.[2]
In retirement he became a respected oil painter.[1]
Family
In 1934 he married Grania Goodliffe; they had a son and a daughter.[1]
References
- Obituary: Major-General Cosmo Nevill The Telegraph, 12 October 2002
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives