Louis Oldfield

Sir Louis Oldfield
BornFebruary 1872
DiedJanuary 1949 (aged 76)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
RankMajor-General
Commands47th (2nd London) Division
Malaya Command
Battles / warsFirst World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order

Major-General Sir Leopold Charles Louis Oldfield KBE CB CMG DSO (February 1872 – January 1949) was General Officer Commanding Malaya Command.[1]

Military career

Educated at Clifton College,[2] Oldfield was, after graduating from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a second lieutenant on 1 April 1892.[3][4] He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 April 1895, and to captain on 5 April 1900, serving at the time with the 32 Battery Royal Field Artillery stationed at Deesa, British India.[5] In October 1902 he was appointed adjutant of a Volunteer battalion, the 5th Lancashire Volunteer Artillery.[6]

He served in the First World War on the Western Front. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), the citation for which appeared in The London Gazette and reads as follows:

For conspicuous ability and gallantry at Neuve Chapelle on 10th March, 1915, in command of his Battery in action, and for successful service in cutting wire entanglements. He took one of his guns to within 700 yards of the enemy, and so greatly facilitated the advance of our Infantry.[7]

He was latterly Brigadier General Royal Artillery for 51st (Highland) Division in France.[3] He was briefly acting General Officer Commanding 51st (Highland) Division between 11 March 1918 and 16 March 1918.[8]

After the War he became Brigadier General Royal Artillery for the British Army of the Rhine moving on to be Chief Instructor in Gunnery at the Royal School of Artillery at Larkhill in 1924.[3] He was promoted to substantive major general in January 1926[9] and was made general officer commanding (GOC) of the 47th (2nd London) Division from 1927 and then GOC Malaya Command from 1931; he retired in 1934.[3]

He was also colonel commandant of the Royal Artillery from 1938 to 1942.[3]

Family

In 1902 he married Millicent Kate Bredin.[10]

References

  1. ^ Obituary: Sir Louis Oldfield The Times, 10 January 1949, p. 7, col D.
  2. ^ "Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. pp103/4: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April, 1948
  3. ^ a b c d e "Oldfield, Leopold". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. ^ "No. 26274". The London Gazette. 5 April 1892. p. 2001.
  5. ^ Hart′s Army list, 1902
  6. ^ "No. 27498". The London Gazette. 25 November 1902. p. 7938.
  7. ^ "No. 29146". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 April 1915. p. 4144.
  8. ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  9. ^ "No. 33120". The London Gazette. 1 January 1926. p. 45.
  10. ^ Marriages The Times 26 July 1902
Military offices
Preceded by GOC 47th (2nd London) Division
1927–1931 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC Malaya Command
1931–1934 		Succeeded by