Keppel Bethell

Major-General Sir Hugh Keppel Bethell KBE, CB, CMG, CVO, DSO (1882–1947) was a senior British Army officer.

Sir Keppel Bethell
Portrait of Bethell, c. 1918–1921
Born	10 December 1882 Quidenham, Norfolk, England[1]
Died	1947 (aged 64–65)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1902–1934
Rank	Major-General
Unit	Royal Garrison Artillery Northamptonshire Regiment
Commands	1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment 74th Brigade 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division 2nd Rhine Brigade Presidency and Assam District
Battles / wars	First World War
Awards	Knight 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 Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order

Military career

Engaged in conversation with Major General William Wright Harts of the United States Army is Major-General H. Keppel Bethell, GOC 66th Division, pictured here at Fruges, France, 18 July 1918.

Bethell was the eldest son of Col. Edward Bethell DSO CMG and his wife Gertrude, the daughter of Major General Eustace Hill.^[1] Educated at Charterhouse School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Bethell was commissioned into the Royal Garrison Artillery on 24 December 1902.^[2]

Seeing active service during the First World War, he became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, the Northamptonshire Regiment on the Western Front in late 1915, commander of the 74th Brigade in late 1916 and General Officer Commanding 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division in March 1918.^[3] Aged just 36, he was the youngest British divisional commander of the 20th century.^[4]

After the war he became military attaché to Washington, D.C. in 1919, commander of 2nd Rhine Brigade in April 1924 and Brigadier on the general staff at Northern Command in India in April 1928.^[5] His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding Presidency and Assam District in India in December 1930 before retiring in December 1934.^[6] Following his retirement he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1935 Birthday Honours.^[7]