Ronald Scobie

Ronald MacKenzie Scobie
Lt-General Scobie at his desk in Athens, with his Brigadier General Staff, Brigadier H S K Mainwaring.
Born	8 June 1893 Mandalay, British Burma[1]
Died	23 February 1969 (aged 75) Aldershot, Hampshire[1]
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1914–1946
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Unit	Royal Engineers
Commands held	70th Infantry Division III Corps
Battles/wars	First World War Second World War Greek Civil War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Military Cross

Lieutenant-General Sir Ronald MacKenzie Scobie KBE, CB, MC (8 June 1893–23 February 1969)^[2] was a senior British Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II, where he commanded the 70th Infantry Division and later III Corps.

Military career

Educated at Cheltenham and Woolwich, Scobie played rugby for Scotland in 1914. He was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1914 and served during the First World War in France and Belgium 1914–1918; General Staff Officer Grade 3, France 1918; Bde Maj, France 1918–1920; Officer, Company of Gentlemen Cadets, Royal Marine Artillery, Woolwich 1920–1924; Staff Capt, Aldershot Command 1927–1929; Bde Maj, Aldershot Command 1929–1931^[3] He became Director of Military Artillery at the Royal Military College, Australia in 1932 and Assistant Adjutant General at the War Office in 1938.^[3]

In 1939, at the start of the Second World War Scobie, a brigadier, was Deputy Director of Mobilisation at the War Office.^[3] After this he held the position Deputy Adjutant General at General Headquarters, Middle East Land Forces in 1940 before being given command of the 70th Infantry Division,^[3] which was sent into to relieve the Australian 9th Division in Tobruk. Scobie was in command of the Tobruk fortress from 22 October 1941 to 13 December 1941, when, as part of Operation Crusader, the 70th Infantry Division led the break-out from Tobruk. In 1942 he became General Officer Commanding the Troops in Malta and on 22 March 1943 Scobie was promoted to lieutenant general and made Chief of the General Staff at General Headquarters Middle East.^[3] From 11 December 1943 he was given command of III Corps^[4] which was sent to Greece to expel the Germans but ended up becoming involved in the Greek Civil War. He remained in command of British forces in Greece until 1946.

References

1. Player profile: Ronald Scobie from CricketArchive
2. The Royal Engineers Journal 83. The Institution of Royal Engineers. 1969. p. 152.
3. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
4. Ronald Scobie at Orders of Battle.com

External links

• Media related to Ronald Scobie at Wikimedia Commons
• WWII Peoples War: Force 140