Francis Adrian Wilson

Major-General Francis Adrian Wilson, CB, CMG, DSO (12 October 1874 – 6 May 1954) was a senior officer in the British Army who served as Chief of the General Staff in Australia from 1911 to 1912.

Francis Adrian Wilson
Born12 October 1874
London, England
Died6 May 1954(1954-05-06) (aged 79)
Surrey, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
RankMajor-General
Commands heldChief of the Australian General Staff
Battles/warsSecond Boer War
First World War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches
Légion d'honneur (France)

Military career

Wilson was commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a second lieutenant on 1 July 1895,[1] and promoted to a lieutenant on 17 November 1897. He served in the Second Boer War in South Africa, during which he was promoted to captain on 6 February 1901. He was mentioned in despatches (including the final despatch by Lord Kitchener dated 23 June 1902[2]), and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[3] The war ended in June 1902, and Wilson returned to the united Kingdom on the SS Syria two months later, arriving in Southampton in early September.[4]

He served as Chief of the General Staff in Australia from 1911 to 1912,[5] and then returned to United Kingdom to prepare for the First World War; his service in that war led to the award of the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George[6] and the Légion d'honneur.[7]

After the war he became Colonel Royal Artillery for Eastern Command for which service he was awarded the Companion of the Order of the Bath.[8]

Personal life

In 1903, he married Mabel Crosfield, with whom he had a son and a daughter. He died in 1954 at his home near Farnham, Surrey.[5]

References
  1. "No. 26640". The London Gazette. 5 July 1895. p. 3818.
  2. "No. 27459". The London Gazette. 29 July 1902. pp. 4835–4839.
  3. "No. 27359". The London Gazette. 27 September 1901. p. 6308.
  4. "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36852. London. 21 August 1902. p. 5.
  5. "Maj.-Gen. F. A. Wilson". The Times. 7 May 1954. p. 11.
  6. "No. 29886". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1916. p. 4.
  7. "No. 30431". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 December 1917. p. 13206.
  8. "No. 33280". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1927. p. 3605.
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