John Blakiston-Houston (British Army officer)

John Blakiston-Houston
Nickname(s)	"Mike"[1]
Born	(1881-04-18)18 April 1881
Died	16 December 1959(1959-12-16) (aged 77)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1899–1942
Rank	Major General
Service number	566[2]
Unit	11th Hussars
Commands	Midland Area (1940–41) 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division (1939) Army School of Equitation (1934–38) 2nd Cavalry Brigade (1927–31) 12th Royal Lancers (1923–27)
Battles / wars	Second Boer War First World War Second World War
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches[3]

Major General John Matthew Blakiston-Houston, CB, DSO, DL (18 April 1881 − 16 December 1959) was a senior British Army officer.

Military career

Blakiston-Houston transferred from the militia into the 11th Hussars on 15 February 1902.[4] He was promoted to lieutenant in September 1904.[5]

He served in the First World War as deputy assistant adjutant and quartermaster-general for the 3rd Cavalry Division and then as assistant adjutant and quartermaster-general for the 1st Cavalry Division.[6]

After attending and graduating from the Staff College, Camberley, in 1919,[3] Blakiston-Houston went on to become commanding officer of the 12th Royal Lancers in September 1923, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade in October 1927 and Chief Administration Officer, Northern Command in November 1931, for which he was granted the temporary rank of brigadier.[6][7]

After that he became commandant of the Army School of Equitation in Weedon Bec in August 1934 before retiring in August 1938.[8] In 1937, the year before his retirement, he had been considered for the command of the Mobile Division, later the 1st Armoured Division, but Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Secretary of State for War, turned down the idea, in the belief that all Blakiston-Houston could do was "slap his thigh and shout".[1]

Blakiston-Houston was recalled to become General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division in September 1939 and GOC Midland Area in May 1940 before returning to retirement with his wife in January 1942.[6][1]

References

1. Smart 2005, p. 35.
2. "No. 35433". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 January 1942. p. 437.
3. Smart 2005, p. 34.
4. "No. 27406". The London Gazette. 14 February 1902. p. 938.
5. "No. 27719". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 October 1904. p. 6365.
6. "Blakiston-Houston, John". Generals.dk. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
7. "No. 33775". The London Gazette. 27 November 1931. p. 7660.
8. "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2020.

Bibliography

• Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 1844150496.

Military offices
New command	GOC 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division September–December 1939	Succeeded by Ralph Eastwood