Dudley Graham Johnson

Dudley Johnson
Major-General D. G. Johnson, GOC 4th Division, pictured here in 1939/1940.
Born	(1884-02-13)13 February 1884 Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England
Died	21 December 1975(1975-12-21) (aged 91) Fleet, Hampshire, England
Buried	Christ Church Churchyard, Church Crookham, Fleet, Hampshire, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1901–1944
Rank	Major-General
Service number	14089
Unit	Wiltshire Regiment South Wales Borderers North Staffordshire Regiment
Commands	Aldershot Command (1940–41) 4th Infantry Division (1938–40) Small Arms School Corps (1936–38) 12th Indian Infantry Brigade (1933–36) 2nd Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment (1928–32) 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (1918–19)
Battles / wars	Second Boer War First World War Second World War
Awards	Victoria Cross Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order & Bar Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches

Major-General Dudley Graham Johnson, VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC (13 February 1884 – 21 December 1975) was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Military career

Major-General Bernard Montgomery (left), Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Brooke (centre), and Major-General Dudley Johnson (right) in France, c.1939–40.

Johnson served with the Wiltshire Regiment in the Second Boer War.[1] He transferred to the South Wales Borderers upon graduating from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1903.

He went to serve in World War I, earning the Distinguished Service Order in 1915 for bravery in late 1914, with the citation reading:

For conspicuous ability on the night of 5th-6th November, 1914, during the operations against the German positions at Tsing-tau, and for great gallantry in rescuing; several wounded men whilst exposed to heavy machine-gun fire.[2]

He was later awarded a bar to his DSO towards the end of the war, with the citation for the bar stating:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in command of his battalion in the attack. The ground over which his battalion advanced was very difficult, but thanks to his careful dispositions, was successfully negotiated. He personally superintended the reorganisation after the objective was reached, and subsequently carried out a night attack, advancing some thousand yards in the face of strenuous opposition. His skilful arrangements and conduct throughout inspired the men under him with a splendid fighting spirit.[3]

He was 34 years old, and an acting lieutenant-colonel in the South Wales Borderers, British Army, commanding the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment during the First World War when the following deed took place at the Sambre Canal, France for which he was awarded the VC.

On 4 November 1918 at Sambre Canal, France, the 2nd Infantry Brigade, of which the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Sussex Regiment formed part, was ordered to cross by the lock south of Catillon. The position was strong and the assaulting and bridging parties were halted on arrival at the waterway 100 yards from the canal by a heavy barrage. At this point Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson arrived and personally led an assault but heavy fire again broke up the attack. He reorganized the assaulting and bridging parties and this time effected a crossing but the success of this dangerous operation was entirely due to his splendid leadership.[4][5]

Between the wars he attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1923 to 1924[6] and held a number of instruction and staff posts before being appointed commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment in 1928.[1] He commanded the 12th (Secunderabad) Infantry Brigade in 1933 and became General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 4th Division from 1938 to 1940.[1] He was replaced as divisional commander after the Battle of Dunkirk in June 1940 and made GOC Aldershot Command later on in 1940[7] before becoming Inspector of Infantry in 1941.[1] He retired in 1944 and was Colonel of the South Wales Borderers from 1944 to 1949.[1]

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the South Wales Borderers Museum, Brecon, Powys, Wales.

Family

He was married to Marjorie Grisewood, who died in 1950. They had one son and two daughters and, after his wife's death, spent the last 25 years of his life a widower.

References

1. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
2. "No. 29102". The London Gazette. 16 March 1915. p. 2628.
3. "No. 31119". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 January 1919. p. 578.
4. "No. 31108". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 January 1919. p. 305.
5. Battlefields
6. Smart 2005, p. 173.
7. "No. 34886". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 June 1940. p. 4003.

Bibliography

• Buzzell, Nora, ed. (1997). The Register of the Victoria Cross. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: This England Alma House. ISBN 0-906324-27-0.
• Gliddon, Gerald (2014) [2000]. The Final Days 1918. VCs of the First World War. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5368-9.
• Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 1844150496.

External links

• Location of grave and VC medal (Hampshire)
• Generals of World War II

Military offices
Preceded by Cyril Gepp	Commandant of the Small Arms School 1936–1938	Succeeded by Russell Gurney
Preceded by Clive Liddell	GOC 4th Infantry Division 1938–1940	Succeeded by Ralph Eastwood
Preceded by Sir Geoffrey Raikes	GOC-in-C Aldershot Command 1940–1941	Post disbanded
Honorary titles
Preceded by Llewellyn Owen	Colonel of the South Wales Borderers 1944–1949	Succeeded by Sir Reade Godwin-Austen