Among many well decorated British Generals stands the highly praised Richard O’Connor, famous for a masterful desert campaign, and quite possibly the soldier most Mentioned in Despatches. In part one of this feature, John Ash outlines the General’s early career and his brilliance in the Western Desert.
Part I: The British Desert Fox: Palestine Brilliance, Compass Glory
Born in Srinigar, India, on 21 August 1889, Richard O’Connor was the son of, Maurice O’Connor, a Royal Irish Fusilier Major, and Lilian (née Morris), the daughter of a former governor of India’s central provinces. He began his military career in 1908 at Sandhurst.
In October 1909 he joined 2nd Battalion, the Cameronians, and later served as Regimental Signal Officer.
His unit was put into the new 7th Infantry Division, a Regular Army formation formed from serving soldiers returning from overseas service. The ‘Immortal Seventh’, which contained no reservists, arrived in Belgium on 6 October 1914, helping to stabilise the front around Ypres. They were involved in most major actions on the Western Front until 1917, including Neuve Chapelle and the Somme.
O’Connor held various positions within 7th Division. At the rank of Captain, he commande…
