Robert Sturges

Sir Robert Grice Sturges

Sturges (right) with Belgian Prime Minister Hubert Pierlot in April 1944.
Born (1891-07-14)14 July 1891
Borough of Wokingham, England
Died 12 September 1970(1970-09-12) (aged 79)
Exeter, England
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Navy (1908–12)
Royal Marines (1912–46)
Years of service 1908–1946
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held Royal Marines Division (1940)
Battles/wars

First World War

Second World War

Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches (2)

Lieutenant General Sir Robert Grice Sturges KBE, CB, DSO (14 July 1891 – 12 September 1970) was a senior Royal Marines officer who fought in both the First World War and Second World War.

Military career

Sturges joined the Royal Navy in 1908.[1] Commissioned a sub-lieutenant on 15 May 1912,[2] he transferred to the Royal Marines as a lieutenant from the same date (confirmed on 19 December 1914).[1][3] He served in the First World War, seeing action in the Gallipoli Campaign and the Battle of Jutland, and receiving promotion to captain on 30 January 1917.[4][5] He was officially transferred to the Royal Marine Light Infantry on 30 January 1917.[6]

Between the wars, he was promoted to major on 17 June 1929,[7] and to lieutenant colonel on 1 April 1936.[8] He was brevetted colonel and promoted to colonel on 3 April 1939 (seniority 31 December 1938).[9]

During the Second World War he was the commander of the British occupation of Iceland in May 1940. He was promoted to acting colonel commandant and temporary brigadier on 4 June,[10] and was mentioned in despatches in July.[11] He was Commander of the British occupation of Madagascar in 1942.[1] He went on to be Commander of the Special Service Group (Commandos) in 1943.[1] He was described as "intrepid in action, ruddy in countenance, and forcefully bucolic in language".[12] He retired in 1946.[1]

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Robert Grice Sturges". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28609. p. 3583. 17 May 1912.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 29015. p. 10918. 22 December 1914.
  4. ↑ Whitehead, p. 352.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 29972. p. 2255. 6 March 1917.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 31924. p. 6084. 1 June 1920.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 33520. p. 4926. 26 July 1929.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34273. p. 2385. 10 April 1936.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34614. p. 2344. 7 April 1939.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34958. p. 5785. 1 October 1940.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34890. p. 4152. 5 July 1940.
  12. ↑ Lockhart, p. 34.
Sources
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