James Cassels (British Army officer)

Sir James Cassels
General Sir James Cassels in 1968
Nickname(s)	"Jim"
Born	(1907-02-28)28 February 1907 Quetta, British India
Died	13 December 1996(1996-12-13) (aged 89) Newmarket, Suffolk, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1926–68
Rank	Field Marshal
Unit	Seaforth Highlanders
Commands held	Chief of the General Staff (1965–68) British Army of the Rhine (1960–63) Northern Army Group (1960–63) Eastern Command (1959–60) I Corps (1953–54) 1st Commonwealth Division (1951–52) 6th Airborne Division (1946) 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (1945–46) 152nd Infantry Brigade (1944–45) 1st Battalion, Tyneside Scottish (1940)
Battles/wars	Second World War Korean War Malayan Emergency
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches Legion of Merit (United States) Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (Malaysia)[1]
Relations	General Sir Robert Cassels (father)

Field Marshal Sir Archibald James Halkett Cassels, GCB, KBE, DSO (28 February 1907 – 13 December 1996) was a senior British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, from 1965 to 1968. As well as being a first-class cricket player, he served in the Second World War, commanded the 1st Commonwealth Division in the Korean War and was Director of Operations in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency. He later advised the British government on the implementation of the 1966 Defence White Paper.

Early life

Born the son of General Sir Robert Cassels and Florence Emily Cassels (née Jackson)^[2] and educated at Rugby School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst,^[3] Cassels was commissioned into the Seaforth Highlanders on 30 August 1926.^[4] He was posted to Central India in 1928 and, having been promoted to lieutenant on 20 August 1929, was appointed aide-de-camp to his father in May 1930.^[5] He became adjutant of the 2nd battalion of his regiment in March 1934 and was promoted to captain on 22 March 1938.^[5]

Cricket career

A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium/Off spin bowler,^[6] he played first-class cricket between 1928 and 1935^[7] and also represented the Egyptian national team.^[8]

His first recorded match came in 1921 when he played for his school team against Marlborough College at Lord's.^[9] His first-class debut was in 1928 when he played for the Europeans against the Hindus in the Lahore Tournament, a tournament similar to the more famous Bombay Quadrangular Tournament but played in Lahore, then a part of India. He played for a Punjab Governor's XI against Northern India team in his second first-class match later that month, also in Lahore.^[7] He took 6/51 in the second innings of that match,^[10] his best innings bowling performance in first-class cricket.^[6]

He played his next first-class match in Delhi in February 1932, playing for a Viceroy's XI against the Roshanara Club. He played his first first-class match in England that June, playing for the British Army cricket team against the RAF at The Oval,^[7] making his highest first-class score of 72.^[11] The following year he played for the Egyptian national side against HM Martineau's XI in Alexandria, taking five wickets in the second innings of the visitors.^[12]

He played his final first-class match in the 1935 English season, playing for the Army against Cambridge University.^[7] He continued to play cricket at a lower level, playing for Delhi against Lord Tennyson's XI in 1938. After the war, he played twice for the Army against the Royal Navy, in 1948 and 1949, and against Cambridge University in 1949.^[9]

Military career

Cassels served in the Second World War, initially as brigade major of 157th Infantry Brigade which was sent to France in June 1940 and then withdrawn through Cherbourg.^[5] After commanding the 1st Battalion, Tyneside Scottish (Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)) later that year,^[13] he became a General Staff Officer with 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division in September 1940 and then Deputy Director (Plans) at the War Office on October 1941.^[5] Promoted to major on 30 August 1943,^[14] he joined the staff responsible for the planning for Operation Overlord in January 1944.^[5] He was given command of 152nd Infantry Brigade in July 1944 and led it during the Normandy Campaign for which he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 28 September 1944^[15] and awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 21 December 1944.^[16] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 51st (Highland) Infantry Division on 28 May 1945 and commanded it in the Rhineland^[5] being mentioned in despatches on 8 November 1945.^[17]

The Korean War, during which Cassels commanded 1st Commonwealth Division.

