Cecil Firbank

Major-General Cecil Llewellyn Firbank, CB, CBE, DSO & Bar, DL (1903–1985) was a British Army officer.

Cecil Firbank
Born	1903
Died	1985 (aged 81−82)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1924−1958
Rank	Major-General
Service number	28072
Unit	Somerset Light Infantry
Commands	2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment 71st Infantry Brigade School of Infantry 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
Battles / wars	Second World War
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order & Bar

Military career

Born in Oakhill, Mendip District, Somerset, Firbank entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the Somerset Light Infantry on 30 January 1924. Eric Bols and Robert King were among his fellow graduates, both also future major-generals.^[1]

During the Second World War, he commanded the 2nd Battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment in North West Europe in 1944 and then commanded the 71st Infantry Brigade also in North West Europe from April 1945 during the Second World War^[2] for which he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order & Bar.^[3][4]

After the war he became Commandant, School of Infantry in September 1948, General Officer Commanding 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division in September 1951 and Director of Infantry in October 1955 before retiring in December 1958 .^[5]

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1951 Birthday Honours^[6] and a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1953 Coronation Honours.^[7]

He was honorary colonel of the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry from 1963 to 1968.^[8]

References

1. "No. 32903". The London Gazette. 1 February 1924. p. 958.
2. "Firbank, Cecil Llewellyn". Generals.dk. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
3. "No. 36961". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 February 1945. p. 1172.
4. "No. 37138". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 June 1945. p. 3231.
5. "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
6. "No. 39243". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 1951. p. 3067.
7. "No. 39863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1953. p. 2943.
8. "The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 17 January 2006. Retrieved 8 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links

• Generals of World War II

Military offices
Preceded by Michael West	Commandant of the School of Infantry 1948–1951	Succeeded by Richard Elton Goodwin
Preceded by Charles Coleman	GOC 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division 1951–1954	Succeeded by Eric Sixsmith