219.79.76.72 at 15:08, 14 July 2022

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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Christopher Maltby
|image= ChrisMaltby.jpg
|image_size=
|alt=
|caption= Major General Christopher Maltby
|nickname=
|birth_date= {{birth date|1891|01|13|df=yes}}
|birth_place= India
|death_date= {{death date and age|1980|09|06|1891|01|13|df=yes}}
|death_place= [[Taunton]], England
|placeofburial=
|allegiance= United Kingdom
|branch= [[British Indian Army]]
|serviceyears= 1908–1946
|servicenumber= 199269
|rank= [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major general]]
|unit=[[9th Jat Regiment]]
|commands= [[Commander British Forces in Hong Kong|British Troops in China]] (1941) [[19th Indian Infantry Brigade]] (1940–41) [[3rd Indian Infantry Brigade]] (1939–40) 3rd Battalion [[9th Jat Regiment]] (1937–39) 4th Battalion 9th [[Rajput Regiment]] (1936–37)
|battles= [[First World War]] [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War|Russian Civil War]] [[Waziristan campaign (1936–39)|Waziristan campaign]] [[Second World War]]
|awards= [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] [[Military Cross]] [[Mentioned in Despatches]] (4)
|relations= Air Vice Marshal [[Paul Maltby|Sir Paul Maltby]] (brother)
|laterwork=
}}
[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]] '''Christopher Michael Maltby''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|CB|MC|DL}} (13 January 1891 – 6 September 1980) was a senior officer in the [[British Indian Army]] who served as [[Commander British Forces in Hong Kong|Commander of British Troops in Hong Kong]] in 1941 before the [[Battle of Hong Kong|Japanese invasion of Hong Kong]], after which he became a prisoner of war.

==Military career==
Educated at [[Bedford School]], Maltby attended the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]], from where he was [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned]] into the [[9th Jat Regiment]] of the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] in 1910.<ref name=lh>[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/MALTBY.shtml Christopher Michael Maltby] Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives</ref> In the years leading to war, he served in the [[Persian Gulf]].{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=208}}

He saw service in the [[First World War]], mainly on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], where, in addition to being wounded, he was awarded the [[Military Cross]] and was thrice [[mentioned in dispatches]].{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=208}}

With the war over, he then went to the Staff College in [[Quetta]] in 1923.<ref name=lh/> He served on the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier]] in India and then became a [[general staff officer]] at Army Headquarters in India in 1925.<ref name=lh/> He went on to the [[RAF Staff College, Andover|Staff College]] at [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]] in 1927 and then was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Army Headquarters in India in 1930.<ref name=lh/> He returned to the North West Frontier in India in 1937 and then became an instructor at the Staff College at Quetta in 1938 before being appointed a general staff officer in [[Baluchistan (Chief Commissioners Province)|Baluchistan District]] in India in 1939.<ref name=lh/>{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=208}}

[[File:J.K. Lawson and C.M. Maltby.jpg|thumb|left|Canadian Brigadier [[John K. Lawson]] (right) with General Christopher Maltby]]

He served in the [[Second World War]] initially as Commander of [[3rd Indian Infantry Brigade|3rd Jhelum Brigade]], then as Commander of the Calcutta Brigade, and finally as Commander of [[19th Indian Infantry Brigade]] in [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan District]] in India.<ref name=lh/>{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=208}}

He was made [[Commander British Forces in Hong Kong|Commander of British Troops in China]] in August 1941.<ref name=lh/> He initially established a 10-mile line of defence known as [[Gin Drinkers Line]] across the Southern part of the mainland but was rapidly forced to withdraw his troops back to [[Hong Kong Island]].<ref name=fall>[http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/hong_kong_fall.htm Fall of Hong Kong]</ref> General [[Takashi Sakai]] began a bombardment of the Island and, after a brief counter-attack by British Troops which commenced on 19 December 1941,<ref name=fall/> Maltby surrendered to the Japanese at [[Queen's Pier]] on 25 December 1941.<ref>[http://www.mwadui.com/HongKong/Maltby.htm Photos of the fall of Hong Kong]</ref> He was a [[prisoner of war]] from 1941 to 1945.<ref name=lh/>{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=208}}

==Retirement==
Reverting to his permanent rank of colonel, Maltby retired on 10 June 1946.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37674|date=2 August 1946|page=3939}}</ref> He was granted the [[honorary rank]] of major-general on 10 June 1946.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37809|date=3 December 1946|page=5953|supp=y}}</ref> In 1953, Maltby was granted a commission as a [[Deputy lieutenant]] of [[Somerset]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=39954|date=4 September 1953|page=4750}}</ref> where he spent his remaining years, the last five of them a widower.{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=208}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book| first=Nick| last=Smart| title=Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War| isbn=1844150496| year=2005| location=Barnesley| publisher=Pen & Sword}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110911064242/http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/documents.php?aid=120&nid=16&start=10 British Military History Biographies M]
*[https://generals.dk/general/Maltby/Christopher_Michael/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box | before=[[Arthur Edward Grasett|Sir Edward Grassett]] | title={{nowrap|[[Commander British Forces in Hong Kong|Commander of British Troops in China]]}}| years=August – December 1941 | after=[[Francis Festing|Sir Francis Festing]]}}
{{end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maltby, Christopher}}
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Academics of the Staff College, Quetta]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Indian Army generals of World War II]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Japan]]
[[Category:Battle of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Hong Kong in World War II]]
[[Category:People educated at Bedford School]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Quetta]]
[[Category:Deputy Lieutenants of Somerset]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]
[[Category:British Indian Army generals]]

Christopher Maltby - Revision history

219.79.76.72 at 15:08, 14 July 2022