Allegiance United Kingdom Died July 24, 1975 Years of service 1914-1950 | Name James Steele | |
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Commands held 1st Battalion The Sherwood Foresters132nd Infantry (Surrey and Kent) Brigade59th Staffordshire DivisionII CorpsBritish Forces in Austria Battles/wars World War IWorld War II Awards Order of the Bath, Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross | ||
Battles and wars World War I, World War II | ||
General Sir James Stuart Steele (26 October 1894 – 24 July 1975) was a senior British Army officer who served as Adjutant-General to the Forces.
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Early life and military career
Born in Ballycarry, County Antrim and educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and at Queen's University Belfast, Steele was gazetted as a temporary second lieutenant in the Royal Irish Rifles, British Army, in September 1914 during the First World War and posted to the 7th (Service) Battalion. He served on the Western Front from 1915 to 1917. He served at the battles of Messines, Somme and at Passchendaele. He was given a regular commission in June 1916. He was mentioned in despatches in April 1917 and was awarded the MC in August 1917. Steele served the rest of the war in India and was mentioned in despatches again.
Between the wars
He stayed in the army and attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1930 to 1931, alongside fellow students such as George Symes, George Hopkinson, William Gott and Miles Dempsey. He was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel and commanded the 1st Battalion, Sherwood Foresters from 1937 to 1939: the battalion was deployed to Jamaica in 1937 and to Palestine 1939. He was promoted to colonel in 1939.
Second World War
In July 1939, Steele was posted to the mobilization branch of the War Office Staff. He signed the executive signal for the mobilization of the army. He took over command of the 132nd Infantry Brigade in November 1939. He served in France and Belgium in 1940. He was awarded the DSO for his part in the engagement on the River Escaut and the subsequent withdrawal to Dunkirk. He became General Officer Commanding (GOC) 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division in February 1941. He commanded II Corps as an acting lieutenant general in 1942. He became Deputy Chief of Staff for Middle East Command in 1942. He was then appointed Director of Staff Duties at the War Office in 1943. He was promoted to major general in 1944.
Postwar
Steele was promoted to lieutenant general in 1946. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) and High Commissioner in Austria in 1946. In that capacity he signed a treaty with Marshal Tito. He was promoted to general in 1947. He was Adjutant-General to the Forces from 1947 to 1950 when he retired from the British Army.
He was Aide-de-camp general to H.M. The King in 1950.
He was awarded the CB in 1943, the KCB in 1949 and the GCB in 1950. He was also awarded the KBE in 1946.
Retirement
He received an honorary LLD from Queen's University, Belfast in 1947. He was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1947 to 1957. He was the President of the Army Benevolent Fund from 1954 to 1964. In 1966 he became Chairman of the Northern Ireland Government Somme committee. He lived in Blandford Forum, Dorset.
Family
He married Janet Gibson Gordon and together they went on to have two daughters.