Frank Crowther Roberts

Early life and military career

Frank Crowther Roberts was born on 2 June 1891 at Highbury, London, the son of Rev. Frank Roberts, vicar of St. John Hall, Southall. He was educated at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, where he graduated and was subsequently commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Worcestershire Regiment on 4 March 1911. He was posted to the 1st Battalion of his regiment and was sent, with his battalion, to Alexandria, Egypt the following year, to relieve the 2nd Battalion, Worcesters, and was there upon the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.

The battalion, then commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Grogan, returned to the United Kingdom shortly after the declaration of war and arrived there in October 1914, where it became part of the 24th Brigade of the 8th Division, which was then in the process of formation. The battalion was sent to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front and landed in France in November 1914. The battalion was involved in the winter operations 1914–1915 and participated in the Christmas truce. Three months after his arrival, Roberts, by now a lieutenant (promoted on 3 September 1914), was awarded the Distinguished Service Order while leading a trench raid. He later fought in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, and became the adjutant of his battalion until October 1916 when he was made brigade major of the 23rd Brigade. In that capacity, during the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres) in August 1917, Roberts was awarded the Military Cross (MC). In late October he returned to the 1st Battalion, Worcesters and, aged just 26, was promoted to the acting rank of lieutenant colonel, and given temporary command of the battalion, becoming one of the British Army's youngest battalion commanders.

He was 26 years old, and an acting lieutenant colonel in the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

During the period 22 March/2 April 1918 west of Somme and at Pargny, France, Lieutenant Colonel Roberts showed exceptional military skill in dealing with the many very difficult situations of the retirement and amazing endurance and energy in inspiring all ranks under his command. On one occasion the enemy attacked a village and had practically cleared it of our troops when Colonel Roberts got together an improvised party and led a counter-attack which temporarily drove the enemy out of the village, thus covering the retirement of troops on their flanks. The success of this action was entirely due to his personal valour and skill.

Roberts was wounded on 27 March and returned to England for treatment, returning to his battalion on 17 June, where he again assumed command, remaining in this post for the rest of the war, leading the battalion during the Hundred Days Offensive until the war ended on 11 November 1918. During the war he was thrice wounded in six times mentioned in despatches.

Between the wars

He remained in the army during the interwar period, serving briefly with the Egyptian Army in the Sudan from 1919–20, and later attended the Staff College, Camberley, entering in January 1921, shortly afterwards being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and graduating in December 1922. Among his many fellow students there were Eric Costin, James Gammell, John Priestman, Clifton Alban, Merton Beckwith-Smith, Russell Gurney, Francis Nosworthy, Giffard Martel, John Kennedy, Ridley Pakenham-Walsh, Ralph Eastwood, Edwin Morris, Eric Miles, Robert Naylor, Thomas Corbett, Ernest Squires, Austin Miller, William Baker and Edmund Osborne, all of whom would, like Roberts, become general officers. He later served in Egypt in 1923–24 and with the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). He transferred to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a major in July 1927 and served with the 2nd Battalion in India and the Middle East. His next appointment was as a General Staff Officer Grade 3 (GSO3) with the Iraqi Army and, for his service in Southern Kudistan, was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel. The following year he returned to England and met and married Winifred Margaret Wragg at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire and was made a brevet colonel the same year.

In 1937 he became Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshires and went with the battalion to India. The following year he became commander of the Poona Brigade of the Indian Army. Returning to England, he was promoted to the rank of major general on 1 June 1939, three months before the outbreak of the Second World War, and became General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division, a Territorial Army (TA) formation. Aged just 48, he was one of the youngest division commanders in the British Army, only Major General Harold Alexander, GOC of the 1st Infantry Division, and Major General William Holmes, GOC of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division, being younger.

Second World War and retirement

The 48th Division – comprising the 143rd, 144th and 145th Infantry Brigades along with supporting units – being a first-line TA formation, was poorly-trained and equipped, severely lacking in modern weapons and equipment, had to be rapidly trained to Regular standards in order to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) serving in France. However, in October, Roberts handed over command of the division to Major General Andrew Thorne and officially retired from the army on 16 December 1939, just three months after the outbreak of the war, after twenty-eight years of military service.

He and his wife, who died in December 1980, settled in Stanhope Bretby, Derbyshire. Having no children, Roberts remained there until his death on 12 January 1982, aged 90. The last living ex-member of the Worcestershire Regiment to be holding the VC at the time of his death, his VC is displayed at The Worcestershire Regimental Collection in the Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, Worcester, Worcestershire, England.