Richard McCreery
Sir Richard McCreery | |
|---|---|
Sir Richard McCreery as a lieutenant-general, pictured here in October 1944 in Italy after taking command of the Eighth Army | |
| Nickname | "Dick" |
| Born | 1 February 1898 Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England |
| Died | 18 October 1967 (aged 69) Templecombe, Somerset, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Service years | 1915–1949 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | 13599 |
| Unit | 12th Lancers |
| Commands | British Army of the Rhine (1946–1948) British Forces in Austria (1945–1946) Eighth Army (1944–1945) X Corps (1943–1944) VIII Corps (1943) 2nd Armoured Group (1941–1942) 8th Armoured Division (1940–1941) 2nd Armoured Brigade (1940) 12th Lancers (1935–1938) |
| Conflicts | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States) Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) |
General Sir Richard Loudon McCreery, GCB, KBE, DSO, MC (1 February 1898 – 18 October 1967) was a career soldier of the British Army, who was decorated for leading one of the last cavalry actions in the First World War. During the Second World War, he was chief of staff to General Sir Harold Alexander at the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein, and later commanded the British Eighth Army, fighting in the Italian campaign from October 1944 until the end of the war, leading it to victory in the final offensive in Italy.