Edward Willis (British Army officer)

Edward Willis
Willis in 1917
Born	5 September 1870
Died	26 June 1961
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1890–1934
Rank	Major-General
Battles / wars	World War I
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George

Major-General Edward Henry Willis, CB, CMG (5 September 1870 – 26 June 1961) was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.

Background

Willis was the second son of Henry Scott Willis, a wool merchant of Northfield, Trowbridge, Wiltshire.[1] His elder brother took over the family wool business, having served as a supernumerary captain (honorary major) with The Duke of Edinburgh's Regiment, and his younger brother was a provincial commissioner in Northern Rhodesia.[2]

Military career

Willis was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) as a second-lieutenant on 14 February 1890,[3] promoted to lieutenant on 14 February 1893, and to captain on 19 January 1900.[4] He was attached to the 60th battery RFA which was stationed in British India until November 1902, when he was in command as they returned home.[5] They were subsequently stationed at Ballinrobe, County Mayo.[6]

After serving in World War I, during which he was promoted to temporary brigadier general in January 1916,[7] he was appointed major general, Royal Artillery in 1921 and Director of the Royal Artillery in 1927.[8] He became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey in 1929[9][10] and retired in 1934.[9]

Later life

Having been appointed CB, CMG and received the Order of St Stanislaus, 2nd Class (with swords)[11] in the course of his career, Willis died at his house, Westlands, at Saint Brélade, Jersey on 26 June 1961. In 1904 he married Sarah Augusta Barlow, daughter of Micah Barlow.[12] Their son, Major John Henry Willis, M.C., of the 12th Lancers, was the second husband of the actress Hermione Baddeley, from 1940 until their 1946 divorce.[13][14] In 1925, he married Ellis Mary, daughter of Alexander William Duke.[15]

References

1. Marlborough College Register from 1843 to 1904 inclusive, fifth edition, 1905, pg 370, pg 451
2. Northern Rhodesia Blue Book for the year ended 31 December 1929, pg A-89
3. "No. 26026". The London Gazette. 25 February 1890. p. 1044.
4. "No. 27168". The London Gazette. 23 February 1900. p. 1257.
5. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36919. London. 7 November 1902. p. 6.
6. Hart′s Army list, 1903
7. "No. 29495". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 February 1916. p. 2332.
8. "Senior Army appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015.
9. "Government House, Jersey" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011.
10. "No. 33496". The London Gazette. 17 May 1929. p. 3312.
11. Supplement to the London Gazette, 15 Feb. 1917, pg 1600
12. "Marriages at St John the Evangelist in the District of Pendlebury, Salford: Marriages recorded in the Register for 1891 – 1909". Retrieved 17 February 2021.
13. The Unsinkable Hermione Baddeley, Hermione Baddeley, Collins, 1984, pg 114
14. Stage and Screen Lives, Michael Billington, 2001, pg 23
15. "Archives and collections online".

Government offices
Preceded by Sir Francis Bingham	Lieutenant Governor of Jersey 1929–1934	Succeeded by Sir Horace Martelli