After the war he commanded the 6th Airborne Division in counter-insurgency operations in Palestine^[18] and was again mentioned in despatches.^[19] Promoted to the substantive rank of colonel on 19 August 1947,^[20] he became Director of Land / Air Warfare at the War Office in January 1948.^[18] Having been promoted to brigadier on 4 March 1948^[21] and to major general on 20 December 1948,^[22] he became Chief Liaison Officer with the United Kingdom Services Liaison Staff at Melbourne in Australia on 16 December 1949^[23] and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours 1950.^[24] He became the first General Officer Commanding the 1st Commonwealth Division in July 1951 during the Korean War^[18] for which he was awarded the Legion of Merit in the Degree of Commander by the President of the United States on 16 September 1952^[25] and appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 10 October 1952.^[26]

Cassels served as Director of Operations during the Malayan Emergency.

He was made General Officer Commanding 1 (British) Corps on 4 January 1953^[27] and, having been promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general on 2 February 1954,^[28] became Director of Military Training at the War Office on 15 November 1954.^[29] He was appointed Director of Operations in Malaya on 17 September 1957 during the Malayan Emergency^[30] and, having been promoted to full general on 29 November 1958,^[31] became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Eastern Command on 29 June 1959.^[32] He became Commander of the Northern Army Group and Commander-in-Chief of British Army of the Rhine on 7 January 1960^[33] and, having advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours 1961,^[34] became Adjutant-General to the Forces on 1 June 1963.^[35] He became Chief of the General Staff on 8 February 1965^[36] and advised the British Government on the implementation of the 1966 Defence White Paper which, inter alia, established the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve.^[37] He was promoted to field marshal on 29 February 1968 on his retirement from the British Army.^[37]

He was also Colonel of the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) from 15 March 1957^[38] and Colonel Commandant of the Royal Military Police from 27 May 1957.^[39] He was also a member of the Committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club.^[2]

His interests included fishing, dance music, playing the guitar and the clarinet and playing various sports including cricket, polo and golf.^[2] He died at Newmarket in Suffolk on 13 December 1996.^[2]

Family

In 1935 he married Joyce Kirk; they had one son.^[5] Following the death of his first wife, he married Joy Dickson in 1978.^[37]

References

Further reading

• Obituary: Daily Telegraph 21 December 1996
• Heathcote, Tony (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736–1997. Barnsley (UK): Pen & Sword. ISBN 0-85052-696-5. 

Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces and Chiefs of the General Staff of the British Army
Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces	Duke of Albemarle Duke of Monmouth Earl of Marlborough Duke of Leinster Duke of Marlborough Duke of Ormonde Earl of Stair George Wade Duke of Cumberland Viscount Ligionier Marquess of Granby Lord Amherst Henry Conway Lord Amherst Duke of York Sir David Dundas Duke of York Duke of Wellington Viscount Hill Duke of Wellington Viscount Hardinge Duke of Cambridge Viscount Wolseley Earl Roberts
Chief of the General Staff	Sir Neville Lyttelton
Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff	Sir William Nicholson Sir John French Sir Charles Douglas Sir James Murray Sir Archibald Murray Sir William Robertson Sir Henry Wilson The Earl of Cavan Sir George Milne Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd Sir Cyril Deverell The Viscount Gort Sir Edmund Ironside Sir John Dill Sir Alan Brooke The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein Sir William Slim Sir John Harding Sir Gerald Templer Sir Francis Festing Sir Richard Hull
Chiefs of the General Staff	Sir Richard Hull Sir James Cassels Sir Geoffrey Baker Sir Michael Carver Sir Peter Hunt Sir Roland Gibbs Sir Edwin Bramall Sir John Stanier Sir Nigel Bagnall Sir John Chapple Sir Peter Inge Sir Charles Guthrie Sir Roger Wheeler Sir Michael Walker Sir Mike Jackson Sir Richard Dannatt Sir David Richards Sir Peter Wall Sir Nick Carter